KARTCOM News #42 ( english version ) by KARTCOM News

#42 SUMMARY 004 005

EDITORIAL NEWS

The F1 well represented in Sarno with Massa and Rosberg Nico Rosberg launches his project for young kart drivers The FIA renews its partnership with EDF The 2018 24 Hours Karting in the heart of Endurance at Le Mans Beautiful ascent for Sacha Maguet A fast start to the season for Franck Chappard Latest decisions of the CIK-FIA Commission Weight reduction in the Minime and Cadet categories Seventh year in CIK-FIA events for LeCont Energy all over the world

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CALENDAR KSP GRAND INTERVIEWS Felipe Massa Marijn Kremers Julien Dexmier Marc Berteaux

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INTERNATIONAL

Sarno - CIK-FIA - European Championship Genk - Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy Salbris - CIK-FIA - European Championship Salbris - CIK-FIA - Academy Trophy PF International - CIK-FIA - European Championship

046

NEWS THE F1 WELL REPRESENTED AT SARNO WITH MASSA AND ROSBERG

041 1

025 029 031

KARTCOM NEWS #42

INTERVIEW MARC BERTEAUX

INTERNA SALBRIS EUROPE

107

NATIONAL

189

Aunay les Bois - French Championship Whilton Mill - Tuto Super One Series Round 2 Varennes / Allier - NSK Lavilledieu - French Championship Lavilledieu - French Cup Larkhall - Tuto Super One Series, Round 3 La Chatre - French Long Circuit Championship

167

VIDEO

PFI European Championship - OK-Junior Final PFI European Championship - OK Final FFSA TV - Lavilledieu Clip Mattias Ekstrรถm's "Try not to die" Camp with Energy Corse

CAR

Pau - French F4 Championship Silverstone - Eurocup Formula Renault

133

ATIONAL S - CIK-FIA EAN CHAMPIONSHIP

089

NATIONAL LAVILLEDIEU FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP

INTERNATIONAL PF INTERNATIONAL - CIK-FIA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

KARTCOM NEWS #42

EDITORIAL

KARTCOM NEWS #42 CIK-FIA COMPETITIONS ENTER THE SCENE

usy news in recent weeks has de-

Certainly RGMMC does not yet have the

in OK, OK-Junior and KZ2, with KZ repla-

layed the release of the 42nd is-

control of its predecessor WSK Promo-

cing quantity with quality. The victories of

sue of Kartcom News. The editor

tion in recent seasons. However, media

Roman Stanek and Hannes Janker in OK,

apologises to readers at the same time as

coverage has evolved in terms of com-

those of Paul Aron and Dilano Van T'Hoff

being delighted with the great moments

munication as well as video and social

in Junior, as well as the success of Adrien

experienced on the tracks since last

media. A complete assessment cannot

Renaudin in KZ2 have renewed the lands-

month which she shares with you in this

be drawn objectively before the end of

cape by often giving the spotlight to the

new publication.

the year.

young talents. The success of Jérémy Iglesias in KZ after the retirement of Pe-

The CIK-FIA international season has fo-

The new President of CIK-FIA, Felipe Mas-

cused the attention of all during its three

sa, wanted to be present for the first two

opening meetings: Sarno, Salbris and

events while revealing a strong interest

In France and internationally, the issue

PFI. Everyone was waiting for the new

in the future of the discipline, in addition

of tyres has once again sparked heated

promoter of the CIK-FIA, RGMMC Group,

to a real sense of personal contact. Luc-

discussions without it being possible to

to enter the scene. Without going as far

kily in good weather conditions, the first

form a definitive opinion on this subject

as to say that everything went perfectly,

three competitions of the CIK-FIA season

with multiple implications. That's racing!

it is clear that the races went very well

produced a very satisfying spectacle. The

in a very pleasant sporting atmosphere.

number of participants was encouraging

dro Hiltbrand has delighted many fans.

+ KARTCOM NEWS #42

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NEWS

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

THE WORLD OF F1 WELL REPRESENTED IN SARNO WITH MASSA AND ROSBERG

NICO ROSBERG LAUNCHES HIS PROJECT FOR YOUNG KARTING DRIVERS

The first round of the CIK-FIA European Championship of 2018 had the honour of the presence of two great figures of F1.

Two karts in the Rosberg Racing colours attracted attention at Sarno at the opening of the 2018 European Championship. The machines of Lorenzo Travisanutto and Taylor Barnard had a livery very different from the usual Kart Republic bodywork. No precise information had leaked before the arrival of the 2016 F1 World Champion on Sunday morning. Nico Rosberg then outlined the main points of his "Rosberg Racing" project.

s the new President of the CIK-FIA, Felipe Massa was on an official visit to Sarno to take the temperature of the current high level karting. The 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg came to attend the karting Finals and also to present his new project with the Kart Republic team of Dino Chiesa, the team manager of his greatest years in kart racing. Both champions made themselves available to fans generously.

ware of the difficulty that young talents may have to stand out from the crowd, he wants to encourage some of the most motivated in their careers. The idea developed in collaboration with Dino Chiesa, the manager of Rosberg and Hamilton during their karting years. Although the talent is innate, the intensity of their work makes the difference, an important criterion for the former Mercedes AMG F1 driver. The

KARTCOM NEWS #42

specifics of his support for motorsport hopefuls have not yet been detailed, although for the moment it seems to concern karting above all. The approach is still very interesting and Nico Rosbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence at Sarno was very popular in the community.

NEWS

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet

THE FIA RENEWS ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH EDF The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has announced the renewal of its partnership with EDF, a designated Official Technical Supplier. This partnership with the Group dates back to 2014, and has now been extended until 2020.

s a leading player in research on electric vehicles, as well as batteries and charging systems, EDF will continue to work with the FIA in the field of motor racing, on the research and evaluation of powertrains, charging and security.

The FIA Formula E Championship, the World Endurance Championship and other FIA competitions will benefit from this work. EDF and FIA experts will continue to share their experience and information on the training of emergency personnel, development of safety standards for electric vehicles, and benchmark generation performance tests, with EDF able to evaluate very high power batteries. Gilles Simon, Technical Director of the FIA, said: "Since its beginning in 2014, this partnership has made considerable progress in applying new techniques to batteries, powertrains, charging systems,

KARTCOM NEWS #42

battery standards and more. Safety and regulation; as well as infrastructure. The FIA wishes to continue this dynamic with the EDF Group, to go even further in the exploration of these new technologies." Bernard Salha, Director of R&D at EDF, and Bruno Crescent, who initiated this partnership, said: "The renewal of the partnership between EDF and the FIA allows us to continue our work, based on the progress made and the significant achievements of the last three years. Our involvement in research and development at the highest level of motor racing contributes to the emergence of the most innovative technologies. This is a key asset for us when it comes to new uses of electrical energy. These innovations will therefore have a major influence on the development of electric mobility and mass consumption."

X I R P D N GRA

G N I T KAR

18 0 2 IN U J 10 9Ancenis

IKART D N A H E E FRANC D T A N N O I CHAMP JUNIOR E C N A R NAT DE F N O I P M A H C CADET E C N A R F COUPE DE

www.actionkarting.fr

NEWS

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

24 HOURS KARTING AT THE HEART OF ENDURANCE AT LE MANS IN 2018 T

tion under the name of CIK-FIA Endurance Championship, a title that involves more and more large factory teams and experienced drivers at the Le Mans Karting International circuit. On September 29th and 30th, the 33rd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours Karting will share the programme with the very popular 24 Hours for Trucks.

For the last three years, the Le Mans 24 Hours Karting has reached a new milestone by obtaining international recogni-

KARTCOM NEWS #42

he seventh of the eight events of the FIA European Competition Truck Championship, the 24 Hours for Trucks attracts a very large family audience, regularly reaching 55,000 spectators. The ACO decided to create a synergy between the two events by scheduling them on the same date so as to to promote endurance karting. Holders of a 24 Hours for Truck ticket will have direct ac-

cess to the karting circuit, located close to the Bugatti. The atmosphere will therefore be even hotter than in previous years at the Le Mans Karting International circuit for the 33rd edition of the 24 Hours Karting. The arrival of the new powerful and reliable OK engines has boosted the event for three years. In 2017, the battle was intense for the conquest of the prestigious CIK-FIA Endurance Championship in which the best specialists of the discipline compete against factory teams and drivers. So far, experience has spoken with the 2016 victory of Sarthe RTKF, then in 2017 of Rouen GSK, teams experienced in endurance racing. However, the professionals of CRG SpA kept up the suspense until the finish, finishing 2nd by less than 50'' after 1374 laps, or 1901 km, covered. The Sodikart crew had to deal with some mechanical problems in the night and gave their all to return from 10th to 3rd position. The factory teams have never been so close to victory, who knows what will happen this year...

But the 24 Hours Karting is also achievements at all levels in the other categories of GP2 and GP3, less expensive and accessible to all of the enthusiasts, young and old, who provide the bulk of the entries. The spectacle is intense during the two times round the clock of this legendary event. The ACO dedicates all its energy to the preparation of the event in collaboration with the CIK-FIA, along with its karting club, the ASK ACO. Entries are already open and there will not be long left to gain a place among 40 teams who will be abble to start on Saturday, 29th September at 15:00. See below for the rules and entry form for the 2018 24 Hours Karting.

REGLEMENT

INSCRIPTION

NEWS

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

THE BEAUTIFUL ASCENT OF

SACHA MAGUET

KARTCOM NEWS #42

The young Parisian started the French Junior Championship season in the wake of his 2nd place at the 2017 French Cup in Cadet at Septfontaine where he had the opportunity to discover the formula launched by the FFSA Academy. Fast from the first race, however, he encountered several obstacles along the way before shining without a hitch during the third meeting at Aunay les Bois, winning the Prefinal and then climbing on the second step of the Final podium.

Finally spared the vagaries of the race, Sacha was able to show the extent of his talent by taking very convincing results which allowed him to move up from 13th to 5th place in the provisional ranking. He especially scored significant points mid-season against his opponents and now he is in good shape to shine in the Championship for the last two rounds, Ancenis (44) from 8th to 10th June and Soucy (89) from 20th to 22nd July.

t just 13 years old, Sacha Maguet has less experience of racing compared to his rivals. Originally trained at the EFK Rosny 93, he began to reveal his potential in the Minime category with CĂŠdric Spirgelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team before shining in 2017 on the podium of the French Cup in Cadet, then finishing 7th French Championship. Determined to make up for lost time, this year he chose to participate in the French Junior Championship to take advantage of the training provided by the FFSA Academy.

"I had to face several setbacks in the first two events," said Sacha. "I was in 4th position in the Salbris Final when I had to retire because of a technical problem. I was a little slow to get into the rhythm at Aunay-les-Bois. Timed Practice was very tight and I was 12th, two tenths of a second off the best. Fortunately, I was able to attack as I wanted in the Qualifying Heats and I came back to 4th. On Sunday morning, I was very comfortable in the rain and I won the Prefinal by almost 4'' with the fastest lap! I was planning to repeat this in the Final. I was a little intimidated to start on pole for the first time and it was hard to take my bearings. In addition I chose a set-up that relied on a pause in the rain, which did not happen. I'm still happy to be on the second step of the podium!"

NEWS

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

A FAST START TO THE SEASON FOR

FRANCK CHAPPARD

KARTCOM NEWS #42

The first competitions of 2018 showed that Franck Chappard had gained more speed on his Redspeed chassis from the VDK Racing team. But although success was with the Kartland driver, who reached the podium in Belgium, he has had various fortunes during his last two races in Italy.

s the IAME International Open returned to Mariembourg, Franck completed beautiful race in X30 Senior. He took control of the flagship category and the 67 participants at the end of the heats where he took two victories with excellent lap times. Despite the tough battle that was going on in both Finals, he stayed in the lead group with 2nd and 3rd positions, which allowed him to take his first podium of the season. The WSK Super Master Series at Sarno was his first race of the year in OK. Far from the front in Qualifying, Franck was back in the first three heats, including a fastest lap in the race. He lost time in the last one and had to fight to get his qualification in

the Prefinal A. He then moved up 10 places in the Final, but received another penalty for his spoiler. The first meeting of the OK European Championship did not go as well as expected. After a good Free Practice, Qualifying was not as favourable - it's not easy to find the right slipstream conditions in just two fast laps as is happening now. Franck was far down the list in 53rd position in the standings, with the unfortunate consequence of starting on the 7th row in the heats. He nevertheless moved up on every occasion while regularly improving his times. He posted his best performance in the fourth of his five races by regaining 13 places to reach 5th with the 2nd fastest lap, a remarkable performance. Unfortunately, his retirement on the last lap of the third heat, when he had taken several places, was expensive. Without this incident, he would have been able to qualify for the Final. It is nonetheless true that Franck has shown great character and that he has the potential to obtain very good results this year. He will be on track at the British PFI circuit from 18th to 20th May, for the second round of the European Championship.

NEWS

Info CIK-FIA

LATEST DECISIONS OF THE CIK-FIA COMMISSION At the meeting of the CIK-FIA Commission in Paris on 7th May, 2018, several decisions were taken regarding Superkart and Mini to be approved during the next World Motor Sport Council to be held in Manila (PHL) on 7th June.

SUPERKART

The Homologation Regulations have been updated. Date of implementation: immediate. The homologation process for Superkart engines will be similar to that of the other categories in terms of timing. The application form must be returned to the CIK administration no later than 1st August 2018 via the ASN of the applicant. The validity of the homologation will run for a period of three years.

KARTCOM NEWS #42

Superkart engines shall be homologated as from 1st January 2019. All engine manufacturers with a valid engine approval as from 1st January 2018 will be able to request the homologation of the engines concerned by presenting only two engines during the homologation inspection. For any new homologation, ten engines will have to be presented at the homologation inspection.

The Technical Regulations concerned have been updated and simplified. Date of implementation: 01/01/2019

MINI

At the request of the ACI and several manufacturers, the homologation of Mini chassis, engines and tyres will take place at the same time during 2019 for implementation on 1st January 2020 instead of being spread over three years as in the other categories. The application forms concerned must be returned to the CIK administration no later than 1st August 2019 via the ASN of the applicant.

