KARTCOM News #61 ( english version ) by KARTCOM News

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O N L I N E

K A R T I N G

M A G A Z I N E

WORLD VICTORY FOR JÉRÉMY IGLESIAS

61 CUNATI AND ZILISCH CROWNED AT LONATO EUROPEAN OK CHAMPION HOW FAR WILL ANTONELLI GO? UGOCHUKWU THE TOP EUROPEAN JUNIOR

#61 SUMMARY 025 KSP GRAND 029 REPORT

004 EDITORIAL 005 NEWS Wackersdorf - Leclerc and Verstappen duel in KF2 in 2012 Bridgestone announces end of kart tyre supply in 2022 Long-standing chassis partners and a newcomer for the RMC Grand Finals in Portugal

Wackersdorf - Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy

The 31st Trofeo Andrea Margutti will take place at Castelletto from 13th to 15th November.

Wackersdorf - FIA Karting - European Championship

New direction for French Karting

Lonato - WSK Euro Series 3/3

The major role of ASNs in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy

Castelletto - IAME Euro Series

Lonato - WSK Euro Series 2/3

Wackersdorf - DKM Lonato - FIA Karting - World Karting Championship

039

NEWS NICOLAS DESCHAUX RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE FFSA

029 1

037 INTERNATIONAL

Nicolas Deschaux re-elected President of the FFSA

021 2020 CALENDAR

013

Young Australian Barter wins the 2020 Richard Mille Young Talent Academy

KARTCOM NEWS #61

REPORT YOUNG AUSTRALIAN BARTER WINS THE 2020 RICHARD MILLE YOUNG TALENT ACADEMY

INTERNA WACKER EUROPE

Lonato - FIA Karting - International Super Cup

Victor Bernier wins with panache in F4 at Hockenheim

Lonato - FIA Karting - Academy Trophy

Zandvoort - FFSA Academy - French F4 Championship

Mariembourg - IAME Euro Series

Le Castellet - FFSA Academy - French F4 Championship

157 NATIONAL

251 VIDEO

Salbris - NSK Haute Saintonge - FFSA French Long Circuit Championship Anneville - FFSA French Endurance Championship Septfontaine - FFSA French Championship Laval - FFSA French Championship

FIA Karting European Championship KZ/KZ2/Academy Round 2 Genk Highlights FIA Karting European Championship â&#x20AC;&#x201C; OK & OK-Junior Wackersdorf FIA Karting European Championship 2020 Junior/OK Wackersdorf Germany Highlight FIA Karting World Championship Lonato Italy Highlight

215 AUTO Magny-Cours - FFSA Academy - French F4 Championship

199

ATIONAL RSDORF - FIA KARTING EAN CHAMPIONSHIP

117

INTERNATIONAL LAVAL - FFSA FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP

INTERNATIONAL LONATO - FIA KARTING WORLD KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP

EDITORIAL

NOTHING IS EVER A LOST CAUSE Several examples remind us these days that the future is made up of what we put into it day after day, and that unfavourable circumstances are not always a certainty that we have to live with. The greatest successes, the moments that make us feel alive, are created by those who do not resign themselves to suffering, by courageous human beings resisting adversity, determined to bring quality into their actions at all costs. This is where the beauty of life in general, and karting and motor racing in particular, lies.

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he major sporting event of the last few weeks is of course the victory of Jeremy Iglesias in the KZ World Championship. Many must have thought before this race in Lonato that the 33 year old Frenchman was certainly a good driver, but that he had let his chance go by. Twice runnerup in the World Cup in 2009 and 2010, three times European Vice-Champion in 2009, 2010 and 2018, not to mention the missed opportunity of the 2017 World Championship at Wackersdorf and many other unrecognised performances, Iglesias was probably too “nice” to have the makings of a great champion. But Jeremy never gave up, nor did he ever change his approach to racing to become more aggressive as some people encouraged him to do. His world title, which he won on Sunday, 4th October, 2020, Jérémy owes only to himself, to his talent, his determination,

his work and his perseverance. Without minimising the importance of his team, in Lonato he did not just win a perfect race, he also contributed decisively to the performance of his machine and it is there that the great champions are distinguished. The unanimous recognition of the sporting world, the congratulations of his peers and the joy that his victory has provoked are among the most important things that make one passionate about this sport, which conveys first-class human values. Jérémy counterbalanced to a certain extent the deplorable events that unfortunately interrupted this beautiful World Championship and this is what we must remember.

