Marc Gerstenkorn Impresses with Strong Pace in Mülsen
Top-Ten Finish Despite a Difficult Race
Marc Gerstenkorn kicked off the 2026 ADAC Kart Masters season with a strong performance. On the 1,315-meter track at Arena E, the Mach1 Motorsport driver faced a highly competitive field of 46 drivers in the KZ2 class. Despite a weekend that wasn’t entirely smooth, the Swiss-born driver showed impressive pace and secured a solid starting position with a tenth-place finish in the final and seventh place in the championship.
Marc made his mark right from the start in practice. Finishing fourth, he positioned himself squarely among the front-runners. In the subsequent qualifying heats, however, things didn’t go according to plan at first. An early setback in the first heat set him back significantly. In the second heat, he showed a marked improvement and crossed the finish line in third place—but a five-second penalty prevented an even better result. In the interim standings, Marc thus slipped to 27th place.
On Sunday, the youngster made an impressive comeback. In the Super Heat, he delivered a strong performance, fought his way up to fifth place, and set a race highlight with the fastest lap of the race. Despite another time penalty, this was an important step forward and secured him 17th on the grid for the final.
In the decisive race, Marc once again showed fighting spirit. Starting from the midfield, he steadily worked his way forward and finished the race in tenth place. “I’m very satisfied with our pace. Qualifying and the fastest lap in the Super Heat show that we can compete at the front. Of course, the weekend wasn’t completely flawless, but we learned a lot and are taking a good foundation with us for the next races,” Marc summarized.
In the championship standings, Marc is currently in a strong seventh place after the season opener. He’ll be back in action as early as next weekend, when the German Karting Championship also kicks off in Mülsen. Last year, Marc started from the front row there in the final—a result he’d love to repeat.
by Björn Niemann, www.fast-media.eu – www.kart-magazin.de