Christophe Adams takes the E20 Challenge at the RMCGF 2024 in Sarno
When we asked one of the most “seasoned” Rotax competitors in the modern era to share his first experience racing the Rotax electric kart, we never knew quite what to expect. Not only was he excited, but increasingly interested and surprised by the E20.
Christophe Adams has been a regular qualifier each year for the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals since winning his ticket back in 2006; the same year he raced Rotax for the first time at the Rotax Euro series. He was planning on retiring until then, having competed in the 100cc days from 1995 at age 30, after retiring from Motocross. In 1997, he entered his first major international event as the only teammate of a 15-year-old Spaniard named Fernando Alonso. He has won two RMCGF titles – 2007 in the UAE and 2009 in Egypt, along with numerous championships in several classes, racing all around the globe.
The acceleration is really very, very strong with the E20, stronger than with any other kart I have driven. The limiting factor is basically the weight, which prevents the E-Kart from being used to its full potential. The noise is another different aspect, as the E20 doesn't make any noise. You get the impression that you're not very fast, but you are!
At first, the chassis was quite difficult to drive because I had to adopt a completely different driving style, as it is much heavier [with the two batteries it’s about 30kg more than the combustion engine karts]. I also had a little excess body weight, as I was 10kg over the limit, which didn’t help… However, I was able to improve by adjusting my driving, which was very different from that of the combustion karts. Finishing 4th in the Rotax E10 Masters final in Italy was not so bad, but with a broken rear bumper unfortunately, so I ended up with a DQ.
The difference between the Rotax DD2 and the E20 is that the DD2 already has two gears. For me, the E20's engine performance is stronger, but as the weight is greater, the actual difference on the stopwatch is currently to the advantage of the DD2.
In the RMCGF race at Sarno, we didn't need a spare battery [like Formula E], nor did we have to economise or use a strategy to finish the race due to any power reduction.
The boost is one of the most interesting features of this category – you have to use strategy to get the best out of it, and you really need to have a great deal of “racing intelligence” to exploit it in the best possible way.
eTechnology is still in its infancy in karting. It's quite challenging to find real enjoyment when you're in love with engine noise and motorsport in general, but I think there's a huge amount of potential that will increase the appeal of this technology to drivers in a fairly short space of time.
I believe that the place of the E20 in an event like the RMC Grand Finals is essential to promote and show the world of karting the evolution of electric today. I'm also impatient to see the new battery technologies that will make karting enter a new era – much lighter, easier to handle and also more powerful – which in my opinion will surpass current karting.
My experience, in any case for a first, was very enriching. I wasn't able to fight with the best in the category because I was too heavy [in terms of weight]. I hope that this will change; not that I'll lose weight… but that they'll adapt the weight for Masters so that I can compete with the best in the category.
Overall, my experience was very positive. The Rotax team and advisors were very active and helped me a lot. When the weight of the batteries will be significantly reduced, and I believe that under those conditions, this electric kart will be really attractive compared to combustion engines.
