MIKE SIMPSON – THE NEW BIREL DRIVER IN THE ROTAX TROPHY

THE COMPETENT BRITISH DRIVER WILL WEAR THE COLOURS OF THE ACR –BIREL TEAM BOTH FOR THE BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE EUROPEAN SERIES

Mike Simpson made his debut with Birel’s colours in the Rotax Trophy on 21st January on the Pf International track. After having linked his name to the Gillard brand, Mike decided to move to Arc-Birel, much to the amazement of all the pundits.

The deal was only struck on Friday evening and the Acr team had to fight against the clock, working through the night to prepare the chassis in time for the nine o’clock trial the following morning. Despite not being very familiar with the kart, Mike proved his talent by achieving very good results with the RX32 SV chassis straight away.

“The Kart is fantastic” he commented with a smile. “In just a few laps we found a great set-up and we achieved good results straight away. I was amazed at the great balance and at the “chassis’ smoothness”.

On Sunday Mike conquered pole position for the final, but in the first stages he was touched by John Boyd, therefore loosing several positions. Despite recovering very well and scoring the “fastest lap” during the race, Mike had to make do with 3rd place, thus postponing his appointment with victory.

“It really is a shame that I did not manage to achieve a victory for the team today, although this is a brilliant start of the year. The Kart is great and even though many said that it would not have suited my characteristics, I think I proved them wrong.”

Andy Cox, Birel’s importer for the United Kingdom, also expressed his satisfaction, “We feel enthusiastic about Mike joining our team. I am a great fan of his and it took me four years to convince him. Finally now he will represent our colours”.

Thursday 25th January, following a great debut, Simpson was invited to Birel’s factory in Lissone (Italy) to formalize an agreement thanks to which in 2007 the British driver will take part in the British S1 in England as well as the European series of the Max category.

The agreement is part of the support plans devised by Birel for the Rotax Trophy, as confirmed by Ronni Sala (Chairman of Birel Motorsport):
“The Rotax Trophy is very important in many countries. In England in particular it plays a prominent role, both in terms of participants and in terms of drivers’ quality. Together with our importer Acr we therefore thought it advisable to devise a plan which would allow us to achieve good results both technically and in terms of service. To this purpose, the agreement with Mike Simpson will help us achieve a better understanding of the requirements of this category and therefore develop the most effective solutions. Mike is talented and will be able to draw attention to himself. As far as customers are concerned, the direct involvement of both Acr and our other European importers in the continental series will guarantee Birel’s drivers a significant added value. Moreover, all races of the European championship will be attended by Mike Wilson who, thanks to his vast experience, will be able to give his best support to our teams and to our drivers. Mike Wilson himself has confirmed Birel’s objectives: “I will personally follow the Rotax programme with the aim of developing any initiative which may be useful in order to support our team and our drivers. In the Rotax category our chassis play a prominent role and in all likelihood we will be able to further develop. For this reason we are very interested in following closely the most deserving drivers and the best organised teams of the category.”