efforts, solidarity, empathy, can all change the situation. Until now, karting has been able to face this complex situation by taking the necessary measures to survive. Everyone shares the constraints, but it works and must continue to do so. At the same time, things are moving in some countries. In France, for example, the FFSA has decided to deal with the growing difficulties encountered by kart racing over the last few years and to take courageous measures to make it easier for more people to participate in karting next year. The future will tell us if it is a good idea, but we know that nothing is ever a lost cause.

The 2020 season will remain a unique year because of a virus capable of stopping the whole world. Here again, fatality is not the only consequence of a disease that has reminded us that we all have a role to play with regard to humanity. Everyone’s

+ KARTCOM NEWS #61

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ADMINISTRATION

ART DEPARTMENT

REPORTS & PRESS RELEASES

Philippe Kalmès Frédéric Billet Vitor Lopes

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Mary-Ann Horley Cristina Kalmès, Annie Dujols FFSA Press Department • FIA Karting • Kartcom • Renault Sport

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FIA KARTING AWARDS

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STARS & AWARDS 2012

KSP Photo Agency ( Guillaume Veuve, KSP Agency chosen as FIA Karting Vitor Lopes & Philippe Kalmès ) • “BEST PHOTOGRAPH” in 2007 • DPPI • Renault Sport • Kart!im 2008 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2015 • 2017 • 2018 and 2019 VIDEO

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A N Y T O T A L O R P A R T I A L R E P R O D U C T I O N I S S T R I C T LY F O R B I D D E N W I T H O U T P R I O R A U T H O R I S A T I O N F R O M K S P R E P O R T A G E S .

NEWS

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

WACKERSDORF LECLERC AND VERSTAPPEN KF2 DUEL IN 2012

It has been eight years since the international categories without gearboxes were last seen at the European Championship in Wackersdorf. In 2012, at the first round of the CIK-FIA KF2 European Championship, Max Verstappen (Intrepid/TM/Vega) won his 6 qualifying heats, with Charles Leclerc (ART GP/Parilla/Vega) following him in 2nd position. The Monegasque won race 1 under the rain, after the Dutchman having spined alone in the lead.

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LECLERC DOESNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T MISS THE BOAT IN RACE 1 Verstappen took over in race 2, with slick tyres on a slippery track, and he triumphed far ahead of Ben Barnicoat (ART GP/Parilla/Vega). Anthoine Hubert (Formula K/TM/ Vega) moved up 17 places to 4th position. Leclerc finished 8th.

NEWS

FAULTLESS FOR VERSTAPPEN IN RACE 2 At the end of the season, Barnicoat was crowned European KF2 Champion after the PFI meeting. As Verstappen had lost his appeal against a penalty in one heat, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t score any points in Great-Britain despite his track victory in race 1 and his 3rd place in race 2. In race 2, Leclerc climbed from the back of the grid to 7th position and became vice-European champion.

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NEWS

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet

BRIDGESTONE ANNOUNCES DISCONTINUATION OF KART TIRE SUPPLY IN 2022

The German press release website EIN Presswire relayed a communication from Bridgestone on 25 September 2020.