SAISON 2018 21-22 Juillet : SOUCY

05-06 Mai : SALBRIS Championnat d’Europe CIK-FIA KZ / KZ2 Trophée Académie CIK-FIA

Championnat de France Cadet Coupe de France Minime

12-13 Mai : LAVILLEDIEU

04-05 Août : AUNAY LES BOIS

Championnat de France Féminin Coupe de France OK-J Coupe de France Sénior / Master / Gentleman

Championnat d’Europe CIK-FIA OK / OK-J Trophée International Handikart

25-26 Août : MIRECOURT

19-20 Mai : LA CHÂTRE

Championnat de France Minime Coupe de France Nationale

Championnat de France Long Circuit (1/3) KZ2 - KZ2 Master - KZ2 Gentleman

25-26 Août : CROIX EN TERNOIS

09-10 Juin : ANCENIS

Championnat de France Long Circuit (2/3) KZ2 - KZ2 Master - KZ2 Gentleman

Championnat de France Handikart Coupe de France Cadet

15-16 Septembre : LAVAL

Coupe de France Rotax

Championnat de France OK Championnat de France Nationale Coupe de France KZ2 - KZ2 Master - KZ2 Gentleman

06-07 Octobre : VARENNES

14-15 Juillet : ANGERVILLE

10-11 Novembre : PAU

Championnat de France Sénior / Master / Gentleman

Championnat de France KZ2 - KZ2 Master - KZ2 Gentleman

Championnat de France Long Circuit (3/3) KZ2 - KZ2 Master - KZ2 Gentleman

14-15 Juillet : BELMONT SUR RANCE Coupe de France KFS

Crédit photo & Création : Emmanuel Pander - Crédit photo : KSP.fr

07-08 Juillet : ANNEVILLE

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NEWS

Info FFSA

Info KARTCOM - Renaud Didier © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

WEIGHT REDUCTION IN THE MINIME AND CADET CATEGORIES

SEVENTH YEAR IN THE CIK-FIA EVENTS FOR LECONT

2018 Regulatory Update

s proposed by the National Karting Commission, the FFSA Steering Committee validated a weight reduction in the Minime and Cadet categories for the rest of the 2018 season. The Minime and Cadet categories for young drivers aged 7-11 and 10-13, respectively, are using new chassis-engine sets this year: Minime: CIK-FIA standard 950 mm chassis / Air cooled IAME 60cc engine. Cadet: CIK-FIA standard 950 mm chassis / Water cooled ROTAX 125cc engine. Given the weight studies carried out at the beginning of the season and in order to limit the ballast on karts, the French Motor Sport Federation has ratified with immediate effect: The weight reduction of the category Minime to 100 kilos instead of 105 kilos (-5 kg). The weight reduction of the category Cadet to 120 kilos instead of 125 kilos (-5 kg). Click here to download the 2018 National Technical Regulations.

REGLEMENT

KARTCOM NEWS #42

It has already been seven seasons since LeCont was selected, following invitations for tender, to supply the tyres for the major CIK-FIA International Championships. Since 2011, a total of 14 categories have benefited from the technology of the Italian manufacturer. The year 2018 marks a new path for LeCont, present in Endurance, the Academy Trophy, KZ2 and KZ, where the best drivers in the world compete. Particular care has been taken in the manufacture of "Prime" and "Option" tyres, with a desire to ensure quality service at every meeting.

crupulously fulfilling the specifications of the CIK-FIA, gaining the confidence of teams and drivers and providing tyres that ensure efficiency, consistency and safety remains the mission that LeCont has followed with the professionalism they are renowned for for more than 20 years. The factory managers have an unconditional passion for high technology and motorsport. The brand is present

in different disciplines, but it is in karting that it has become one of the world benchmarks.

"LeCont delivers tyres all over the world," confirms Paolo Bombara, the Marketing Manager. "We supply several categories in North America, as well as in Europe and elsewhere. Many countries in Scandinavia trust us, and Switzerland, England and France. Of course, we take particular pride in ensuring we have a regular presence in the CIK-FIA international races with our homologated tyres, showing the will to perform high quality work."

FOUR CATEGORIES IN 2018

LeCont began by demonstrating the effectiveness of its products in CIK-FIA events at the U18 World Championship and the Academy Trophy in 2011. In the following years, it was successively the turn of the KF-Junior, KZ2 and OK categories to discover the Italian brand. This season, LeCont has won tenders in Endurance, Academy Trophy, KZ2, and KZ. "The KZ is the best in terms of performance, factory involvement and the presence of professional drivers. This is undoubtedly the most demanding formula in

NEWS

karting. For us, the Salbris meeting was therefore of great importance, with the start of the European Championships for the gearbox categories, as well as the opening of the Academy Trophy." The challenge was significant, because the French circuit has large fast curves, which require a lot of tyres, and its tarmac is quite abrasive. "I found the tyre very pleasant to use in its "Prime" version, with a high level of grip," admitted one of the top drivers in the category. "With the programme we had, namely a Qualifying session and three heats with the first set, then a Final of more than 30 kilometres with the second, I did not experience any abnormal wear and the level of performance remained very good throughout the meeting."

SAME QUALITY FROM ONE SET TO ANOTHER

In the Academy Trophy, the 48 drivers used the LeCont tyres in the "Option" version. "For me, the quality of the tyres was perfect," said one of the French drivers involved. "I felt a better grip than the tyres I use in the category in which I race at the national level. Around me, I did not hear drivers complaining of any differences from one set to another." It must be said that LeCont makes it a point of honour to provide all competitors with tyres of the same quality. "During the manufacturing process, one of our requirements is to use rubber from the same batch for all the tyres throughout the same championship. I think that on this point, it was confirmed in Salbris, especially during the Qualifying session which did not cause any problems." On the other hand, a drop of performance was noted in KZ2 over the heats. "We analysed the progress of the meeting and various phenomena made the situation difficult. On the one hand, the tarmac of the Salbris circuit is old and its abrasive surface caused a certain drop in performance. We will not see the same phenomenon for the last event of the European Championship at Lonato, nor during the world race at Genk. Then,

KARTCOM NEWS #42

the 125cc gearbox have a muffler pointed towards the ground, which changes the grip of karts with the expulsion of oil and petrol. We noticed that after a round of the Academy Trophy, where the karts tended to clean the track, the performance level of the KZ or KZ2 came back suddenly." At Salbris, LeCont recorded the various comments from the competitors and will prepare with particular attention for the next meetings for KZ, KZ2 and the Academy Trophy, as well as the CIK-FIA Endurance Championship. "We have been suppliers to the 24 Hours International Karting at Le Mans for many years. It is a very demanding event, but we ourselves are very demanding at LeCont in the manufacturing of our tyres," concluded Paolo Bombara.

LECONTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PRESENCE IN CIK-FIA CATEGORIES 2011 2012 2013 2015 2016 2017 2018

U18 + Academy Trophy U18 + Academy Trophy KF-Junior KZ2 + KF-Junior Endurance OK + Endurance KZ + KZ2 + Academy Trophy + Endurance

NEWS

Info KARTCOM - Renaud Didier © Photo DR / KSP - Philippe Kalmès & Guillaume Veuve

ENERGY SUCCESSFUL AROUND THE WORLD

KARTCOM NEWS #42

The results are piling up for Energy Corse in all corners of the world. The factory team has achieved excellent results in the European Championship and the WSK Super Master Series, while the Italian chassis enabled many drivers to reach the podium thanks to the efforts of distributors around the world, including in Japan, Australia and Germany ...

ENERGY POWER www.energycorse.com

d l r o W e h T

f o l l is fu

Y G R ENE

: TORM S Y G E NE R L E R OF ION A T WINN A N INTER E M A I L 2017 ION A L T A A N N I F ER K INT O R A ND 2017 L A N FI

NEWS

n Sarno, the WSK Super Master Series ended with the obvious competitiveness of Energy Corse chassis, especially in 60 Mini. Until the end, Kimi Andrea Antonelli fought for the title, eventually finishing on the third step of the podium overall, just ahead of the Pole Karol Pasiewicz of the Revolution Motorsport team. The last event of this exceedingly competitive series ended with more top 10s for Belgium's Ean Eyckmans and Russia's Kirill Kutskov. In OK-Junior, the Frenchman Loris Cabirou was noticed with a magnificent rise from 34th to 10th place.

5TH PLACE FOR SKARAS AT DKM

Already very fast in the WSK at Sarno in KZ2, the Finn Emil

KARTCOM NEWS #42

Skaras ramped up his performance further the following week at Lonato for the first round of the German Championship (DKM), where he constantly positioned himself among the leading men: 6th after the heats, 6th in Race 1 and an excellent 5th in Race 2, with close to the fastest lap in the race. Back at Sarno for the FIA Karting â&#x20AC;&#x2039;â&#x20AC;&#x2039; European Championship, the Energy Corse team was back at work to advance its young drivers. Although Loris Cabirou had two OK-Junior lap records, the best result went to an excellent Jak Crawford. After his top 10 finish in the German Championship at Lonato, the American made a perfect run in the heats, before being very incisive in the Final where he finished in 7th position at the wheel

of his Energy-TM. Qualified for the Final out of the 78 drivers at the start, the Polish Marcel Kuc had to retire.

VICTORIES IN AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN

In Australia, KZ driver Joshua Fife completely dominated the second round of the National Championship in Albury-Wodonga from Timed Qualifying to the Final. Also driving an Energy Corse chassis, Marcos Flack was the master of the Cadet 12 category. A brilliant winner in the Final, he also took the lead of the Championship.

These successes were confirmed during the first race of the "All Japan Karting Championship" with a double in Jr Cadet with the Storm model from Energy Corse. The victory went to the youngster Mirai Nishida. The same weekend, Reimei Ito was on the third step of the podium in FS-125 Class.

"At Energy Corse, the particular care we take in the manufacturing of our products remains a top priority, as is the quality of our services and the relationships we have with our distributors," concluded Mick Panigada.

CALENDAR

Calendar 2018 JUNE 03/06 Aunay-les-Bois - Championnat de France 03/06 Donington - European Championship 03/06 Ampfing - Deutsche Kart Meisterschaft 10/06 Ancenis - Championnat de France 10/06 Ancenis - Coupe de France 10/06 Kristianstad - Rotax Max - Euro Trophy 17/06 Ampfing - European Championship 17/06 Chateau Gaillard - IAME - Series France 24/06 Laval - Championnat de France 24/06 Lonato - WSK - Open Cup

Junior Superkart OK / OK-Junior / KZ2 Handikart Cadet Mini Max / DD2 / Rotax Senior / Rotax Junior OK-Junior / OK X30 Junior / X30 Senior / X30 Master / X30 Gentleman / X30 Super / X30 Minime Endurance OK / 60 Mini / OK-Junior / KZ2

JULY 01/07 Salbris - National Series Karting 08/07 Anneville - Championnat de France 08/07 Anneville - Coupe de France 08/07 Wackersdorf - IAME - Euro Series 15/07 Angerville - Championnat de France 15/07 Lonato - Academy Trophy 15/07 Lonato - European Championship 22/07 Soucy - Championnat de France 22/07 Soucy - Coupe de France 29/07 Kerpen - Deutsche Kart Meisterschaft

DD2 / Rotax Max / KZ2 / Rotax Master / Nationale / Cadet OK / Nationale KZ2 Gentleman / KZ2 Master / KZ2 X30 Mini / X30 Senior / X30 Junior / X30 Super Shifter MASTER / SENIOR / GENTLEMAN Academy KZ / KZ2 Cadet OK-Junior / Minime OK / OK-Junior / KZ2

AUGUST 05/08 Essay - European Championship 12/08 A1 Speedworld - Rotax Max - Euro Trophy 12/08 Castelletto - IAME - Euro Series 19/08 Assen - European Championship 19/08 Genk - Deutsche Kart Meisterschaft 26/08 Mirecourt - Championnat de France 26/08 Mirecourt - Coupe de France 26/08 Croix en Ternois - Championnat de France

OK-Junior / OK X30 Junior / X30 Mini / DD2 / X30 Senior X30 Mini / X30 Senior / X30 Junior / X30 Super Shifter Superkart OK / OK-Junior / KZ2 Minime Nationale KZ2 Gentleman (Long circuit) / KZ2 Master (Long circuit) / KZ2 (Long circuit)

septembER 09/09 Genk - Academy Trophy 09/09 Genk - International Super Cup 09/09 Le Mans - IAME - Series France 09/09 Genk - World Karting Championship 23/09 Kristianstad - World Karting Championship 30/09 Le Mans - Endurance Championship 30/09 Le Mans - Championnat de France 30/09 Wackersdorf - Rotax Max - Euro Trophy

KARTCOM NEWS #42

Academy KZ2 X30 Junior / X30 Senior / X30 Master / X30 Gentleman / X30 Super / X30 Minime KZ OK-Junior / OK OK Endurance Mini Max / DD2 / Rotax Senior / Rotax Junior

octobER 07/10 Varennes / Allier - Championnat de France 14/10 Lonato - ROK CUP International Final 14/10 Le Mans - IAME International Final 21/10 Lonato - WSK - Final Cup 28/10 Le Mans - European Championship 28/10 Lonato - Trofeo delle Industrie

KZ2 Gentleman / KZ2 Master / KZ2 Mini Rok / Super Rok / Rok Senior / Junior Rok / Shifter Rok X30 Master / X30 Super / X30 Mini / X30 Junior / X30 Super Shifter / X30 Senior OK / 60 Mini / OK-Junior / KZ2 Superkart OK / 60 Mini / OK-Junior / KZ2 / X30

novembER 04/11 Castelletto - WSK - Final Cup 11/11 Pau Arnos - Championnat de France 11/11 Angerville - Championnat de France 18/11 Adria - WSK - Final Cup

OK / 60 Mini / OK-Junior / KZ2 KZ2 Gentleman (Long circuit) / KZ2 Master (Long circuit) / KZ2 (Long circuit) Endurance OK / 60 Mini / OK-Junior / KZ2

decembER 01/12 Paraiba - Rotax Challenge Grand Finals

INTERVIEW

Info CIK-FIA - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

Interview with

KARTCOM NEWS #42

FELIPE MASSA

President of the CIK-FIA The new President of the CIK-FIA, Felipe Massa, made a point of honouring the launch of the 2018 European Championships with his presence in Italy. During the two days he spent at the Sarno circuit, Felipe Massa had the opportunity to observe the progress of the Competition closely and to talk with many players in international Karting. Mr. President, what was your own experience in Karting? - That's where I learned the basics very young. I did not have the chance to race in Europe, where the best competitors are, but I gained a good experience in racing in Brazil until I was 16 years old. In hindsight, I became aware of the importance of this discipline in a driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career. Karting is certainly an indispensable step for a future Champion. By accepting the responsibility of the Presidency of the CIK-FIA, I wanted to return to the world of Karting a little of what it gave me.

What do you remember from your visit to Sarno? - The spirit of Karting is always present in these high level events. I want to say that the passion of the teams, the mechanics and of course the Drivers is always so strong, everyone gives their all to win. The racing is extremely tight and every detail counts. I am delighted to have seen exciting races. Certainly the environment has become professional and you need a solid budget to be competitive. But as I said, the sporting show is of high quality and the mentality is the same as in Motor Sport, so it is similar in relation to what I experienced in my career as a Driver.

actions will not necessarily be delicate in the months to come. I need to fully understand all the parameters of the current Karting scene and meet the main players. But I am determined to fully commit to the good of the discipline by taking advantage of my experience in racing. It's not really a job for me, it's a fair exchange to to be able to contribute to the development of a sport that has given me a lot. I am planning go to the different events of the European Championship several times and of course to be present at the World Championship.

What are the first directions you want to take with Karting? - First of all, I think we need to work towards a simplification of Karting for both participants and the public. I would like it to be more easily accessible to many more enthusiasts and the CIK-FIA can give an impetus in this direction. For example I hope that we can contribute more harmonisation of regulations between different countries. The financial aspect of Karting is also a key point to think about. The efforts made in recent years in the running of meetings are very positive. The new categories of direct-drive karts have also been well thought out. We have good momentum and we can continue to move forward in other areas. In the medium term, we will have to take into account the general trend towards electrical energy. Personally, I like the current engines these ultra-powerful internal combustion engines that remain fascinating, but we cannot ignore the evolution of the world around us. It is inevitable to prepare for the introduction of electric karts in racing. That said, it must be done safely, especially with regard to the weight of these future machines. Safety remains a priority for me, especially as the Drivers are younger and younger.

How do you envisage your role as President of the CIK-FIA? - I accepted this responsibility with a lot of interest. My

INTERVIEW

KARTCOM NEWS #42

Info CIK-FIA - Renaud Didier ÂŠ Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

Interview with

Marijn Kremers GOING FROM OK TO KZ IS NO PROBLEM FOR ME Marijn Kremers has a busy 2018 season in prospect just after turning 20 years old. The Dutchman has embarked on a difficult challenge of simultaneously engaging on two fronts, in KZ and OK! Marijn talks about his new goals, which he shares with the factory Birel ART Racing team.

