Teresa Bettencourt participated in an official club event at the Zwartkops circuit over the weekend, a race included in the RKC calendar and used as preparation for the first round of the Regional Championship.
The young driver from the Rasteirinho Racing Team is competing this year for the first time in the Micro Max category, after having competed in the Bambino class last season.
The transition between these two categories represents one of the most demanding leaps in youth karting, implying greater power, higher speeds, and a significantly higher physical and strategic requirement.
Despite being in the adaptation phase, Teresa Bettencourt demonstrated a very encouraging level of competitiveness from the start of the event. In the qualifying session, the young driver secured the third best time, immediately positioning herself among the fastest drivers in the pack.
In Race 1, she finished in 4th position, always remaining within the leading group. In Race 2, she achieved an impressive 2nd place, a result that proves her rapid adaptation to the new category and her ability to fight directly for podium positions. In Race 3, an on-track situation compromised the final result, preventing her from capitalizing on the pace shown throughout the day.
In terms of pure performance, Teresa Bettencourt was the 3rd fastest rider in the race, recording a lap time of 48.163 seconds, confirming that she already has the pace of the main protagonists in the category.
This data reinforces the enormous potential demonstrated in this initial phase of adaptation to Micro Max.
Across the three races, Bettencourt finished the event in 5th position overall, in a highly competitive field, leaving very positive indications for the official start of the Regional Championship.