THE SUPPLY OF KART TIRES WILL BE DISCONTINUED ON DECEMBER 31, 2022.

his decision reflects careful examination of the company’s portfolio and resources. Bridgestone will continue its longstanding, passionate participation in motorsports. Bridgestone Corporation today announced that it plans to discontinue supply of kart tires* effective December 31, 2022. Since 1977, Bridgestone has continued to develop, manufacture, and supply kart tires for domestic and overseas markets. In Japan, we have supplied kart tires accredited by the Japan Automobile Federation. Overseas, our kart tires have been homologated by Commission Internationale de Karting, an organization under the umbrella of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile. These tires

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have been used to support the aspirations of kart racers of all types, from hobby to serious racers pursuing new heights in their sport. The decision to discontinue kart tire supply was made through a careful examination of the company’s portfolio and resource allocation to reflect operating environment changes consistent with the Group’s MidLong Term Business Strategy. However, Bridgestone will be fully responsible for the supply of kart tires until December 31,

2022, at which time outstanding supply contracts with customers are scheduled to conclude. We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the many customers and kart racing staff who have used our tires in their racing pursuits. Bridgestone will continue its passionate participation in motorsports as a company and we hope that our customers will continue to support Bridgestone’s motorsports activities.

RECOMMANDATIONS SANITAIRES RECOMMANDATIONS SANITAIRES SPORT AUTO & KARTING SPORT AUTO & KARTING

Dans le cadre de la pratique du sport automobile et du karting post état Dans le cadre de la pratique du sport automobile et du karting post état d’urgence sanitaire, il est préconisé le respect des gestes barrières suivants, d’urgence sanitaire, il est sanitaire préconisé le respect des gestes barrières suivants, qui complètent la doctrine définie par les autorités compétentes. qui complètent la doctrine sanitaire déﬁnie par les autorités compétentes.

POUR TOUTES LES ACTIVITÉS À PARTIR DU 20 JUILLET 2020 METTRE À DISPOSITION DU GEL HYDROALCOOLIQUE ET VEILLER AU PORT DU MASQUE

SENSIBILISER ET S’ENGAGER À NE PAS PARTICIPER AUX ACTIVITÉS EN CAS DE SYMPTÔMES

• Port du masque obligatoire en lieux clos & semi-clos (parcs, voie des stands...) • En extérieur, celui-ci est recommandé en fonction des mesures prises par les autorités locales.

Tels que fièvre, toux, fatigue inhabituelle, céphalées, et/ou si contacts récents avec une personne contaminée au Covid-19 (suspectée ou confirmée).

RAPPELER LES GESTES BARRIÈRES (ET LES APPLIQUER) • Par affichage ; • Par information préalable des consignes spécifiques (email, site internet, bulletin d’inscription).

PRÉSENCE SPECTATEURS • L’opportunité d’accueillir des spectateurs, ainsi que leur gestion est à définir avec les autorités locales compétentes.

PRIVILÉGIER ET ASSISTER AU BRIEFING DÉMATÉRIALISÉ OU EN EXTÉRIEUR Éventuellement par micro.

RESPECTER LA DISTANCIATION PHYSIQUE • Aménager les locaux, baliser par adhésif ; • Lorsque cela est impossible : prévoir des dispositifs de protections (plexiglas, visière, masque, gants, etc.) ; • Limiter les échanges de documents et les contacts lors des contrôles.

TRAITER DE MANIÈRE ADAPTÉE LES DÉCHETS SOUILLÉS

DÉSINFECTER RÉGULIÈREMENT LES POINTS DE CONTACTS SUSCEPTIBLES DE TRANSMETTRE LE VIRUS • Dans les locaux et dans les véhicules lorsqu’ils sont mis à disposition ; • Les équipements de protection individuelle (EPI) après chaque utilisation.

FILIÈRE COVID-19 HYGIÈNE & ÉQUIPEMENTS • Inciter à venir avec ses équipements personnels et dans la tenue adaptée ; › interdire les prêts et les échanges de matériel. • Maintenir l’accès à des toilettes avec point d’eau pour se laver les mains.

OUVERTURE DES RESTAURANTS ET DES LIEUX DE CONVIVIALITÉ Tout en respectant les normes nationales et locales.

Prévoir un local ou à défaut un véhicule, équipés de masques, gants, blouses, gel hydroalcoolique, permettant d’isoler un éventuel malade : • Exemple : en attente d’une évacuation décidée par le SAMU Centre 15 ou pour éventuellement procéder à un test (PCR).