Marijn, how did you get started in karting? - My father bought a Baby-Kart when I was four years old! I was already having a lot of fun and I started racing a little before my seventh birthday in Mini in the Netherlands. I then raced in Cadet and Rotax Mini Max, before starting to enter international races. In 2011, I raced for my country in the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy. At the last meeting at Sarno, I won Race 1 and Charles Leclerc Race 2! Overall, I finished 7th.

When did you start off in 125cc gearbox? - In 2013, after two years in KF3. The move to KZ2 was a big step! It was a good education however, because the category is very big, you have to fight constantly just to get into the Final. In 2017, I felt ready for KZ, a choice I have not regretted.

INTERVIEW

What is your best memory so far? - In 2017, during the first round of the CIK-FIA European Championship in KZ at Genk. The Belgian circuit is only one hour from home, I raced in front of my family and friends. I finished 2nd in the Final just behind Paolo De Conto. I was so close to the win! In the end, I finished 3rd in the European Championship and 6th in the World Championship. I was very happy with my first season in KZ and that the Genk circuit has been chosen for the KZ World Championship this year. It will be very special for me.

You had a very experienced Driver by your side in 2017, but it was you who got the best results ... - For me, it was not really a surprise. I have known Felice Tiene for a long time, we have often raced against each other and I knew I was able to beat him. Finally, I had a good feeling with the team and my Birel ART / TM Racing equipment, I had already gained good experience of the international races and I managed to score better results than Felice.

At the KZ World Championship in Wackersdorf, you also teamed up with Ronnie Quintarelli. Do have good memories? - Yes, it was very interesting to talk to him. He told me a few anecdotes about his career in karting which goes back more than 15 years, and what he found changed today. He explained to me how he had prepared to perform against the best drivers in KZ.

In 2018, you chose to race in both KZ and OK. Is not it too difficult to go from one kart to another? - No, I learned to adapt quickly to the constraints of these two types of equipment. In 2016, I had the opportunity to participate in the Australian Championship in two categories: X30 and KZ2. I moved from one kart to another in the space of an hour, it was an excellent learning experience. Today, it is not a problem for me to race one weekend in OK and another in KZ.

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At the front, the drivers are very close to each other, how do you make a difference? - Over the years, I have accumulated a lot of experience and it becomes easier to react when the situation gets complicated. In recent years, I have raced very consistently at the front, I managed to get on the podium several times and all this gives me much more confidence in myself. In addition, I feel good at Birel ART Racing. Davide ForĂ¨, our new team manager, is very motivated and he constantly pushes the entire team to do their best.

You have to beat very young drivers in OK and drivers of great talent like Ardigo or De Conto in KZ. How do you handle this situation? - In any situation, every race, my goal is the same: to fight for the wins, regardless of the drivers. But I admit that I prefer the KZ field. Drivers are more experienced and they do not do anything silly on the track. There is a certain respect between us. In OK, they are much more fiery, overtaking does not happen in the same way!

How do you see your future? - For now, I feel very good in karting. Car racing requires a big budget and I think it is not wise to try the experiment in unfavourable conditions. I have the chance to race at the top of international karting and the standard is incredible. Being a karting professional is already a great challenge.

INTERVIEW

Info CIK-FIA - Renaud Didier ÂŠ Photo KSP - Philippe KalmĂ¨s

Interview with

Julien Dexmier WINNING OK IS ONE OF SODIKART'S NEW GOALS Younger than many of his colleagues, Julien Dexmier (43) has earned a respected place as Team Manager at the Sodi Racing Team. The two vice World KZ Champion titles achieved in 2016 and 2017 with Anthony Abbasse speak well of him and the French team.

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Julien Dexmier, can you introduce yourself? My karting debut goes back to the 90s when I raced in promotional classes and 100cc. I have been working at the Sodikart factory for more than eight years and I became a Team Manager in 2014. I first gained experience by collaborating with the Sodi Junior team, then with the official team. I also worked on after-sales service, the assembly of karts and the research and development part. I have always had good relationships with the managers at the factory, with whom I was already in contact when I participated in the organisation of 24 hour leisure endurance events in the past. Between these two periods, I had the opportunity to work in motorsport as a development driver at Michelin with Mercedes, as well as with the teams of Hugues De Chaunac and Dominique Dupuy on Porsches and Vipers in particular. It was very interesting and I acquired rigour and a good technical background.

INTERVIEW

Being a Team Manager of one of the most important karting factories in the world, is it primarily a source of pride or a heavy responsibility?

In 2014, Sodi could only count on Anthony Abbasse in KZ? Was there a desire on your part to have at least two drivers?

- I think it's both at once. But with each new day, I do not specifically think about it. In the end, my goal is to be the best performer with the drivers in the team and to win races. I am lucky to have the confidence of my superiors and the means to fulfill our ambitions. We work constructively, in very good conditions.

- Of course, we discussed it with Bertrand Pignolet and Gildas Merian. This is how we successively relied on Arnaud Kozlinski, Bas Lammers, JĂŠrĂŠmy Iglesias (in partnership with CPB) and today Alex Irlando. Having two talented drivers of the same standard allows us to move faster. Their motivation, their professionalism, their rigour, their calmness and their technical skills are precious for the whole team. On the track, drivers push each other. We can easily compare their data acquisition and, more importantly, it has the effect of multiplying our chances of a result. In 2015, Kozlinski reached the podium of the World Championship. In 2017, Lammers won the WSK, while Abbasse has become a two-time vice World Champion in the last two years. Between late 2016 and early 2018, we achieved 21 consecutive podiums at the international level. In addition, having drivers of different nationalities has given Sodikart a better image abroad and greater fame.

The many wins for Sodi in KZ have enriched other categories, KZ2 in particular ... - Development work is paying off. The goal of Sodikart is clear. Provide a quality chassis to any customer so he can win. The results of the European KZ2 Championship event at Salbris proved it, with two Sodi chassis on the podium. Adrien Renaudin won with the CPB Sport team and Galiffa Kart engines, while Hubert Petit finished 3rd with the Ludo Racing team and Winter Kart engines.

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After the 2nd places in 2016 and 2017, it seems that the title of World Champion is a realistic goal for the Sodi Racing Team in 2018? - Of course! Last year, Alex Irlando won the KZ2 International Super Cup and we had never been closer to winning the KZ World title. At Wackersdorf, Anthony Abbasse was not missing much to be able to beat Paolo De Conto. We hope that this year will be the one ...

World Champion Tom Joyner has joined you in OK. What are your mutual goals? - Sodi has showed the potential of its chassis and team in the 125cc gearbox categories. From this point of view, we have nothing to envy to other big teams, the Italians for example. We also have a strong partnership with TM for engines. Today, the goal is to reach this level in OK, then OK-Junior. These are categories where it is important to be present. The factory has invested additional technical and human resources, this will soon be reflected in a steady improvement. Obviously, winning will not happen in a few months. We must find these two formulas and face teams who have several years of experience at this level. There will be no lack of work in 2018!

INTERVIEW

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

Interview with

MarC BERTEAUX organiser of the French Kart Grand Prix at Salbris

ORGANISING AN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IS A TOUGH CHALLENGE

KARTCOM NEWS #42

A recognised professional, manager of Sologne Karting at the Salbris track, as well as a driver coach with the FFSA Academy and within the dynamic Kartagene association, Marc Berteaux also remains active in racing as last year he won the French KZ2 Gentleman Championship. Particularly well aware of the different aspects of karting, he was one of the driving forces behind the organisation of the opening event of the CIK-FIA European Championships for KZ and KZ2 on the Salbris track at the beginning of May. A long-term project that inspired some thoughts...

INTERVIEW

How did Salbris come back on to the international scene? - It has been more than 10 years since the Salbris International Circuit hosted a CIK-FIA event. I thought that the track deserved to regain its status in the racing world. The strong working relationship between ASK Salbris and Sologne Karting allowed me to consider this return in good conditions. The president of the club, Alain Frot, supported me, even though he remained reserved about such an adventure that he had already experienced in the past. My enthusiasm convinced him to apply to the FFSA, then the CIK-FIA.

How much time does it actually take ? - The first positive feedback on our candidacy goes back to May 2017, but the countdown really started in July with the confirmation of the files with the institutional and private partners. Work began in September to bring the track into compliance with the requirements of the CIK-FIA. It's been a good ten months of constant efforts. Honestly, I did not think it would be so difficult.

What kind of worries did you encounter? - Funding remains the main problem. The Sologne Karting company has invested a lot in its own funds in the upgrading of the track and for the organisation. Certainly, I hope to make a profit in the future, but I felt very much alone in carrying it all out. Fortunately, I was able to count on Alain Frot from beginning to the end of the preparation. The Central Karting League helped me according to its means, the city of Salbris was also involved and of course the FFSA, but neither the department nor the region were interested. We have been dealing with internet connection difficulties for a long time because we are a full kilometre away from a broadband connection. This is unfortunate because a European Championship creates significant economic benefits in terms of accommodation, catering and trade. To me that would justify an effort on the part of the communities.

How do you assess this lack of support? - I think that karting is currently suffering from a lack of image and communication with the general public. There is no more broadcasting devoted to karting on general-in-

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terest television channels. We are in an enclosed bubble. The most popular sports monopolise coverage to ensure strong audiences and significant advertising benefits. Karting is gradually being forgotten and it is very difficult to attract spectators to a race. It's not the poster campaigns that can solve the problem for those of us who are far from a big city. Things would probably be different if karting was covered regularly in publications devoted to cars. Our champions should also be publicised more to attract real supporters. The entertainment provided and the quality of the teams involved deserve that! Without real media coverage, it is not possible to attract new sponsors. We are at a dead end ...

What is your assessment of this experience? - It was a first for me. The adventure was exhilarating, but in the end, I wonder if it was worth it... The energy deployed and the sums committed are very high for a disappointing result in terms of publicity, spin-offs and the spectators. I am satisfied with the work done and the standard of organisation that we have achieved, but it will not change the face of karting in France. Why did we embark on such a challenge? Passion, only with passion. I admit that we are wondering if we will consider applying for another event before 2020. This is worrying for the organisation of major international races in France in the future for clubs and tracks that do not have major support.

1 JULY

ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP ACI KARTING

NEXTEVENTS 17 JUNE

5th TROFEO Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ESTATE

15 JULY

CIK-FIA KZ-KZ2 EUROPEAN CHAMPS

15 JULY

CIK-FIA KARTING ACADEMY TROPHY

24 JUNE

WSK OPEN CUP South Garda Karting

Lonato del Garda (Brescia-Italy)

www.southgardakarting.it - info@southgardakarting.it - Tel. +39 030 9919958

INTERNATIONAL

STANEK & ARON DOMINATE UNDER VESUVIUS

KARTCOM NEWS #42

CIK-FIA EUROPEAN CHAMP. OK - OKJ 1/4, SARNO

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

CIK-FIA

LOCATION

Circuito Int. Napoli, Sarno - 1547 m

DATE 19th-20th April 2018

ENTRIES 158 drivers - 2 categories • 1st CIK-FIA event of 2018 • New promoter RGMMC • CIK-FIA President Felipe Massa present • Nico Rosberg presents his new project with Kart Republic • Vega tyres in Junior and Bridgestone in OK • Fine weather

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo Philippe Kalmès

INTERNATIONAL

KARTCOM NEWS #42

STANEK THE REVELATION OF THE MEETING

hile Zane Maloney (FA Kart / Vortex) was in pole position after Qualifying, Roman Stanek (Kosmic / Vortex) was highlighted in the heats ahead of Pedro Hiltbrand (CRG / TM) and Hannes Janker (KR / Parilla). Harry Thompson (FA Kart / Vortex) had however totaled four victories before retiring in the last heat. Stanek continued to control the situation in the Final and comfortably beat Hiltbrand who finished 2nd under threat from Thompson, who was coming back from 11th. Juho Valtanen (Kosmic / Vortex) and Kas Haverkort (CRG / TM) completed the top five. Qualified in the middle of the grid, Lorenzo Travisanutto (KR / Parilla) retired after a roll without injury, while Janker and David Vidales (Tony Kart / Vortex) also re very early. Provisional classification of the CIK-FIA European Championship after Sarno 1 2 3 4 5

Roman Stanek Pedro Hiltbrand Harry Thompson Kas Haverkort Juho Valtanen

35 29 16 32 13

pts pts pts pts pts

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OK-J

ARON WITHOUT A RIVAL T

he Estonian Paul Aron (FA Kart / Vortex) could not dream more beautiful performance in Sarno. Poleman of the lap times, he won all his heats and won again in the final with a 3 '' lead. Dino Beganovic (Tony Kart / Vortex) and Kai Askey (FA Kart / Vortex) competed for 2nd place, but Gabriele Mini '(Parolin / Parilla) took advantage of the situation to sneak up to 2nd place a few laps to the finish. Askey was on the third step of the podium, Kirill Smal (Tony Kart / Vortex) and Conrad Laursen (FA Kart / Vortex) finished the race in the top 5. Provisional classification of the CIK-FIA European Junior Championship after Sarno 1 2 3 4 5

Paul Aron Kai Askey Gabriele Miniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Kirill Smal Conrad Laursen

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35 23 21 19 19

pts pts pts pts pts

INTERNATIONAL

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

RFM OUTSTANDING EUROPEAN

PERFORMANCES AT SARNO The opening of the European Championship emphasised RFM's great form at this stage of the season. Paul Aron dominated the OK-Junior category, followed closely by Kai Askey and Conrad Laursen, while Harry Thompson shone in OK along with Zane Maloney. The FA Kart / Vortex karts of the British team were indisputably the fastest machines in the field in the heat of Sarno.

he results of the Neapolitan event impressively demonstrated the strength of Ricky Flynn Motorsport in a very tough competition between the top international teams. With 1st and 2nd in Qualifying, event lap record in both categories, 16 wins in Qualifying Heats, nine fastest laps in the race, three podiums including a victory in the Final, 1st and 2nd place in the Junior rankings and 3rd in OK, despite the twists and turns of the race, the score is more than satisfactory.

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Paul Aron was supreme from one end of the event to the other. He took pole position, won his five heats and the Final with the fastest time, so the Estonian completely dominated the opening of the OK-Junior European Championship. Kai Askey confirmed his quick progress in his first season in Junior by closely following his team-mate. He took 3rd place in the Final, but his consistent scores allowed him to take 2nd place in the provisional standings. Conrad Laursen also confirmed his recent progress as a rookie and made his entry into the European top five. Less successful, Zak O'Sullivan came back in the heats, but had to retire after a clash in the Final. Matthew Rees struggled to reduce his lap

times in complicated struggles in the pack, where he accumulated too many points to qualify. Harry Thompson was excellent in the OK heats before dropping back in the last one after a spin. He put in a magnificent performance in the Final to return to 3rd place by only one tenth of a second. Zane Maloney started with pole in Qualifying and finished the heats in the top five. Less comfortable during the Final battle, he lost ground at the end of the race and finished close to the top 10. The meeting was complicated for Dan Skocdopole, especially in the pack, and this time he could not join the list of finalists.

After this start of the championship led at an incredible pace, RFM will return to its home country for the second of the four meetings of the European season from 18th to 20th May at the PF International circuit.

