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A future komet in the sky?
Go-Kart racing’s fascination
by Elfi
Schumacher brothers watch out! One of these days, Marc Belke,
15, might be big competition.
Right now, even though he is of German nationality, he’s racing for the Thailand
Championship in his Komet B class. In the first three of a seven race season,
Marc has won twice and finished fourth once, the last race after having his
original engine blow up, meaning he had to race with his training engine. I
watched this race, and for me it was almost as exciting as at Formula 1 races.
Marc, sitting sixth on the grid after qualifying, drove very clever and passed
two other karts in a spectacular manner to finish in fourth place. Now, after
this race, he is still leading the championship with 50 points.
E: “Marc, when did you start to race?”
M: “I started last October.”
E: “What do you mean? Haven’t you ever been in a race before that?”
Marc’s mother, Ute, interferes: “He’s a natural. Of course, when he was little,
he was already crazy about cars. I remember very well, he had a bobby-car once
and he would be on it nonstop, protesting and screaming whenever I wanted to
take him off that thing. The first time he saw a Go-Kart was in Frankfurt,
Germany. We were there for holidays and since then he has talked a lot about
it.”
E: “You went for holidays to Germany? I thought you were Germans?”
M: “Yes, we are Germans, but my father worked for 13 years in Nigeria.
Now we have been in Thailand for the past three years. I know Germany only from
my visits there.”
E: “Nigeria sounds interes-ting. Let me count, you are fifteen now, you
and your family have been in Thailand for three years, which means you were born
while your parents were abroad. What do you consider your home?”
M: “I still believe Germany, even though I haven’t lived there yet. But
right now I’m home in Thailand. It’s much, much nicer here than in Nigeria. If
it was up to me, I would stay here forever.”
E: “That’s a big compliment for Thailand. Thank you. Are you still going
to school?”
M: “I am going to the Swiss school in Bangkok.”
E: “After you started racing, I am sure the training takes a lot of your
time away, did it affect you in your studies?”
M: “Well,...” Ute, a proud smile on her face, jumps in to answer for her
son: “At the beginning he had some problems. He was tired from training and also
the races take a lot of strength. The teachers didn’t understand it at first,
but after they found out what exactly he was doing, he been getting a lot of
support. That helped him to get over the first, hard time and now he’s one of
the best students in his class.”
E: “What feelings does a mother have, seeing her sons - I believe your
younger son Dirk is racing as well - on the race-track?”
Ute: “Having one son on the race track is already a bit much, but like
you said, Dirk is also racing now. Well, I am very exited. And afraid. And
proud. All at once. It took Marc a long time to convince my husband and me to
allow him to race. But now, we stand behind him all the way. You know, it’s also
quite expensive. Right now we have to pay for almost everything. He doesn’t have
a promoter yet. Next year he will definitely need one. If he wins this year’s
championship he will start in another class, the Interconti 1 and then it will
get really expensive. For now, he’s joining the ‘Victoria Team’, a Swiss racing
team who are helping a lot. It’s like a big family. They even have their own
cook who comes along to all the races, to supply us with food. Racing means a
lot of traveling and it’s always the best to have some good friends around.”
E: “When can he go inter-national?”
M: “Still a long way to go. I have to get 2 classes higher and then I can
try.”
E: “Would you ever like to be in a Formula 1 race? And who is the best
for you?”
M: “I would love it. But nobody knows what can happen. My idol is, of
course, Michael Schumacher. He used to race Go Karts before he went into the
Formula 1 circuit. Maybe I can follow his footsteps. He is great, but the best
racer ever, for me, is Fangio.”
E: “I can see you watch a lot of racing tapes. Fangio! He was great but
much before yours, and even my time. Are you nervous before a race?”
M: “It’s O.K. Actually I am not feeling nervous at all.” Ute: “I don’t
understand him. My husband and I, and Dirk, are nervous wrecks and he just jumps
in the kart, smiling and waiting calmly for the race to start.”
E: “I would be shaking all over my body. But they always say, a good
racer doesn’t know what nerves are. Where do you practice?”
M: “In Pattaya. The kart course in Theprasit Road is the best in
Thailand. They are building one in Bangkok now. After it’s finished I will have
more time to practice. Right now, my parents drive me to Pattaya every weekend,
later on I can go for training right after school for it’s on my way there. I
still will come to Pattaya, I like this track, I am very used to it. My parents
also would miss Pattaya weekends.”
Marc’s father, Wolf, walks over to us. His face, his hands and his overalls are
greasy. I avoid shaking his hands. He says: “Usually I am in a good position at
Bilfinger & Berger, a construction company. Since my son started racing, I look
like this at weekends. But I am very proud of him and my younger son. Maybe one
day, people will talk about the Belke brothers the same way as they do now about
the Schumacher’s.”
E: “Good luck, Marc, Dirk, Ute and Wolf. I sincerely hope I can have
another interview with the Thai Champion at the end of this year. In the
meantime I wish you: ‘Break your neck’.”
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Winners of the Pattaya Mail photo contest receive their rewards
Winners and judges gather in
the fountain at the Royal Garden Plaza for the awards presentation ceremony.
Of the 18 participants and 39 entries in the Pattaya Mail
Amateur Photo Contest, 13 photos were awarded prizes and honourable mentions
at the awards presentation ceremony by the fountain in the Royal Garden
Plaza on Saturday, May 31. The photographs came from all over, including
Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Rayong in Thailand, as well as Germany and
Denmark.
Father Pichai accepts the
first place prize of two nights at the Amari Hotel in Chiang Mai from Pierre
Andre Pelletier, General Manager of Amari Hotel, on behalf of winner Bjorn
Falkenbrink, who is back in Denmark.
Judges Suphadit Manee-ratcharatsri, M.D. of entertainment
at the Royal Gardens Shopping Plaza, Alois X. Fassbind, Exec. V.P. of the
Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Dolf Riks, Impressionist and Surrealist painter
and owner of the restaurant bearing his name, photographer John Scotchmer,
and Shirley Rice, member of PILC, all spent an entire morning deliberating
on which, in their opinions, were the best. The low quantity and high
quality of the entries made the judges job especially exacting.
Pattaya Mail thanks all those who participated and encourages all you shy
shutterbugs out in photoland to begin capturing ‘The Beauty of Pattaya’s
Tourist Areas’ on film, as that will be the theme of our next competition.
Niyom Apiratanapan accepts
her voucher for a dinner for two at Bali Hai Restaurant from David Rice for
her picture “Sunset Sail”.
Monika P. Rottmann is awarded
two nights at Thai Garden Resort from General Manager Michael Vogt for her
second place finish.
V. White accepts his third
place award of 1 night in the honeymoon suite at the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort from General Manager Alois X. Fassbind.
Marion Vogt won’t go hungry
after winning a dinner for two at Bruno’s Restaurant as one of the many
consolation prizes.
Khun Krit presents Daisy Vogt
with a dinner for two at Benihana restaurant for her picture “In the
Summertime...”
All entries were on display
inside the Royal Garden Plaza and drew quite a interested crowd.
Judges take a tea break during
the tough job of picking the best of the best inside the offices of Pattaya
Mail. (L to R) Alois Fassbind, John Scotchmer, Shirley Rice, Suphadit
Maneeratcharatsri, and Dolf Riks.
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