GÉRER LES FLUX Limiter les effectifs au strict nécessaire (organisation, officiels, accompagnateurs...).

NEWS

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

LONG-TERM CHASSIS PARTNERS AND A NEWCOMER AT THE

RMC GRAND FINALS IN PORTUGAL

BRP-Rotax is pleased to announce the Chassis Partners for the 2020s Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals. The 21st edition of this prestigious yearly karting event has changed date and location due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic and will take place as already announced in Portimão in Portugal, from January 23rd to 30th, 2021.

“W

e are happy to have our long-term chassis partners BirelART, IPKarting (Praga) and Sodikart as well as a newcomer,

Charles Leclerc, on board, support us with their chassis competence”, says Peter General Manager BRP-Rotax

who will and their Oelsinger, and Vice

President Sales, Marketing, RPS-Business & Communications. “As the logistical effort for bringing all the 380 chassis, engines, tools and equipment to the chosen spots in the world is a big challenge every year for the whole organization team, it is essential to have the right partners on your side for a smooth process. Even more so as we will be having 7 classes instead of 6 this year, adding the exciting Rotax Project E20 E-Kart category to this prestigious event.”

THE CHASSIS PARTNERS WILL SUPPORT FOLLOWING CLASSES AT THE RMC GRAND FINALS 2020 : CHARLES LECLERC : g Rotax 125 MAX Mini BIREL ART : g Rotax 125 MAX DD2

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IPKARTING (PRAGA) : g ROTAX 125 MAX MICRO g ET ROTAX 125 MAX g DD2 MASTERS

SODIKART : g Rotax 125 MAX Junior g Rotax 125 MAX Senior g Rotax Project E20

For one week, 380 drivers from about 60 nations are in a truly tough competition. During this week, the drivers take the chance to compete with the best drivers of the world to be on the top of the podium. The Rotax MAX Challenge Grand

Finals offers a fair chance for everyone: all drivers take part with the same equipment, provided by BRP-Rotax and our chassis partners. And this makes this event so special: it is not the material that determines a win or the defeat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; only the

driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skill, nerves and strategy. For more information about Rotax MAX Challenges, please visit our website. www.rotax-kart.com

NEWS

Info FFSA © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

NICOLAS DESCHAUX

RE-ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF THE FFSA Gathered at the French National Olympic and Sports Committee in Paris on Wednesday, 7th October, 2020, the members of the General Assembly of the French Motor Sports Federation (FFSA) elected the FFSA’s Management Committee for the next four years.

he list led by Nicolas DESCHAUX, duly submitted and validated by the Electoral Operations Commission, obtained 702 votes from the General Assembly out of a total of 702 votes present or represented, i.e. 100% of the votes cast. The second list led by Bernard DARNICHE, duly submitted and validated by the Electoral Operations Commission, obtained 0 votes, i.e. 0% of the votes cast. Newly elected, the Steering Committee composed of 24 Members including Jean ALESI and Yvan MULLER, unanimously elected Nicolas DESCHAUX as President of the FFSA.

Nicolas DESCHAUX, President of the FFSA :

“To start with, I would like to thank all the leaders who accompanied me during my previous mandate. Despite the very particular situation due to the coronavirus crisis, their remarkable

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mobilisation and action enabled us to stay the course on many fronts and, in the end, to courageously organise the 2020 racing season. I would like to thank all of the members of the Assembly, Presidents and delegates of the Regional Leagues, who voted for our list very sincerely, and to congratulate the people accompanying me. This new Steering Committee is 100% founded on trust, legitimacy and most importantly responsibility. The crisis we are experiencing is unprecedented and is hitting our sport and our organisations. In the face of this crisis, motor sport has stood firm. All the players have shown solidarity, inventiveness and responsibility. Motor sport is rich and has many assets: its economic weight [more than