RFM.TEAM

INTERNATIONAL

KARTCOM NEWS #42

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

VICTOR BERNIER STILL FAST AT SARNO In the wake of his excellent performance in the WSK Super Master Series, Victor Bernier entered the first round of the CIK-FIA European Junior Championship with serenity. The Kosmic / Parilla from VDK Racing had shown strong competitiveness on the circuit of Sarno and the young driver was well aware of the intricacies of the Neapolitan track.

he race weekend started perfectly with 6th fastest among the 78 OK-Junior participants. The battle proved very tough during the Qualifying Heats in which Victor alternated good results, 5th and 2nd, with setbacks. A retirement and two incidents dropped him down to 30th place on the starting grid of the Final because of not always fair moves from some opponents ...

"It's always disappointing not to get good results when the performance is there," explained Victor. "I was among the fastest in this first European event, but luck was not with me, that's for sure! I could not even attempt a comeback in the Final because of a collision on the first lap ... It's annoying. The weekend was not entirely negative since I proved that I deserved a place in the top 10. A big thank you to VDK and my mechanic Aurélien Fath for the quality of their work. I am already very motivated for the second round in England at the PFI circuit in four weeks. But before that, I will start the second round of the Belgian Championship at Spa Francorchamps."

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Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

MANY POSITIVE POINTS IN THE BEGINNING OF SEASON OF

SAMI MEGUETOUNIF

KARTCOM NEWS #42

After his excellent performances last year in France and abroad, Sami Meguetounif started the 2018 season as an OK-Junior for Formula K. He will also defend the French colours in the CIKFIA Karting Academy Trophy, after his 5th place in 2017.

ami was very fast from the first WSK races, but it was during the Winter Cup at Lonato that he had his best result so far. At the wheel of his Formula K / TM, he made a good recovery from 20th in Qualifying among the 86 OK-Junior drivers. 6th on the starting grid of the Final, he was still gaining ground and eventually reached the second step of the podium, a performance that did not go unnoticed.

During the 4th and final event of the WSK Super Master Series, at the circuit of Sarno, he was most attacking despite difficult heats. 14th in Qualifying, he was down to 39th place before taking 12 places to qualify in 15th place on the starting grid of the Final. Sami continued his climb until finishing 6th in the decisive race, a remarkable result that allowed

him to finish the Championship in 15th place despite having competed in only three out of four races. At the end of April, he embarked on the adventure of the CIK-FIA European Junior Championship, whose first event was also held at Sarno. The performance was not always constant from his machine and Sami began with posting the 28th time. The heats proved to be complicated, including a penalty of 10'' on Saturday, but he was back in 4th on Sunday morning by posting one of the fastest laps. Starting from 32nd position at the start of the Final, he knew the race would be tough. He unfortunately met another misfortune and had to give up after a collision on the fifth lap. Sami showed great fighting spirit and remarkable speed in achieving a very promising start to the season. With his international experience, he will soon take the wheel of one of the Exprit / Vortex of the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy at the Salbris circuit with strong ambitions before resuming the European Championship two weeks later in England.

INTERNATIONAL

Info KARTCOM - Renaud Didier © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

LUIGI COLUCCIO MAKES A STRONG IMPRESSION WITH HIS BIREL ART

During the first round of the FIA Karting European Championship, the Birel ART Racing team was eager to show that the work done during the races at the beginning of the season had paid off. With Luigi Coluccio and Marijn Kremers in OK, as well as with Lorenzo Ressico D'Aloisio and Thomas Ten Brinke in OK-Junior, the Birel ART-TM karts enabled the young drivers of the team to reveal excellent potential during the Finals. At Sarno, the gains they made certainly deserved a bigger points haul.

ith the performance of the new Birel ART chassis homologated in 2018, the partnership with TM Racing and its engine builders, the arrival of team manager Davide Forè at the start of the season and the incredible experience of the technical staff, the Birel ART Racing team has all the ingredients to bring its drivers to the highest level. "I want to salute the work of everyone, drivers and technicians," commented Davide Forè. "We were expecting a difficult and competitive European Championship opener, and that really was the case. The gaps between the top drivers are tiny. From the very beginning, we were very happy to see Luigi Coluccio successively

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2nd and 4th. It's a shame that he retired from a heat on Saturday afternoon, as it pushed him back to 23rd place on the starting grid of the Final. As a result, he suffered jostling within the pack and was penalised by 10 seconds after the race for an unhooked spoiler. He had taken the finish in 7th place after a remarkable comeback, but was recorded in 16th place." Also very fast, his team-mate Marijn Kremers was preparing to enter the top 10 but suddenly had to retire with much regret, while he was faster than several drivers in the leading group at this period of the Final! At the Kart Grand Prix of Italy, the German Valentino Fritsch, the Lithuanian Gustas Grinbergas, the Czech Matej Kacovsky, the Italian Francesca Raffaele and the Greek Georgis Markogiannis learned a lot in difficult conditions, with the return of the heat in the Naples area.

NOTABLE PROGRESS

"We must recognise that the OK-Junior category was not favourable to us," continued Davide Forè. "On the one hand, we had to deal with Francesco Raffaele Pizzi’s physical problems. He was on an excellent trajectory after the WSK races, but had to withdraw before the end of the meeting. On the other hand, we had to redouble our efforts to adapt to the type of tyres, which was different from those we used in previous races. Despite this, the Italian Lorenzo Ressico D'Aloisio and

the Dutchman Thomas Ten Brinke gave us a lot of satisfaction by winning their place among the 34 finalists, despite a field of 78 strong drivers." Ranked 31st and 33rd, Ressico D'Aloisio (Birel ART Junior Team) and Ten Brinke were respectively 17th and 24th in the Final. For his part, the Canadian Thomas Nepveu knows he has the opportunity to quickly improve on the result at Sarno. His recovery of 13 places in a heat, to which was added a lap time faster than the leading men, allowed him to de-

monstrate that he will be one to watch this season.

"Our next goal is clearly to reach the podium in France, at Salbris, at the opening of the KZ and KZ2 European Championships. I would like to congratulate and thank all the other drivers and teams who use our Birel ART chassis during the European Championships," concluded the Italian team manager.

INTERNATIONAL

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

PAROLIN ON THE PODIUM FROM THE START

OF THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

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After its recent WSK Super Master Series successes, Parolin Racing Kart has fully confirmed its place among the top international karting teams at the opening of the CIK-FIA European Junior Championship. In particular, Gabriele Mini has completed a very progressive event with top performances and a superb 2nd place finish as a reward.

he European Championship is a particularly difficult competition" , said Marco Parolin. "The OK-Junior class was the debut for the new Vega tyres which forced us to review the equipment development. I am very happy to see that our chassis have adapted very well to this new situation. The battle was tough at the Sarno track during the many Qualifying Heats, and you had to be fast without making any mistakes to rank well. Our Parolin / Parilla karts have once again demonstrated their excellent competitiveness." Already in the top 10 in Qualifying Practice with around 80 OK-Junior drivers, Gabriele Mini progressively ramped up the performance during the heats before

exploiting the full potential of his Parolin in the Final. Starting very well, he quickly joined the leading group in 5th position and watched for his opportunity. Five laps from the finish, he took the lead over his opponents and climbed to 2nd position, the leader being out of reach. Gabrieleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second fastest time of the Final gave even more credit to his performance.

"I often drove with some reserve to limit the risk of incidents," said the driver. "I knew that we were not necessarily favourites at the Sarno event and that it was better to secure points than to look for victory at all costs. It was very difficult to manage on the track, but I had confidence in my equipment. Whenever I needed to raise the pace, the Parolin / Parilla responded." Alessandro Cenedese was noticed several times during the heats by twice moving up into the top five. A penalty for overtaking under the yellow flag caused him to lose a dozen places on the starting grid of the Final while complicating his race. He still managed to regain ground in the pack. At the wheel of a Parolin chassis, the Baby Race driver Nikita Bedrin, also a rookie in OK-Junior, was among the fastest, with his 10th in Qualifying and his 7th place after the heats before retiring at the start of the Final after a collision. Thanks to Gabriele Mini, Parolin has started the European Championship well in 3rd position of the provisional classification. Three more events await the Italian team, as motivated as ever in the pursuit of the title in OKJunior.

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GRAND PREMIERE FOR THE NEW EUROPEAN RO

KARTCOM NEWS #42

IN GENK OTAX CHALLENGE

ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE EURO TROPHY 1/4, GENK

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

Camp Company

LOCATION

Horensbergdam Race Track, Genk - 1360 m

DATE 20th - 22nd April 2018

ENTRIES 119 drivers - 4 categories • New European Rotax Challenge • Mojo tyres • Quality field • Several renowned drivers • Good weather, stormy on Sunday • Four classes on the programme • Next meeting from 8th to 10th June at Kristianstad

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo Rotax BRP

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ROTAX DD2

MARTIN MORTENSEN AHEAD OF EVERYONE

artin Mortensen (RS Competition) was unbeatable throughout the meeting in DD2. Max Fleischmann (OTK - FM Racing) also did a remarkable job in recoveriy after a fuel error in a heat. He managed to finish 2nd in both Finals. Xen de Ruwe (Intrepid - AKKK Sportstil) was on the podium of Final 1, while Roope Markkanen (Flandria - Flandria Kart Baltics) beat him in the second Final. In the Rotax DD2 Masters category, Slawomir Muranski (Tony Kart - Wyrzykowski Motorsport) and Christophe Adams (Sodi) shared the victories. in front of Michael Becker (Tony Kart). Provisional DD2 classification of the Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy after Genk 1 2 3 4 5

Martin Mortensen Max Fleischmann Xen De Ruwe Roope Markanen Mathias Lund

50 pts 40 pts 29 pts 27 pts 23 pts

Provisional DD2 Masters classification of the Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy after Genk 1 2 3

Slawomir Muranski Christophe Adams Michael Becker

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41 pts 33 pts 31 pts

JUNIOR MAX

TRIPLE PODIUM FOR THE NETHERLANDS

ris Haanen (Exprit - JJ Racing) clinched pole position and confirmed his lead in the heats against Mike Van Vugt (Exprit - JJ Racing) and Robert De Haan (CRG). Pauwels won in Final 1 against Van Vugt and Mads Riis (Tony Kart - RS Competition). Pauwels led to the finish line of the Final 2 race on a slippery track after the downpour, but was declared non-compliant and Sem Van Til (Intrepid) won the race ahead of Van Vugt and Colin Caresani (Exprit - JJ Racing). Andreas HĂŠbert (Redspeed), 8th in Final 1 dropped to 21st in the second Final while Arthur Rogeon (Exprit) did not qualify from the Repechage. Provisional Junior classification of the Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy after Genk 1 2 3 4 5

Mike Van Vugt Sem Van Til Colin Caresani Kobe Pauwels Robert De Haan

40 pts 31 pts 27 pts 25 pts 22 pts

SENIOR MAX

www.vegatyres.com

MORIN LEADING AHEAD OF TIMMERMANS

1 2 3 4 5

Hannes Morin Max Timmermans Mick Nolten Mathilda Olsson Myles Apps

45 pts 41 pts 29 pts 18 pts 18 pts

Nicole Colleoni - Ph: Sirio Serughetti - Art Direction: Guido Monfrini / Makelab.it - Make-up: Lorenza Bacchieri - Location: Pista 7 Laghi Castelletto di Branduzzo (PV) - Riproduzione vietata - Imposta di pubblicitĂ a cura di chi lo espone in pubblico - Backstage:

Provisional Senior classification of the Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy after Genk

www.vegatyres.com/backstage

ick Cuppens (Tony Kart - Daems Racing Team) set the fastest time, but Bradley Barrett (FA Kart - DHR) took the lead after the heats, followed by Dylan Lahaye (Exprit). Barrett and Lahaye faced each other at the front of Final 1 before crashing with Hannes Morin (FA Kart - DHR) in front of Mick Nolten (Exprit) and Max Timmermans (Tony Kart). Timmermans dominated the second Final and was clearly ahead of Morin while 3rd place went to Sweden's Mathilda Olsson (Tony Kart - Strawberry Racing).

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2018

Gennaio Febbraio Marzo 30 _ Aprile _ _ Maggio _ _ Giugno 30 31 Luglio _ _ Agosto _ _ Settembre _ _ Ottobre _ _ Novembre 31 _ Dicembre _

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LEADING FRENCH PERFORMANCES IN SOLOGNE

KARTCOM NEWS #42

CIK-FIA EUROPEAN KZ - KZ2 CHAMP. 1/2, SALBRIS

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

CIK-FIA

LOCATION

Salbris International Circuit - 1477 m

DATE 3rd to 6th May, 2018

ENTRIES 97 drivers - 2 categories • 2nd round CIK-FIA 2018 • New promoter RGMMC • CIK-FIA President Felipe Massa present • LeCont Tyres • Successful return of Salbris to the calendar• Very tight competition in KZ • French triple in KZ2 • Nice weather

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

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IGLESIAS

FINALLY REWARDED

orrit Pex (CRG / TM) was the best-performing of the 23 KZ drivers at Salbris by topping Qualifying and the heats against Fabian Federer (CRG / TM), while Marco Ardigo (Tony Kart / Vortex) and Pedro Hiltbrand (CRG / TM) were in pursuit of them. The Spaniard quickly took control of the Final while Jeremy Iglesias (Formula K / TM) returned to 2nd place. When Hiltbrand gave up after an engine breakdown, Iglesias had only to ensure the victory in front of Pex and Ardigo, with Paolo De Conto (CRG / TM) back in 4th and Anthony Abbasse (Sodi / TM) 5th. Provisional classification of the CIK-FIA European KZ Championship after Salbris 1 2 3 4 5

Jérémy Iglesias Jorrit Pex Marco Ardigo Paolo de Conto Patrik Hajek

31 pts 30 pts 24 pts 18 pts 12 pts

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RENAUDIN

KZ2

MASTERS HIS SUBJECT

hile Pierre Loubère (Praga / TM) took pole position ahead of the 74 participants, Adrien Renaudin (Sodi / TM) settled at the front of the heats ahead of Hubert Petit (Sodi / TM) and Giacomo Pollini (Formula K / TM). Renaudin and Loubère quickly outdistanced their opponents in the middle of a fight, Renaudin won with the fastest lap in the race without Loubère really being able to threaten. Petit resisted the return of Alessio Piccini (Tony Kart / Vortex) and Riccardo Longhi (BirelART / TM) finished in the top five. Matteo Vigano (Tony Kart / Vortex) crashed with Alexander Dahlberg (Birel ART / TM). Provisional classification of the CIK-FIA European KZ2 Championship after Salbris 1 2 3 4 5 6

Adrien Renaudin Pierre Loubère Hubert Petit Alessio Piccini Giacomo Pollini Dino Beganovic

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35 pts 27 pts 25 pts 19 pts 18 pts 19 pts

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Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

RENAUDIN A BLUE ON THE TOP STEP AT SALBRIS He finished the European KZ2 Championship last year with a memorable victory on slicks in the Swedish rain, and he has just started the 2018 European competition with a new success, under the sun at Salbris. Adrien Renaudin did not take long to join the short list of the top KZ2 international drivers.

drien started in 125 relatively recently at the end of 2016 after three French Championships titles with Rotax engines. In 2017 his first international season allowed him to learn the specificities of the KZ2 at the wheel of a Sodi / TM from Team CPB Sport. Performance came progressively in the second half of the year. Thanks to his feat at Kristianstad, where he triumphed in the Final with a lead of more than 15”, Adrien finished 8th in his first European Championship. The French Championship escaped him because of an incident at Val d'Argenton, but he was able to confirm his potential in the autumn with his 5th in the WSK Final Cup. Everyone expected to see Adrien start the 2018 season with more ambitious ambitions. The Parisian driver did not disappoint by finishing 5th in the Winter Cup, in the middle of several tenors of the KZ category and in the presence of 93 opponents. He then concluded the WSK

Super Master Series in 7th place as the top Frenchman, again in a good position among the most famous drivers. In Salbris, for the opening of the European KZ2 Championship, Adrien completed a true celebration. With fourth fastest time of the 74 participants, he scored three 2nd places with the consistency of a metronome and two victories in the heats. On pole at the start of the Final, he kept up his fierce pacefor 21 laps, including the fastest, facing the pressure of Pierre Loubère behind him. Speed, consistency in effort and great mental strength are the main assets of this young talent in full bloom.