€2.3 billion annually according to a study conducted in 2019], its variety of disciplines and events, its network of clubs, the results of drivers at the highest level - such as Sébastien OGIER, Simon PAGENAUD, Sébastien LOEB, Pierre GASLY..., its number of car and karting venues in the regions, its strong amateur ethos, its values which are the search for performance and innovation, confidence and doing ones best and finally the great events such as the French F1 Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Dakar, the Paris E-Prix, the Auto Tour, to name but a few. These strengths should enable us to overcome the current health and economic crisis, which is part of a wider set of environmental, technological and societal changes (reduction of our carbon impact, changes in the way we watch sport, renewal of our officials, increasing female participation, etc.). In this spirit we wanted to define the federal priorities* in addition to the work and actions carried out under the previous mandate.

These priorities aim to make our sport more accessible, sustainable, safe and innovative, and should guide federal policy for the next mandate. Remaining in development consequences challenge for come.”

a spirit of progress and while adapting to the of the crisis is the major our sport in the years to

* FFSA priorities 2020-2024 Members of the FFSA 2020-2024 Steering Committee ALESI Jean BONDURAND Marie CLEMENT Jacques (Secrétaire général) DEMEUZOIS Bernard DESCHAUX Nicolas (Président) DIVIES Caroline DO VALE Joël DURIN Michel EYERMANN Marie-Line GOSSELIN Pierre GUIGNARD Michel LESPIAUCQ Christine MAILLARD Jean-Paul MARTIN Josette MONDESIR Gilles MORISSEAU Patrick MULLER Yvan RAYNAUD Martine REGIS Jacques ROGER Dominique ROGER Jean-Luc TEISSIER Samuel (Trésorier) TOSELLO Rémi VERGNES Michel

NEWS

Info KARTCOM - FrĂŠdĂŠric Billet

31st

ANDREA MARGUTTI TROPHY IN CASTELLETTO ON NOVEMBER 13-15

The 31st Andrea Margutti Trophy, race open to categories Mini, OK Junior, KZ2, Iame X30 Senior and X30 Junior, has been confirmed for November 13-15 and will take place at the International Circuit 7 Laghi of Castelletto di Branduzzo (Pavia).

he impossibility to hold the event at the South Garda Karting Circuit of Lonato due to force majeure following the decision of the Federal Court of the ASN, Parma Motorsport will

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organize the race at the International Circuit 7 Laghi of Castelletto di Branduzzo. The circuit already staged this event from 2009 to 2011.

The website www.trofeomargutti.com will open the entering procedure on Monday, October 19th, for all the drivers that have not already filed their entry.

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NEWS

Info FFSA Karting © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

NEW DIRECTION FOR FRENCH KARTING

The CNK and the FFSA karting department have prepared a new federal action plan for the coming years. Recreating an affordable high national level for the French Championships in the spirit of the FFSA Grand Prix, developing the regional level up to the French Cup Final and refocusing the EFKs on their mission are the main aims from 2021 onwards.

t the instigation of FFSA President Nicolas Deschaux and National Technical Director Christophe Lollier, the CNK and the FFSA karting department have begun an in-depth reflection on the current situation of kart racing in France and its future in the short and medium term. The aim is to propose a clear vision of karting through two paths: on the one hand an ambitious but affordable national high level and on the other hand an accessible and rewarding regional level. This preparation phase, which lasted several months, has led to the launch of several important and closely linked projects concerning the evolution of the federal categories, the sporting schemes and the French Karting Schools. These proposals will be presented for final adoption to

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the FFSA Management Committee.

EVOLUTION OF THE CATEGORIES

MINIME 7 TO 11 YEARS OLD

No change of equipment is on the agenda, but the category will be progressively refocused on a competition accessibility objective. In order to favour the education of the youngest drivers, driving will be concentrated on Saturday and Sunday.