"The excellent agreement with the CPB Sport team is a major element of my KZ2 career," said Adrien. "The Sodi chassis we have are at the top and Paul Bizalion's team is really great. We get along very well and they do a great job. All this gave me confidence and the results materialise everything. I especially thank my mechanic, Florent Bizalion." The conquest of the European title will end in mid-July at Lonato, against formidable Italian opponents on their home ground. But that's not the kind of thing that intimidates the Blue Frenchy.

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Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

SOLOGNE KARTING & L’ASK SALBRIS WORKING TOGETHER FOR A SUCCESSFUL EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

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They stood together and worked hard, but they managed to meet the challenge: to organise a major event for the CIKFIA again at the international circuit of Salbris. Passion, professionalism and knowledge guided the local club, chaired by Alain Frot, and the Sologne Karting team led by Marc Berteaux.

e must first acknowledge the work of the volunteers and thank them for organising such a European Championship, as we needed to gather a team of about 100 people, which is significant," says Alain Frot. "It also means more than six months of work on the site to welcome the participants and to make sure that everything goes well on competition days."

European races of the Rotax and X30 challenges, the circuit located in the heart of the Sologne had not hosted a CIK-FIA competition since 2007!

"We undertook significant and costly work on the site, which needed to be upgraded," added Marc Berteaux. "This could only be done with the strong link that exists today between Sologne Karting and ASK Salbris, and I really want to emphasise this point which was the key to the success of the meeting. We want to see the Salbris circuit continue to organise major events, we would just like stronger involvement from the local authorities and our federation." A paddock tour was enough to see the enthusiasm of the drivers, who have enjoyed the track, and the teams, delighted with the welcome they received. An excellent atmosphere prevailed throughout the competition, also marked by almost summer weather!

Salbris remains a place for big events. But apart from the many major events of the FFSA, national series or

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Info KARTCOM - Renaud Didier © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

BIREL ART KICKS OFF THE EUROPEAN

CHAMPIONSHIP STRONGLY WITH LONGHI The Birel ART team clearly displayed a very high level of performance at Salbris at the opening of the European Championship, especially in KZ2. The provisional leader on Saturday night, Riccardo Longhi experienced an incident that deprived him of a possible victory. But the points scored by the Italian during the French Kart Grand Prix will be important during the next race at Lonato!

fter the European opening of the OK and OKJunior categories, the European Championship for KZ and KZ2 started at the Salbris circuit, which was back on the international scene after many years without a major event. At the beginning of the meeting, the Birel ART chassis were at ease, both in KZ and KZ2. Marijn Kremers set the 5th fastest time, while Riccardo Longhi was in 2nd place in KZ2.

PODIUM WITHIN REACH

For Longhi, the Qualifying day on Saturday turned into a magnificent display, with three wins and a 2nd place. Unfortunately, a small issue complicated the situation on Sunday morning, as explained by the team manager Davide Forè. "A collision in the last heat deprived

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Riccardo of a possible pole position for the Final. He had to start from the third row. At this level, the drivers are so close to each other, he could not recover as he wanted in the Final. We can not rewrite the story, but I think Riccardo had his place on the podium, maybe on the top step. Nevertheless, he scored important points in Salbris. The Championship has two meetings and I am very confident about our ability to achieve a great performance in July in Italy, at the Lonato circuit where Longhi is always very fast." Birel ART also welcomed the flawless collaboration with the KSW team, importer Birel ART in Austria. "William Lanzeni had to use his second set of new tyres in the last heat to secure his qualification. That did not prevent him from making a gain of 13 places in the Final, from 32nd place to 19th! Alexander Dahlberg also had an excellent pace at Salbris. He was 7th after the heats and was on the way to a good position, when a collision put him out of the points."

REGRETS IN KZ

"We were very well prepared for this European Championship," continues Davide Forè. "We had to adapt to the Salbris circuit, where nobody had many references, and the LeCont tyres, which are different from the brands we used in 2017 and at the beginning of the season. In this context, the fastest lap set by Marijn

Kremers during the KZ Final says a lot about the potential of the Birel ART chassis, our technical partners and all the mechanics and staff, who I would like to thank for their involvement." "Marijn unfortunately had too many incidents to fight for the podium. I would like to congratulate Rick Dreezen, who managed to come back from 15th to 10th in the Final. As for Bas Lammers, I am happy to see such a talented driver in the colors of Birel ART Racing KSW.

He had to make his mark with us and learn about his new chassis and immediately found himself at an encouraging 12th place after the heats. He had to retire in the Final, but along with Birel ART Racing President Ronni Sala, we are confident of his ability to aim high in the future."

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KARTCOM NEWS #42

SUPERB CLASHES AT THE OPENING OF THE SEASON

CIK-FIA ACADEMY TROPHY 1/3, SALBRIS

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

CIK-FIA

LOCATION

Salbris International Circuit - 1477 m

DATE 3th to 6th May 2018

ENTRIES 48 drivers - 1 category • 1st round of the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy 2018 • One-makr Exprit / Vortex / LeCont karts • Exciting races Victory for Navalon • Very high standard at the front • Nice weather

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

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NAVALON WINS 81

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AGAINST PAUWELS

ami Meguetounif (FRA) was the fastest in Qualifying. Kobe Pauwels (BEL), however, took the lead over Jose Maria Navalon (ESP) in the heats, these three drivers sharing the victories. The Final was exceptionally intense with several changes of leader. Pauwels led the way, followed by Meguetounif and Navalon. As the fierce-

ness of the fight increased between the top six, Craig Tanic (FRA) briefly took control before Pauwels recovered in front of Navalon and Suleiman Zanfari (MAR). Navalon then attacked Pauwels and escaped to victory with the fastest lap in the race. Pauwels finished 2nd followed by Meguetounif while Rimmo Kadapik (RUS) and Joshua Rattican (GBR) completed the top five. The unfortunate hero of the Final, Tanic finished 9th and Zanfari 12th.

Provisional classification of the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy after Salbris 1 2 3 4 5

Jose Maria Navalon Kobe Pauwels Sami Meguetounif Rimmo Kadapik Kotaro Shimbara

34 pts 30 pts 24 pts 19 pts 17 pts

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Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

A PODIUM AND HIGH HOPES FOR THE OPENING OF THE ACADEMY TROPHY The two members of the French FFSA Espoirs Karting 2018 team showed excellent fighting spirit during the inaugural CIK-FIA Academy Trophy event at Salbris. Sami Meguetounif dominated the Qualifying stages before ascending the Final podium, while the young Craig Tanic quickly found his marks and rose to the level of the best.

ompetition proved very tight at Salbris during the first of the three events of the 2018 CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy. 48 drivers from all over the world competed on equal terms at the wheel of identical karts, with Exprit chassis, OK-Junior Vortex engines and LeCont tyres. The warmer weather in the Sologne paved the

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way for tight confrontations on a dry track. The gaps were small between the best competitors in Timed Practice, with Sami Meguetounif setting the fastest lap by one thousandth of a second, his time of 1'05''510 remaining of the event's absolute record until the end, while Craig Tanic was 12th.

Meguetounif remained very much present in the top three of the heats, in particular by taking a victory. Tanic made a good progress in the top five, with a 2nd place as the best result. 17 laps long, the Final marked the culmination of the event. With his experience in 2017 where he finished 5th, Meguetounif was fighting for victory in the top three straight away. Meanwhile, Tanic, the French Cadet Champion last year, moved to the front of the field and even took the lead shortly after halfway, while Meguetounif was in 5th place. But the fight intensified, not without some incidents, and Meguetounif returned to 3rd without having the opportunity to attack for 2nd. He climbed to the third step of the podium. Tanic suffered more at the end of the race and finished 9th.

remain confident for the rest of the competition, Sami and Craig having revealed very good form. We will learn from this first experience to regain the advantage as soon as possible. Our two youngsters have different backgrounds and characters, but the same motivation to win. They have an interesting margin of progression and we need to help them reveal their potential." The CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy will continue in Italy in mid-July at the Lonato circuit before ending in September at Genk (BEL) alongside the KZ World Championship.

"The race was difficult," explained Christophe Lollier, the National Technical Director, an attentive observer of the battles. "There was a lot to lose and not much to gain by attempting daring manoeuvres. I am satisfied to have seen our two drivers able to compete with the best, although I regret that the win has escaped us. I

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KARTCOM NEWS #42

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

ACADEMY TROPHY :

SAMIOFFMEGUETOUNIF TO A GOOD START At the heart of a well-filled sporting programme, Sami Meguetounif once again defends the colours of France as a member of the French FFSA Espoirs Karting Team in the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy. Ranked 5th after good progress in the 2017 edition, Sami has just climbed on to the podium of the first of three 2018 races that took place on the Salbris circuit on 5th and 6th May. After taking pole position, he fought with great consistency in the top three of this international one-make challenge while scoring important points in the standings.

As you might expect, the intensity of the battle moved up a notch in the 17 laps of the Final. Well placed inside on the second row, Sami returned to 2nd place at the start. Positions continued to change between the top six at the mercy of incessant overtaking. Sami stayed in touch even though he was 5th after the halfway mark. He pushed in the closing laps to finally reach 3rd place by 3 tenths of a second.

"I'm not dissatisfied with the Salbris result," he said. "I managed to come back to 3rd position in the race, which also places me in 3rd place of the provisional classification. I would have preferred to win the first event in France, but first and foremost I needed to finish, and finish in good place to preserve my chances in the Trophy. The winner was very fast this time, but that will not always be the case."

very year the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy confirms the extreme competitiveness between the top participants from all over the world. At Salbris, everything was decided by a hundredth, or even a thousandth of a second. Sami managed to set the fastest time of the Timed Practice against some very determined opposition. Despite pure performance that was slightly down in the first two Qualifying Heats, he constantly remained in the leading group.

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BRITISH COMPE CHANGES THE

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ETITION E GAME

CIK-FIA EUROPEAN CHAMP. OK - OKJ 2/4, PFI

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

CIK-FIA

LOCATION

PF International, Brandon - 1382 m

DATE 17th to 20th May 2018

ENTRIES 141 drivers - 2 categories • Quality organisation • Bridgestone tyres in OK and Vega in Junior • 17 drivers less than at Sarno • Very spectacular races • Janker victorious in OK • Van T'Hoff a revelation in Junior Many penalties • Surprises in the hierarchy • Nice weather

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

INTERNATIONAL

TRAVISANUTTO DISQUALIFIED

JANKER THE WINNER T

he poleman Lorenzo Travisanutto (KR / Parilla) crossed the finish line first in the Final, but was disqualified for attempting to reattach his spoiler. Mattia Michelotto (KR / Parilla) took the lead in the heats against Hannes Janker (KR / Parilla) who recovered the

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Final win. David Vidales (Tony Kart / Vortex) and Pedro Hiltbrand (CRG / TM) made a strong comeback from the Qualifying standings and finally took 2nd and 3rd place ahead of reigning World Champion Danny Keirle (KR / Parilla) and Michelotto. Nicklas Nielsen (Tony Kart / Vor-

tex) was back in 6th place, while Franck Chappard (Redspeed / Parilla) was close to the top 10 and Jules Mettetal (Redspeed / Parilla) finished 15th. Provisional classification of the CIK-FIA European Championship after PFI 1 2 3 4 5

Pedro Hiltbrand Hannes Janker Roman Stanek David Vidales Ajenjo Juho Valtanen

51 42 35 32 29

pts pts pts pts pts

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OK-JUNIOR

VAN Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;HOFF

WINS AFTER BERNIER'S PENALTY

lthough Kirill Smal (Tony Kart / Vortex) had taken the pole position, it was the young Dutchman of Forza Racing Dilano Van T'Hoff (Exprit / TM) who settled at the front of the heats in front of Gabriel Bortoleto (CRG / TM). Team VDK Frenchman Victor Bernier

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(Kosmic / Parilla), however, first crossed the finish line of the Final first after taking control before the halfway mark. But he was penalised for a departure from the corridor at the start and was 2nd behind Van T'Hoff. Gabriele Mini '(Parolin / Parilla) took 3rd place on the last lap against

Alex Lloyd (Formula K / TM) and Thomas Ten Brinke (FA Kart / Vortex). Provisional classification of the CIK-FIA European Junior Championship after PFI 1 2 3 4 5

Gabriele Mini Paul Aron Dilano Van T'Hoff Kai Askey Victor Bernier

45 36 35 32 28

pts pts pts pts pts

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Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

VICTOR BERNIER MAKES A SPLASH AT PFI

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Victor Bernier learned the lessons from the first round of the OK-Junior European Championship at Sarno and was able to tackle the second meeting with greater ambitions at the British circuit of PF International. The VDK Racing driver was not hindered this time in his triumphal march to the heights. Always present among the best during all the weekend, he won a magnificent Final victory on the track. A penalty then dropped him down to 2nd position, but he demonstrated his potential to win among the world Junior elite.

erfectly prepared, Victor arrived in England on the strength of his participation in the Belgian Championship at Spa Francorchamps, where he ranks 5th in the X30 Junior provisional points. He started calmly, qualifying in 3rd place overall among the 72 participants after posting the best time of his session. After a difficult first heat, Victor used the qualities of his Team VDK Racing's Kosmic / Parilla perfectly to take two wins and two 2nd places by taking the measure of

the PFI layout and the fighting spirit of his opponents. On the second row of the starting grid of the final, Victor was more afraid to speak live on the TV microphone than to face the top specialists. He ensured a safe start before going on the attack. He was 2nd in the fourth of the 19 laps of the race, attacking the leader and taking the lead in the on lap 6. He then repeatedly set fastest laps with metronome consistency while his opponents ran out trying to keep up. That's how he crossed the finish line with a 1.5'' lead after 14 laps. He was then celebrated on the top step of the podium while the stewards were investigating his start ...

"It's always disappointing not to enjoy a win," said Victor afterwards. "I was in fact out of my lane before the start, but I was forced by the braking of the driver in front of me, otherwise, I would have moved my spoiler. I thought that the commissioners would take this into account and that I had returned to my place at when the lights went out and therefore had no advantage. I still won the race on the track and I took the points for 2nd place, which makes me 5th in the Championship standings, so the record is very positive. I want to thank VDK Racing and my mechanic AurĂŠlien Fath for their outstanding work. I cannot wait to race again at Ampfing!"