NEW NATIONAL 2* CATEGORY

It is a return to the concept of the former Promo 2 or the original Nationale des Origines with a federal category

that is very accessible for regional competitions. On the current regulatory basis of the National, Nationale 2 is for all drivers from the age of 15 with two minimum weight brackets, 150 kg and 165 kg. Reduction of the budget is a priority with the banning of rain tyres and slick tyres at less than €150 a set not playing a major role in performance. The engines will have to come exclusively from the French importer. This category will be reserved for the regional level and the French Cup Final.

NEW FFSA OK CATEGORY

The objective is to launch a high level category in France while keeping costs under control. For the 2021 French Championship organised over four events, the engines will be supplied by a single brand that will guarantee fairness in addition to the drawing of lots. Both the carburettor and the ignition will be supplied. Engine hire will be included in the entry fee. One set of tyres will be used for practice and another for racing.

SENIOR TAG* AND MASTER TAG*

Two generic categories have been created essentially for regional competitions according to the TaG concept, which brings together engines of different brands with a 125 cc two-stroke cylinder capacity with clutch and electric starter. In France, this mainly concerns the IAME X30 and Rotax Max. These two new categories will race at the French Cup Final. Senior TaG from 14 years old with a minimum weight of 160 kg. Master TaG from 35 years old with a minimum weight of 170 kg.

KZ2

No change of equipment is on the agenda. Abolition of the KZ2 Gentleman category at national level in favour of the KZ2 Master category which will involve drivers from the age of 35. The title of French Champion will be reserved for KZ2, while the Final of the French Cup will involve KZ2 and KZ2 Master. KZ2 Gentleman can be kept at regional level. No changes are on the agenda in Cadet, National, Open, Handikart, Women and FFSA Junior Academy.

paddock starting on Thursday afternoon. The race format will follow a classic pattern with a single Final.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE FRENCH KARTING SCHOOLS

The French Minime, Handikart and Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Championships will be contested over a single meeting, integrated into a FFSA Karting Grand Prix.

For various reasons, the first version of the EFK did not achieve its goal of bringing a maximum number of new licensees into racing. A new committee has been set up to supervise the activity of the EFKs who will be able to present their own project or integrate the EFK one-design Minikart programme. The labelling will be linked to a real commitment to the field.

The French Endurance and Long Circuit Championships will retain their programme of three meetings grouped over two days each.

THE FRENCH CUP

The new French Cup scheme has two phases: regional qualifications (League Championship and/or club races according to the choice of each League) and the French Cup Final. It involves Minime, Cadet, National, National 2, KZ2, KZ2 Master, Senior TaG and Master TaG categories. The French Cup Final will take place at the end of the season, during the All Saints holidays at the start of November, in a festive gathering in parallel with the Regionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cup. 36 drivers will qualify in each category. The Leagues will be able to adapt the scheme by organising their own Cups in the spirit of the French Cup to help revive the club spirit.

The main goal is to broaden access to racing in club races and regional events. A National EFK Meeting will be held every year according to an Academy type scheme.

CALL FOR TENDERS

The FFSA OK engine and FFSA OK, Nationale 2, Senior TaG and Master TaG tyres will be put out to tender very soon. * The names of the new categories are not definitive.

EVOLUTION OF THE SPORTING SCHEMES The French Sprint Championships are destined to once again become the showcase of French karting with a full competition season with four events in Cadet, National, FFSA OK and KZ2. Prior participation in a League Championship is required. FFSA Junior will still be run over five events under the responsibility of the FFSA Academy. The meetings will be concentrated over three days, from Friday to Sunday, with setting up in the

NEWS

Info FIA Karting ÂŠ Photo KSP - Philippe KalmĂ¨s

THE MAJOR ROLE OF ASNS IN THE FIA KARTING

ACADEMY TROPHY Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the FIA Karting Academy Trophy quickly established itself as a cost-effective detection tool for young talents and proven a success both in terms of grid numbers as well producing future stars of motor sport.

he FIA Karting Academy Trophy was created in 2010. This original concept is still relevant today. It is about confronting 51 young talents between 12 and 14 years of age, from all over the world, every year so that the best have the opportunity to be noticed and to pursue their career in Karting or in Motorsport with greater opportunities.