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Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

RFM TOUGH EUROPEAN BATTLES ON BRITISH SOIL

The overall result for RFM in its homeland did not meet the expectations of Ricky Flynn's team. Unsuccessful Qualifying attempts, fierce fights in the heats and several penalties disrupted the progress of the drivers from the British team in the second round of the CIKFIA European Championships at the PF International circuit. The hunt for titles, however, is far from over. The arrival of a new Junior driver, Thomas Ten Brinke, was fortunately accompanied by a promising result in the top five.

he competition had started very well for the two OK drivers in the RFM team. Zane Maloney remained in 8th place in strong Qualifying Heats, while Thompson came back to the top five after his 21st in Qualifying. Unfortunately, a drop on the first lap of his last heat made his score higher and he was in 19th position for the start of the Final. Harry managed to regain ground early in the race and was 14th over the finish line, but a penalty for a dislodged spoiler pushed him back to 19th. Zane did not have time to take advantage of his 8th position as he had to retire on the 2nd lap. Still

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in the top 10 of the provisional points, Harry and Zane will still have the opportunity to improve their positions in the two European races still to run. The rookie of the team, the Dutchman Thomas Ten Brinke scored the best result for RFM at PFI. Already in 9th place in Qualifying, he finished four out of five of his heats in the top three of the heats before gaining another place in the Final by finishing 5th. His superb performance ended in him gaining 17 places in the championship where he now ranks 8th. Kai Askey negotiated some great Qualifying Heats by winning twice after his 15th in Qualifying. Delayed by an incident when he was 3rd in the C-E heat, he lost several places on the starting grid of the Final. After a difficult start to the race,

he was finally 9th with the second fastest time, which allowed him to stay 4th in the provisional classification. Matthew Rees made a superb recovery of 20 places in the Final and finished 14th, making up for a complicated start to the meeting since his 41st in Qualifying. It earned him a spectacular leap in the championship. The weekend of PFI saw disappointment for Paul Aron, leader of the rankings on his arrival in England. The Estonian gave his all to move up in the heats and qualified 14th after 33rd in Qualifying. He managed to return to 11th in an eventful Final while achieving the fastest lap, but lost three places because of a spoiler dislodged in the battle. Paul, however, retains all his chances in the Championship where he occupies 2nd position. Zak O'Sullivan was caught in a mass crash right at the start of the Final after finishing the heats in 12th. Howe-

ver he then spent his time trying to reduce the large gap that separated him from the pack without being able to make a single pass. Penalised for his spoiler, he finished in a distant 23rd place that did not change his situation in the provisional classification. Despite not qualifying in the Final and a blank score at PFI, Conrad Laursen remains in the race in 10th place in the championship. The rest of RFM's racing programme will focus on Germany with the third round of the DKM at Ampfing on 2nd and 3rd June, then the third round of the European Championship at the same circuit two weeks later.

RFM.TEAM

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Info CIK-FIA - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

KARTING PAYS TRIBUTE TO MOTORSPORT VOLUNTEERS This year the FIA has renewed its celebration of the volunteers of motorsport that it initiated in 2017. All those who make possible the organization of competitions around the world thanks to their dedication deserved to be highlighted during a special weekend on 19th and 20th May, 2018, with a particularly well-filled programme. Karting teamed up with this initiative under the hashtag #FIAVolunteersWeekend at the second Competition of the CIK-FIA European Championship and Junior European Championship at the British PF International circuit.

n reiterating that “Volunteers are the unsung heroes of motor sport. Without them, quite simply, we would not be able to go racing,” the President of the FIA, Jean Todt, insisted on the essential role of all these enthusiasts who give their time and their energy to motorsport. This reality is very well understood by the Trent Valley Kart Club, organiser of many events throughout the year and the second Competition of the CIK-FIA European Championship and European Junior

Championship this weekend, 19th-20th May, 2018. The biggest Kart club in Britain has always been very attentive to the volunteers working with them to ensure that a very tight race schedule is maintained. The TVKC President's wife, Sarah Edwards, who has been personally involved in volunteer work for a long time, is an enthusiastic spokesperson: "The role of volunteers is often underestimated. They deserve the recognition for all for their crucial action in the safety and success of the races we organise. Our club has many members and we are honoured to have hundreds of dedicated volunteers. For a Competition like this European Championship, nearly 70 of them have mobilised with their usual generosity and dedication.

We must realise that retaining volunteers and recruiting new volunteers is becoming less easy. This essential aspect for the survival of our sport must be taken into consideration at all levels. It is in this context that I appreciate the FIA's global approach to volunteers. The varied missions that volunteers perform can inspire vocations for young people. Of course, the best-known role is that of marshall, and that's very important, but we also need new blood for timing, camera management and many other tasks ... I wanted to highlight an extremely loyal family of enthusiasts because they are a very good example. The parents, Lee and Pam Manchester, have passed on their

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passion and commitment to their kids David, Donna, Kyle and Ryan and it's great to see them, together or separately, participate in all our races. We were all happy and

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excited to have gathered all six of them this weekend for the European Championship. We thank them all!"

Wearing caps and t-shirts in the colours of the FIA â&#x20AC;&#x2039;â&#x20AC;&#x2039;Volunteer Weekend event, TVKC volunteers gathered on Sunday afternoon, just before the start of the Finals, for a

highly symbolic group photo on the PF International circuit.

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Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

MINI' ON TOP OF EUROPEAN JUNIOR AT PFI Parolin Racing Kart faced a particularly difficult challenge during the second round of the European Championship at the PF International circuit. In addition learning this unique British track, the young Italian team had to face the pack of formidable British drivers on their home ground. Gabriele Mini’ fulfilled his mission perfectly by getting on the third step of the podium which allowed him to take the lead in the provisional classification of the Championship, a good sign midway through the European season.

he task was tough for our young drivers in facing a circuit like PFI with its many specificities," said Marco Parolin. "Our team is also new to OK-Junior and we did not have many references on this track. We opted for a reasonable strategy based on our attributes and to progress throughout the competition. We had the pleasure of welcoming for the occasion two young Australian drivers, Christian Mansell and James Wharton. Gabriele Mini’ drove very well, although the races were not easy on this track. 2nd fastest in Qualifying, he set two fastest laps in the heats and finally managed to get into the top three of the Final, which put him at the top of the

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standings. We have demonstrated that our potential for our IAME powered Parolin chassis is real in all conditions. Alessandro Cenedese managed to qualify for the Final, while Wharton made some great runs." The balance between performance and consistency paid off for Gabriele Mini’. He first set the fastest time of his group in Qualifying Practice with a good margin over his opponents and was 2nd overall when the three groups were combined. The set-up of his machine was adapted after the first two heats and he was able to score two consecutive victories. Starting from 5th position in the Final, he was constantly fighting in the top five and managed to take 3rd position in the last metres of the race. This magnificent podium placed him at the front of the Championship with an interesting lead over his pursuers. Qualified once again among the 34 finalists, Alessandro Cenedese had to give up one lap from his goal while he was back in the top 20. Parolin Racing Kart continues its first season in OKJunior. After the title won in the WSK Super Master Series, the goal is now clear in the European Championship. The next meeting will take place in a few weeks in Germany at Ampfing before the much-anticipated conclusion in France at Essay.

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Info KARTCOM - Renaud Didier © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

BIREL ART PODIUM IN GERMANY, BUT LACK OF SUCCESS IN ENGLAND

In the space of two weeks, the official Birel ART team visited two benchmark international circuits: Wackersdorf in Germany and PF International in England. Still very successful, the Italian chassis enabled their drivers to score excellent results in the DKM, including a podium for Luigi Coluccio in OK. However, the wheel turned on 20th May across the Channel, in the European OK and OK-Junior Championships. Despite this, the qualifications saw a significant collection of points.

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manager. "Nevertheless, several drivers were competitive, setting some of the best times of the meeting. In Qualifying, Luigi Coluccio finished in the top three three times in the heats and hoped for a good result in the Final. Without a faulty "power-valve" in a race, he would have been in the top eight and his race would have been different. There, an incident in the heart of a turbulent pack forced him to retire on the fifth lap. I think Marijn Kremers also deserved a better result." At the wheel of his PF International Karting team's Birel ART, Oliver Hodgson was one of the major leaders of this OK Final, moving up from 16th to 4th place. The exclusion of another driver could even have given him a podium, but he was himself penalised for a dislodged fairing and was downgraded to 9th.

n the German Championship, the Birel ART brand remained in the positive spiral from the European Championship at Salbris. In OK, the Italian Luigi Coluccio drove brilliantly in Qualifying, before getting on the second step of the podium. The excellent collaboration with Birel ART distributors, such as KSW Racing in Austria and Solgat Motorsport in Germany, was confirmed in OK-Junior with the return from 22nd to 5th place for Jule Weimann in Race 2, as well as in DSKC with Franz Lehner finishing in the top three. At Wackersdorf, Birel ART was also omnipresent at the front in KZ2. Rick Dreezen and Marijn Kremers finished 2nd and 5th respectively in Race 1, before André Matisic finished on the podium, with Kremers in 6th position.

BIREL ART AT THE FOREFRONT IN QUALIFYING

As at Sarno, Lorenzo Ressico D'Aloisio proved the highest ranked of the Birel ART team in OK-Junior. However the Italian driver was unable to enjoy the fruits of his consistent Qualifying Heats for long, as he was involved in a clash at the start of the Final. "With the whole team, we continue to enable our drivers to make progress. Some still lack experience and, in this context, it is never easy to get to the front of the field at a very selective circuit like that of PFI. We continue to prove that the Birel ART chassis is competitive, just like our TM engines. Just look at the times achieved by the Canadian Thomas Nepveu and Italian Francesco Raffaele Pizzi in OK-Junior. They were often in the same tenth as the first. They would have been successful if they could have completed a better Qualifying session, before avoiding the frequent incidents in the pack or penalties due to dislodged fairings.

Today, we must continue the work done since the beginning of the season and keep this momentum so that the results come, as they did in Germany," concluded Davide Forè.

"We arrived at the European Championship in Great Britain with legitimate ambitions. Of course, we knew we had to contend with one of the most difficult circuits of the season, that of PFI, where the British are still very hard to beat," confirmed Davide Forè, the team

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NEW DEAL IN MID-SEASON

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FRENCH JUNIOR CHAMP. 3/5-AUNAY LES BOIS

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

FFSA

LOCATION

Int. Circuit Aunay les Bois - Essay - 1215 m

DATE 27th-29th April, 2018

ENTRIES 19 drivers - 1 category • 3rd round of the French Junior Championship • One-make Exprit / Vortex / B'stone formula • Organised by the FFSA Academy • New surface on the Essay track • Rainy weather on Sunday • Craig Tanic highlighted in Qualifying and in the heats • Maguet wins the Prefinal • Final victory for Nicouleau • Vayron retains the advantage

Info Kartcom - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

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FIRST VICTORY FOR

NICOULEAU C

raig Tanic caused a sensation on Saturday by taking pole position and then winning the two Qualifying Heats against Evan Spenle and Mathys Jaubert. Tanic managed to keep 2nd place in the Prefinal on Sunday morning in the rain in front of Jaubert while Sacha Maguet won. But William Nicouleau was the strongest in the Final, on the wet track of Essay. Maguet could not resist him with a less suitable chassis set-up. Jaubert finished 3rd followed by Tanic and Spenle. It was a black weekend for Elliott Vayron who scored no points, but remained at the top of the standings as the gaps tightened between the top four. Provisional ranking of the 2018 French Junior Championship after Aunay les Bois 1 2 3 4 5

Elliott Vayron Evan Spenle Mathys Jaubert Craig Tanic Sacha Maguet

90 86 83 80 67

pts pts pts pts pts

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SUPER ONE SERIES GOES ON IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

MSA BRITISH CADET KART CHAMPIONSHIP

axwell Dodds took pole 0.03s ahead of William MacIntyre, but Freddie Slater came through from 4th to win both heats. In Final 1 on a drying track Arvid Lindblad overtook poleman Slater and led for half the race before Slater retook the lead and went on to win ahead of MacIntyre. MacIntyre won Final 2 after a race-long battle with Slater where they progressively distanced their rivals. MacIntyre decisively took the lead two laps from the end after spending some time in control early on.

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TUTO SUPER ONE SERIES ROUND 2, WHILTON MILL

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

Super One Series

LOCATION

Whilton Mill, Whilton Locks - 1150 m

DATE 28th - 29th april 2018

ENTRIES 9 categories

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo Kartpix - Chris Walker

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MSA X30 JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

insent qualified fastest, 0.33s ahead of Clayton Ravenscroft, and went on to win two heats, with Lewis GIlbert taking the other. Poleman Pinsent led all the way in a drying Final 1 with less pressure after 2nd-placed Caden McQueen then Reggie Duhy retired leaving Ravenscroft 2nd. Pinsent crossed the line first in Final 2 after a battle with Ravenscroft but was penalised by a lap for driving in a manner incompatible with general safety, so the win went to Ravenscroft.

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MSA X30 SENIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

lliot Harvey took pole ahead of the 31 drivers, 0.12s faster than Thomas Turner. Harvey won both heats, with Joe Turney 2nd in the intermediate ahead of Turner. Oliver Hodgson started down in 7th after a penalty in one heat and 2nd in the other. Hodgson took the chequered flag in Final 1 after overtaking Turney at half-distance, but was penalised for an incorrectly-positioned front fairing which gave the win to Morgan Porter. In Final 2 Hodgson came back through to win, followed closely by Turney who had led several laps, as did Porter early on.

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THE CHAMPIONSHI 119

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IP RESTARTS

NATIONAL SERIES KARTING 2/3 – VARENNES SUR ALLIER

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

3MK Events

LOCATION

Circuit Int.Jean Brun, Varennes - 1500 m

DATE 3rd - 6th May, 2018

ENTRIES 164 drivers - 7 categories • 2nd meeting of the NSK in 2018 • Good level of entries • Fine weather • Exciting races • Suspense for titles and tickets to the Rotax Grand Final • Nice organisation and friendly atmosphere • Conclusion in early July at Salbris

Pantone 433 C

Pantone 3125 C

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

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MINIME

OUTRAN

WINS HIS DUEL AGAINST MÉRIEUX

imi Mérieux (Energy) was the quickest in Qualifying, but one victory the heats against three for Clément Outran (Energy) gave the latter the lead. Their duel continued in the Final, Outran managing to find the opening to win. The young and promising Stefano Ravoire (Tony Kart) joined them on the podium ahead of Sacha Avril (Kosmic) and Baptiste Quesada (Formula K). Provisional classification in Minime after Varennes 1 2 3 4 5

Clément Outran Kimi Mérieux Arthur Raphanel Paul Grisel Arthur Dorison

277 255 220 188 180

pts pts pts pts pts

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THÉOPHILE

NAEL

AT THE FINISH

van Giltaire (Top Kart) achieved pole position, but Louis Iglesias (Formula K) took the lead in the standings with his three wins ahead of Théophile Nael (DR), a winner once. In the Final, Iglesias and Nael increased the gap and fought their duel until the chequered flag. Iglesias tried one last attack, but it was worth a penalty of three places. Nael was on the top step of the podium followed by Artus Lacroix (Formula K) and Leo Poncel (KR), Giltaire having been sanctioned for a spoiler off the hook. Augustin Bernier (Top Kart) and Gaspard Simon (Top Kart) completed the top five. Provisional ranking in Cadet after Varennes 1 2 3 4 5

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Théophile Nael Artus Lacroix Matteo Spirgel Louis Iglesias Léo Poncel

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258 224 214 210 210

pts pts pts pts pts

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OUT IN THE FINAL

he hierarchy was very changeable in National since the pole position for Valentin Lumet (Sodi). Isack Hadjar (Kosmic) led at the end of the heats ahead of Andreas HĂŠbert (Redspeed) and Esteban Masson (Sodi), but Guillaume Treillard De Quinemont (Tony Kart) won the Prefinal in front of Masson while Florian Rousseau Ricci (Kosmic) was in 3rd place. The young Florian seized his chance to win the Final against Treillard De Quinemont. Dylan LĂŠger (Tony Kart) stood out from 18th to 3rd ahead of Valentin Rebeyrolle (Kosmic) and Guilhem Crespin (Exprit). Provisional ranking in National after Varennes 1 2 3 4 5

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Guillaume Treillard de Quinemont Esteban Masson Isack Hadjar Florian Rousseau Ricci Guilhem Crespin

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222 216 209 193 178

pts pts pts pts pts

NATIONALE

NATIONAL

ROUSSEAU RICCI STANDS

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ROTAX MAX

VICTORY FOR

PICOT V

ictor Bernier (Kosmic) was predicted as the winner after his pole position and dominance of the heats where he was ahead of Bastien Borget (Sodi) and Sacha Hébrard (FA Kart). But Nicolas Picot (Tony Kart) came back irresistibly in the lead of the Final and won the race hand while Bernier downgraded three places because of a penalty. Borget was then 2nd in front of Milan Petelet (Sodi), with Hébrard taking 4th place followed by Bernier. Provisional ranking in Rotax Max after Varennes 1 2 3 4 5

Bastien Borget Sacha Hébrard Victor Bernier Nicolas Picot Jonas Venier

255 242 229 226 204

pts pts pts pts pts

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ROTAX MASTER

OLIVIER PARIS AT THE TOP IN THE FINAL

he poleman Rudy Champion (Sodi) kept the lead during the heats, even though Olivier Paris (Sodi) already seemed the best performer on the track. This was confirmed in the Final with a clear victory for Paris, who set the fastest lap, against Champion and Romain MangĂŠ (Tony Kart) ahead of Antoine Antier (Sodi) and Bruno Dos Santos (Sodi). Provisional classification in Rotax Master after Varennes 1 2 3 4 5

Rudy Champion Olivier Paris Antoine Antier Bruno Dos Santos Christophe Capitaine

270 262 212 208 200

pts pts pts pts pts

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ROTAX DD2

PAOLO BESANCENEZ AT THE FINISH

he meeting started with a battle between Nicolas Picot (Tony Kart), winner of three heats, and Paul Louveau (Sodi), who took pole and a victory. But Paolo Besancenez (Sodi) found the right set-up for the Final and won against Picot at the end of the race. 3rd under the chequered flag, Louveau was penalised with a penalty and Lucas Joly (Sodi) was on the third step of the podium after having passed Christophe Adams (Sodi), the top Master.

Provisional ranking in DD2 after Varennes

Provisional ranking in DD2 Master after Varennes

1 Lucas Joly 252 pts 2 Paolo Besancenez 250 pts 3 Andrew Williamson 224 pts

1 Christophe Adams 268 pts 2 Paul Louveau 260 pts 3 Franck Lavergne 230 pts

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LÃ&#x2030;ONIE CLAUDE WINS A COVETED TITLE

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FRENCH WOMEN'S CHAMP. LAVILLEDIEU

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

FFSA

LOCATION

Lavilledieu, France - 1300 m

DATE 11th-13th May, 2018

ENTRIES 28 drivers - 1 category • 1st FFSA Karting event of 2018 • National category • Rotax Junior engine • Bridgestone tyres • Quality field • Young drivers take power • Interesting and spectacular circuit • Cold and rainy weather on Sunday

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LÉONIE CLAUDE

TAKES A GOOD REVENGE

ice-Champion last year on her home track, Léonie Claude (Tony Kart) did not want to miss out on the 2018 title. However it was not easy for her, as she was disqualified from Qualifying for a carburettor mistake after she set the fastest time. Sasha Dury (CRG) recovered pole position, but Lydie Valichon (FA Kart) won at the end of the heats against Charlotte Morelli (Kosmic) and Ophélie Boissy (OTK). Starting in 5th position, Léonie won the Prefinal ahead of Lena Buhler (Redspeed) and Zoe Knebler (Birel ART) while cold rain changed the scene. Léonie won a well-deserved crown by dominating the Final by almost 10 seconds. Behind her, there was no lack of twists. Lena and Zoe disappeared for the finish and Lola Lovinfosse (Sodi) emerged from the pack in 2nd position, followed by Doriane Pin (Kosmic), two very young drivers. Lydie was 4th in front of Luna Saint Pierre (Exprit). Ranking of the French Women's Championship 1 2 3 4 5

Léonie Claude Lola Lovinfosse Doriane Pin Lydie Valichon Luna Saint Pierre

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DORIANE PIN, A WOMAN ON THE RISE The revelation of the French Junior Championship in 2017 for her speed and sense of attack, Doriane Pin, from Saint Fargeau Ponthierry (77), continues her rise in a second season with the FFSA Academy this year. What progress has been made by this girl in her two years out of the category Minime! At the age of 14, she now has access to the senior categories so participated in the Women's Championship at Lavilledieu on May 12th and 13th. Both consistent and very powerful in all conditions, it was not quite enough to win the title ...

etting on the podium of her first French Women’s Championship is not something everyone does, especially as the victory would have rewarded a faultless performance from start to finish. The race decided otherwise, but it would take more than that to discourage this young driver with a strong character. From Timed Qualifying onwards, Doriane showed her ambitions by posting the 2nd fastest time at the wheel of her Kosmic / Rotax in the National category.

"It's not the same as in the Junior Championship," she said. "But I quickly found my bearings with the formidable Rotax engine provided by MSR's Fabrice

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Minet. Things started well in the Qualifying Heats with a first win in the dry. Spectacular and very technical, the layout of Lavilledieu was immediately pleasing. I was about to win the second heat when I was hit on the last lap. This delayed me despite my win in the third heat and I was only 4th on Saturday night. " It must be said that the battle was intense in the women's race, which included many very experienced drivers. The rain that fell on Lavilledieu for the Finals did not dampen Doriane's enthusiasm. While several rivals went off on the wet track, Doriane first secured a 5th place in the Prefinal, then managed to return to the top three of the Final after an epic fight in the final laps.

"The race was difficult, but interesting. I absolutely had to move up when the gaps with the lead were widening. I attacked from beginning to end with no other concern than to stay on the track. I took my chance when my opponents challenged me

and I'm not unhappy that I managed to finish 3rd. Things could have been different if I had been able to go ahead without the incident of the second heat, but I remain satisfied with my overall performance." Race after race Doriane confirms her progression among the best national drivers, girls and boys combined. Her short-term goal is the French Junior Championship where she will do everything to show her true talent in the two remaining events. Doriane will also continue her physical and mental preparation at 321 PERFORM in Font Romeu with the invaluable assistance of Xavier FeuillĂŠ, director of the centre, and all of his professional team. Doriane also thanks ASK Rosny 93, the Karting League Ile de France, the Kartagene Association, Fun and Race, Alfano-Chrono.com, Pakelo France, the private sponsors who support her, her mechanic Florian and the whole family and friends who came to support her this weekend in Lavilledieu.

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THESHINE GIRLS OF CKB AT LAVILLEDIEU a victim of repeated incidents. In the third heat, she was sent back to the back of the pack on the third lap and then received a spoiler penalty. It is difficult to imagine a more unfavourable start to a meeting. Ranked 28th and last on Saturday night, Chloe reversed the trend with a lot of courage on a soggy track on Sunday. She made up no less than 11 places in 14 laps in the Prefinal and continued her march forward in the Final by reaching 10th in the competition, a gain of nine positions.

Friends in life and on the track, last weekend Léonie Claude and Chloé Cannard competed in the French Women's Championship at Lavilledieu under the colours of the Karting Circuit of Besançon, CKB. They both had their share of setbacks before moving up in the Final stages raced in cold and persistent rain. While Léonie flew to the title, Chloe erased her disappointments on Saturday by finally joining the top 10 with great perseverance.

ark bad luck hit Chloé Cannard during the Qualifying Heats. After setting the 17th time, she did not complete a single lap in the first two heats,

Léonie Claude also started the meeting with a big problem: a carburettor problem worthy of being disqualified from Qualifying Practice when she had achieved the fastest time. She started a tremendous comeback from 28th in each heat. By gaining more than 20 places in each race, she attracted the enthusiasm of observers and was 5th on Saturday night. Determined in the rain on Sunday as well as in the dry the day before, Léonie pulled off the victory in the Prefinal and dominated the Final to win by more than 9 seconds to take the French Championship that had escaped last year.

"It was not easy, but I'm happy to finally reach my goal!” Leonie commented. "The races were sometimes hectic on a circuit as difficult as it is interesting. I'm very happy that Chloe managed to finish in the top 10."

CKBESANCON.COM

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EXCELLENT ST FOR THE NEW FEDERAL

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TART L CATEGORIES

SENIOR FRENCH CUP MASTER & GENTLEMAN LAVILLEDIEU

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

FFSA

LOCATION

Lavilledieu, France - 1300 m

DATE 11th-13th May, 2018

ENTRIES 137 drivers - 3 categories • 1st FFSA Karting event of 2018 • New federal Senior, Master and Gentleman categories • IAME X30 engine • Komet tyres • More entries than previously • Highly contested races • Many spoiler penalties • Interesting and spectacular circuit • Cold and rainy weather on Sunday

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BOUVIER

INTRACTABLE IN THE RAIN ON HIS GROUND SENIOR

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Luca Midali (Sodi) opened the hostilities with the fastest time, then David Leguem (Exprit) dominated the heats ahead of Romain Bonetto (Tony Kart) and Hugo Arnaud (Sodi). Several fast drivers missed their qualification like Joel Deptuch (Tony Kart), Charles Lacaze (Top Kart) and Arnaud Malizia

(Sodi). In the rain on Sunday, Arnaud retained the advantage in the Prefinal against Sylver Garcia (Redspeed) and Yann Bouvier (Sodi). Bouvier quickly took control of the final and the top 5 was frozen from the 7th lap. Bouvier won the 5 'Cup ahead of Garcia, then Arnaud followed by Midali who had taken seven places. Bonetto fell twice in the fight to finish 23rd, Leguem finished 25th with a spoiler penalty.

Ranking of the Senior French Cup 1 2 3 4 5

Yann Bouvier Sylver Garcia Hugo Arnaud Luca Midali Nicolas Ville

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MASTER

JULLIEN

AHEAD OF COUTURIER

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f the drivers aged 30 and older, the poleman Adrian Lafille (Tony Kart) lost out in his last heat and Alexis Couturier (Tony Kart) took the lead on Saturday night against Eric Chapon (Exprit). Erwan Jullien (Alpha) climbed to 2nd place in the Prefinal in the rain ahead of David Chenillot (Kosmic) while Couturier took an indisputable victory. The first two faced off at the start of the Final before Jullien finally took the lead and won the race far ahead of Couturier. Lafille was fighting to take 3rd place against Guillaume Berteaux (Kosmic) and Julien Poncelet (Top Kart).

Ranking of the French Cup in Master 1 2 3 4 5

Erwan Jullien Alexis Couturier Adrian Lafille Guillaume Berteaux Julien Poncelet

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GENTLEMAN

ROUXEL

BRINGS OUT THE BIG GAME IN THE FINAL

illy Runget (Exprit) dominated the start of the meeting for drivers 45 years and over with his pole position and his three race wins. Yannick Le Moing (Kosmic) and Christophe Adams (Sodi) were his closest pursuers. Things changed with the arrival of the rain and Adams won an eventful Prefinal in front of Frédéric Langlet (Top Kart) and Frédéric Ostier (Tecno). But Franck Rouxel (Sodi) settled at the top of the Final and won despite Adams' return. Runget moved up from 10th to finish at the foot of the podium, with Ostier having to settle for 9th place. Ranking of the Coupe de France Gentleman 1 2 3 4 5

Franck Rouxel Christophe Adams Frédéric Langlet Willy Runget Lucky Pion

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SCOTTISH MEETING MSA BRITISH CADET KART CHAMPIONSHIP

reddie Slater took pole but with nothing to choose between himself, Arvid Lindblad and Maxwell Dodds. Lindblad won both heats though with Slater 2nd and Dodds 3rd both times. From pole Lindblad led all of Final 1 with Dodds increasingly pressing, and in fact fastest, but not quite able to pull ahead. Slater had been 3rd but dropped back after a clash on lap 5, leaving 3rd to William MacIntyre, 3s behind. It was the same story for the top two in Final 2 but Slater came through the field after a brilliant start to finish 3rd, while reeling Dodds in. With three rounds already completed, Lindblad is five points ahead of Slater and 11 points ahead of Dodds in the Championship.

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TUTO SUPER ONE SERIES ROUND 3, LARKHALL

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

Super One Series

LOCATION

Larkhall, Scotland - 1150 m

DATE 12th - 13th May 2018

ENTRIES 9 categories

152

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MSA X30 JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

ewis Gilbert staked his claim in Qualifying with pole, but Nelson King and Alessandro Ceronetti were on virtually the same pace 0.01s behind. Gilbert won both heats with Lewis Thompson following both times. Gilbert was the early leader of Final 1 after starting on pole but Ceronetti reeled him in and went on to win. Dragan Pinsent worked his way through the chasing pack to finish 3rd, very close to Gilbert, while Clayton Ravenscroft was fastest and also gained several places. Final 2 opened with a duel between Ceronetti and Pinsent before Ravenscroft and Teddy Pritchard-Williams made their presence felt, with the win eventually going to Pinsent. Caden McQueen gained nine places to finish 4th, and Ravenscroft was again fastest. Following his excellent first two rounds, Ravenscroft leads the Championship by 21 points from Pinsent.

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MSA X30 SENIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

ewis Malin took pole in another very close Qualifying session, 0.01s ahead of Oliver Hodgson, and all of the top eight within a tenth. Malin and Morgan Porter took a heat win each while Hodgson came in 2nd twice. Porter and Malin battled for the opening stages of Final 1 before Malin dropped back, allowing Hodgson to swoop in and take the win ahead of Levi King and Sean Butcher. Hodgson led all the way in Final 2 but was disqualified for technical non-compliance. Bradley Pennell was 2nd until four laps from the end where he was passed by Porter and King, with Porter inheriting the race win. Porter now leads the points standings 19 points ahead of Joe Turney, with Thomas Turner 3rd.

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EARLY SEA IN THE HE

AT LA CHÃ&#x201A;T

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ASON EAT

TRE

FRENCH LONG CIRCUIT CHAMP. 1/3 – LA CHÂTRE

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

FFSA

LOCATION

La Châtre, France – 1100 m

DATE 19th-20th May, 2018

ENTRIES 38 drivers - 3 categories • 1st round of the French Long Circuit Championship • 1st for the circuit of La Chatre • Short but appreciated course • LeCont tyres • Limited entries • Fine weather

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KZ2

NATIONAL

FIRST VICTORY FOR

GABIN LEUILLET

abin Leuillet (Sodi / TM) set fastest time and was the winner of the heats so started from pole in the Prefinal, but it was Nelson Bondier (Tony Kart / TM) who grabbed the lead. Nicolas Picot's engine (Tony Kart / TM) seized at the end of the race and Leuillet won against Bondier. The duel between the two men was tighter in the Final and allowed Picot to return. Leuillet took a new victory in front of Bondier, Picot finished 3rd ahead of Florian Kuntzmann (Rosso Korsa / Vortex). Provisional ranking of the French Long Circuit KZ2 Championship after La Chatre 1 2 3 4 5

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Gabin Leuillet Nelson Bondier Florian Kuntzmann Nicolas Picot Romain Couedic

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FINISHES STRONGLY

or the drivers aged 30 and over, the poleman GrĂŠgory Guilvert (Birel ART / TM) gave way in the Prefinal against Yannick Savard (Top Kart / TM) who went came from the rear of the grid taking advantage of less used tyres while Vincent Fontenille (CRG / TM) crashed with Jean-Philippe Ligier (Birel ART / TM) early in the race. Savard repeated his performance in the Final by winning once again in front of Guilvert. Thomas Bailly (Sodi / TM) took 3rd place while Fontenille retired again. Provisional ranking of the French Long Circuit KZ2 Master Championship after La Chatre 1 2 3 4 5

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Yannick Savard Gregory Guilvert Thomas Bailly Mathieu Legout Henry Daniel

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KZ2 MASTER

NATIONAL

SAVARD

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IN THE FINAL STAGES

enoit Portmann (BirelART / TM) set the fastest time of the 45 years and over class, as well as three race wins ahead of Emmauel Galichon (BirelART / TM) and Franck Savouret (KR / TM). Having saved his tyres with a reduced programme on Saturday, Brice Pianet (RK / TM) was back in the Prefinal on Sunday ahead of Galichon and Damien Vallar (BirelART / TM). Pianet won again in the Final, but Portmann was 2nd in front of Frédéric Feix (RK / Parilla), who set the fastest lap. Provisional ranking of the French Long Circuit KZ2 Gentleman Championship after La Chatre 1 2 3 4 5

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Brice Pianet Benoit Portmann Emmanuel Galichon Frédéric Feix Christophe Grenier

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KZ2 GENTLEMAN

NATIONAL

RETURN OF

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COLLET

AT THE TOP IN THE STREETS OF PAU

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FRENCH F4 CHAMP. 2/7, PAU

KEY POINTS ORGANISER

FFSA Academy

LOCATION

Pau Grand Prix Circuit, France - 2760 m

DATE 11th - 13th May 2018

ENTRIES 14 drivers - 1 category • FFSA Academy Championship • New F4 Mygale to FIA standards • Variable weather with thunderstorms • Three races during the weekend • Two wins for Collet, one for Eteki • Collet takes the lead in the Championship

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By setting the two fastest times of Qualifying, Caio Collet took a good advantage for Races 1 and 3, on the streets of Pau. The Brazilian remained as expected at the front of the first race, despite the return of Arthur Leclerc who did not take any risks to overtake the leader. Ugo De Wilde was delighted to climb on the third step of the podium, while Esteban Muth finished 4th ahead of Pierre-Louis Chovet.

dam Eteki took advantage of the reverse grid in Race 2 to get a good win in the rain against Reshad De Gerus. Ulysse De Pauw faced Theo Pourchaire for 3rd place while Stuart White took 5th position. A heavy shower interrupted Race 3 prematurely on Sunday morning and half the points were awarded. Caio Collet managed to stay on the track in 1st place against Ugo De Wilde and Esteban Muth. Pierre-Louis Chovet was ahead of Stuart White in the top five.

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SHIHAB AL HABSI A REWARDING EXPERIENCE IN PAU The Pau Grand Prix is ??one of the oldest and most emblematic races of international motorsport. In 2018, it celebrated its 77th edition and the drivers in the French F4 Championship have again had the chance to race on this street circuit, which is reminiscent of Monaco or Macao. For Shihab Al Habsi, it was a real discovery. "Driving a few inches from the rails is not easy, it requires great self-confidence."

he young Omani driver failed to exploit the potential of his car in the Qualifying session as he wished and he had to settle for 14th place. On the advice of his coach Stéphane Daoudi, Shihab Al Habsi was then aiming to complete a wise race and take advantage of the skirmishes to join the top 10, but he was not counting on the standard of the drivers which is undoubtedly the highest since the creation of the French F4 Championship.cFor the first time, no clash disrupted the first race of the meeting and Shihab's ambitions to enter the top 10 seemed compromised.

up and managed to gain two places in Race 2 on a wet track. "I had never raced in an F4 competition on wet tyres before and I first tried not to make mistakes before improving my lap times." On Sunday for Race 3, the driver from Oman was much more comfortable. Alas, the rain started to fall after a few laps, resulting in the interruption of a red flag. "Too bad the rain stopped the race because I was coming back to my opponents, I had a good set up and I felt confident. I finished 12th again, but this time 3rd in the Junior rankings. I am now looking forward to the next race." It will be at the beginning of June in Belgium at the Spa Francorchamps circuit, where Shihab Al Habsi intends to regain a place in the top 10.

"It is very difficult to overtake on a track like this. In Race 1, I put pressure on the driver ahead of me, but without being able to gain ascendancy. I could only keep my 14th position." Shihab Al Habsi did not give

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COLLET TWO BRILLIANT VICTORIES

FOR WINFIELD VOLANT WINNER

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Discovered during the 2018 Winfield Volant, Caio Collet's talent has more than ever been confirmed on the streets of Pau. At the second round of the French F4 Championship, the Brazilian completed a fantastic weekend, taking pole position and winning two of the three races at the meeting.

or a young driver, winning on this legendary and difficult circuit in the heart of the city of Pau is the mark of a great champion. The performance from Caio Collet shows that he is in the tradition of the previous winners of the Winfield Volant. "I loved the track, where you're moving at a high speed close to the railings," said Caio after the finish. "I had a good feeling from the first day, and I gained momentum as the Qualifying session progressed, and the two really good laps I did allowed me to start in pole position in Races 1 and 3. In these, I managed my starts well each time and I remained very focused on not making mistakes, while maintaining a fast pace.These two vic-

tories were important, because they allowed me to take the lead of the Championship. Race 2, based on the reverse grid principle, was harder because of the rain, so starting from 10th place I could do no better than 8th." At Pau to supervise their drivers, Cyrille Sauvage, qualified race instructor, and Laurent Sauriat, an expert in mental preparation from the Winfield Racing School team, welcomed the very incisive race by Stuart White, which could have been even better if he had not been the victim of a mechanical problem during Qualifying. Nevertheless, the South African has released maximum attack and consistently gained places on a circuit where overtaking is agreed to be difficult. Finishing 6th, then twice 5th in the three races, he was one of the best performers of the meeting. "I really want to thank Winfield for all the support provided since the beginning of the season," commented Stuart.

WINFIELDRACINGSCHOOL.COM

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SPEED AND FRUSTRATION ON THE STREETS OF PAU FOR

THÉO POURCHAIRE Theo Pourchaire continues his education in car racing with application, talent and determination within the 2018 French F4 Championship. Ascension weekend marked one of the most complex stages of the season, with the Grand Prix of Pau contested on an urban layout in the heart of the city of King Henry IV. Despite a difficult Qualifying session, the young motorsport hopeful found good pace in each race to score important points in the championship. He took the opportunity to establish his dominance in Junior after this second meeting of the season.

he preparation work carried out throughout the winter to tackle Théo Pourchaire's single-seater debut in the best conditions continues to bear fruit. "The Pau circuit requires a lot of concentration, confidence and therefore a strong mind. I worked in this direction to progress even faster and optimise my performance," confessed the driver from Grasse.

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SMALL MISTAKE, BIG CONSEQUENCE

On Friday, the Qualifying session would not bring him the expected result. Theo probably paid the price for his minor mistake in the morning free practice, where he could not get enough track time so therefore did not collect enough information to optimise the settings of his car before Qualifying. "I wanted to attack too quickly, when the new brake pads were not yet well honed. In Pau, the rails are really close to the racing lines and I hit one when braking." In Qualifying in the afternoon, the penalty was immediate: Theo Pourchaire could do no better than 6th. This was to be his place on the starting grid of Races 1 and 3, his position in the second being determined by the reverse order of the classification of Race 1. In the first race under beautiful sunshine, the pack rushed into the famous station curve, where Theo found himself slightly stuck, without being able to prevent his direct pursuer from passing. Despite some attempts to get the better of Stuart White, he had to settle for 7th place. Overtaking on a street circuit is never easy and this was confirmed for Theo in Race 2, this time on a wet track, on wet tyres. 4th on the first lap, he constant-

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ly attacked his rival to try to take the podium. "The track was even more slippery as soon as we left the line. Ulysse De Pauw protected his place well and I could not find the opening."

THEO STOPPED IN HIS TRACKS

Race 3 was even more frustrating on a partially wet track. "At first, I was not on the most grippy part and White took the opportunity again to pass me. From the first lap, I felt that I was really much faster than the group of drivers in front of me. Alas, a few raindrops fell and the race management made the decision, probably too quickly, to raise the red flag. It is a pity not to have the safety car out for a few laps because of the rain. The race lasted only 6 laps and I did not have time to improve my 7th place." For Theo, the frustration is great. A return to the top five, or even a podium, was possible. In addition, only half of the points were awarded due to the short distance covered. On two occasions, ThĂŠo Pourchaire was able to take the podium as the best Junior. A strong leader in this category, he will be keen to improve his position in the general classification during the third F4 event of 2018, which will take place on 1st, 2nd and 3rd June in Belgium at Spa-Francorchamps.

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CHARLES

SAVOURS THE CHAMPA

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o DPPI - Renault Sport

S MILESI

AGNE AT SILVERSTONE

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After inheriting pole position in the morning, Frenchman Charles Milesi (R-ace GP) controlled the second Formula Renault Eurocup race at Silverstone to take his first win in the category. The Frenchman beat Logan Sargeant (R-ace GP) for the third double for R-ace GP of the season. Again 3rd, Yifei Ye of China (Josef Kaufmann Racing) takes the lead at the top of the overall standings by ten points before the Monaco event.

A DISPUTED POLE

In the first group, Charles Milesi clocked a lap of 1'56''358 to beat Yifei Ye and Oscar Piastri (Arden Motorsport). In the other session, Christian Lundgaard (MP Motorsport) and Logan Sargeant duelled before a red flag caused by Neil Verhagen (Tech 1 Racing). On the restart, Lorenzo Colombo (JD Motorsport) came out ahead before his time was cancelled for not staying within the limits of the track. Christian Lundgaard then scored pole with 1'56''147, but the Dane was penalised three places for his responsibility in a crash in Race 1. Charles Milesi thus inherited the first position on the grid in front of his teammate Logan Sargeant.

MILESI CONFIRMS

t the start, Charles Milesi controlled the chasing group of Logan Sargeant, Yifei Ye, Christian Lundgaard, Max Defourny (MP Motorsport) and Oscar Piastri (Arden Motorsport). The first lap was marked by the clash involving Frank Bird (Tech 1 Racing), Thomas Maxwell (JD Motorsport) and two drivers of the Renault Sport Academy: Arthur Rougier (Fortec Motorsports) and Max Fewtrell (R-ace GP).

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In the lead, Charles Milesi patiently built his gap and responded every time Logan Sargeant tried to regain ground. The positions changed more in the pack. On lap 10, Max Defourny and Oscar Piastri took the lead over Christian Lundgaard. Two laps later, Lorenzo Colombo and Raúl Guzmán (Fortec Motorsports) dislodged Richard Verschoor (Josef Kaufmann Racing) and Alexander Vartanyan (Arden Motorsport) in the top ten. Never concerned, Charles Milesi sealed his first victory in front of his teammate Logan Sargeant and Yifei Ye. Initially 4th, Max Defourny was penalised by 25 seconds for not slowing down under the yellow flag. Oscar Piastri and Christian Lundgaard completed the top five ahead of Victor Martins (R-ace GP), who passed Alexander Smolyar (Tech 1 Racing) three laps from the chequered flag. Lorenzo Colombo, Raúl Guzman and Alexander Vartanyan were the other drivers to enter the points.

THEY SAID: CHARLES MILESI (R-ACE GP):

"It's good to win! The first two races had been a bit complicated, but I felt more comfortable driving and in the pits as early as Thursday's practice. I tried to focus on my driving more than on the data. This paid off in Qualifying. I managed to put everything together on my last lap and there was nothing left to do but get off to a good start. It's good for confidence before going to Monaco, a circuit where it will be important not to be too conservative to find the right pace."

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LOGAN SARGEANT (R-ACE GP):

"Since we all had a similar start, there was not much opportunity to overtake early in the race. I lost some ground halfway before coming back in the final laps. We need to analyse and understand why, but I welcome this new double for the team. This weekend, I scores a lot of points and I will try to do my best to fight for victory again in Monaco."

YIFEI YE (JOSEF KAUFMANN RACING):

"Like yesterday, Qualifying started off pretty well, but I was beaten at the very last moment. It was a little frustrating, but it could be worse! I had a good start and tried to follow Charles and Logan. Alas, the closer we got, the more we lost support in the front. I raised the pace at the

end of the race hoping for a mistake, but I finally decided to make sure of the points. This is the best result we can get, but I cannot wait to get to Monaco. I am confident before approaching this meeting, as the team has good references with the pole for Sacha Fenestraz last year."

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FIRST EUROCUP VICTORY FOR

CHARLES MILESI As a springboard for all young drivers aiming for motorsport careers, the 2018 Formula Renault Eurocup celebrated the very first success for Charles Milesi. Demonstrating real progress and a good fighting spirit, the French R-ace GP team had the honour of achieving pole position in one of the two races and winning at the legendary Silverstone circuit by taking the first French victory of the season in Eurocup. Charles is back in the fight for the championship, as well as in the ranking of the top rookies.

n Pentecost weekend, Charles Milesi had the difficult task of learning the Silverstone circuit, during the third round of the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2018. Despite this, he joined the top five during Free Practice, reducing clearly the gap to the fastest in the second session. Qualifying confirmed his potential, with the third fastest time of his group. "Charles did a good job of development, both with the team's technicians and on the track," commented Julien Abelli of Simumotion, the organisation that closely follows Charles Milesi’s career.

FIRST RACE WITHOUT CHANGE Forced to start from 7th place instead of 5th in Race 1, because of a penalty received in the previous event at Monza, Charles maintained a solid performance, but could not gain positions. "The standard is very high this year in Eurocup," continued Julien Abelli. "No one made a mistake and overtaking proved impossible because of the small time differences between each driver. In fact, the top eight finishing order was exactly the same as it was at the start!"

A ROOKIE ON THE TOP STEP As it was since the beginning of the meeting, the weather was still sunny on Sunday at Silverstone, as well as the morale of the driver at Thibaut De Merindol’s R-ace GP team. In the second Qualifying session, Charles Milesi achieved a magnificent performance by taking pole position for Race 2. "I really focused on my driving, trying to make a perfect lap and it paid off. Overtaking was not very common during Race 1, so it was important this time to start from the front row," confessed Charles.

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AUTO At the wheel of his 210-horsepower car, the 17-year-old rookie made a perfect start and was already a second ahead of the pack at the end of the first lap. Faster than his pursuers, including his team-mates at the R-ace GP team, he won masterfully after more than 30 minutes of racing, with a solid lead of two seconds.

"It's great to win at the third meeting of the season. I felt really comfortable in the car and managed to keep up the pace!" Disappointed at not having scored more points at Paul Ricard and Monza, Charles Milesi rebalanced his score by climbing to 7th overall and 5th rookie. "This is an important victory for me just before Monaco's prestigious event. The circuit is radically different, it's a new challenge that will not be easy, but I'll try to stay on this positive spiral.â&#x20AC;?

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PFI EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP - FINALE OK-JUNIOR

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PFI EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP - FINALE OK

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FFSA TV - CLIP LAVILLEDIEU

O E D I V Y VIDEO

MATTIAS EKSTRÃ&#x2013;M'S "TRY NOT TO DIE" CAMP AVEC ENERGY CORSE

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