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Through their ASNs, each country can enter its greatest hope in the Academy Trophy. A detection and training operation, this formula offers the maximum guarantee in terms of sporting equality. To begin with, the cost of the three-event season is extremely reasonable, even unbeatable

for an international competition of this level. Chassis, engines and tyres are identical for every participant, who draw lots for their equipment. The engines are exchanged regularly during each event. On the other hand, chassis adjustment is limited and does not require more than one regular mechanic. The CIK-FIA guarantees the smooth running of the events which take place on renowned circuits at the same time as other FIA Karting Championships, where the Academy Trophy shares the attention and media coverage.

Since 2010, several drivers who have participated in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy have risen to the pinnacle of Motorsport and Formula 1 drivers Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Esteban Ocon are former Academicians. More generally, all the participants are able to enrich their experience and positively influence their careers by competing in the Academy Trophy, which has established itself as an excellent school for young talent, without requiring costly investment. ASNs play an important role in the success of the Academy Trophy. They are the ones who select their national representative and can offer them the

maximum chance of success. France’s approach is an interesting example. “I would first remind that the FIA Karting Academy Trophy was launched when the President of the FFSA, Nicolas Deschaux, was President of the CIK-FIA” explains Christophe Lollier, the National Technical Director. “The FFSA has set up a very similar Academy on its own territory in order to train and detect its talents at the national level, The winner competes in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy and joins the official French Team where he is trained and advised. This boosts the national competition with a valuable reward.”

Each ASN is free to proceed as it sees fit, but it is certain that the greater its involvement, the greater the chances of success for its drivers. The 2020 season has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Difficulties in making international trips and the health constraints imposed by some host countries led to a reduction in the number of staff, while other more personal reasons may also have had an effect. On average, about 30 drivers were able to take part in each race out of the 51 entered at the beginning of the season, but the competition was of a very high standard.

CALENDAR

2020 CALENDAR OCTOBER 25/10

Adria

Rotax Max Euro Trophy

ROTAX DD2 / ROTAX DD2 MASTER / ROTAX JUNIOR / ROTAX SENIOR

25/10

Aunay-les-Bois

Championnat de France

JUNIOR

25/10

Lonato

Trofeo delle Industrie

25/10

Castelletto

Italian ACI Karting Championship

60 MINI / OK-JUNIOR / KZ2 / X30 JUNIOR / X30 SENIOR 60 MINI / MINI / X30 / X30 JUNIOR / ROK SENIOR / ROK JUNIOR / KZ2

NOVEMBER 01/11

Saint Amand

Championnat de France

CADET / MINIME / NATIONALE

01/11

Ledenon

Championnat de France

KZ2 (LONG CIRCUIT) / KZ2 GENTLEMAN (LONG CIRCUIT) / KZ2 MASTER (LONG CIRCUIT)

01/11

Portimao

Champions of the Future

01/11

Ostricourt

IAME – Series Benelux

08/11

Portimao

World Karting Championship

08/11

Angerville

Championnat de France

ENDURANCE ELITE / ESPOIR / CADET / MINIME

08/11

Ledenon

Championnat de France

15/11

Castelletto

Trofeo Andrea Margutti

60 MINI / OK-JUNIOR / KZ2 / X30

15/11

Le Mans

Championnat de France

22/11

Mariembourg

IAME – Series Benelux

X30 MINI / X30 CADET / X30 JUNIOR / X30 SENIOR / X30 MASTER / X30 GENTLEMAN / X30 SUPER SHIFTER

22/11

Lyon

Championnat de France

KZ2 (LONG CIRCUIT) / KZ2 MASTER (LONG CIRCUIT) / KZ2 GENTLEMAN (LONG CIRCUIT) / JUNIOR

29/11

Adria

WSK – Open Cup

29/11

Portimao

International IAME Games

60 MINI / KZ2 / OK / OK-JUNIOR X30 MINI / X30 CADET / X30 JUNIOR / X30 SENIOR / X30 MASTER / X30 GENTLEMAN / X30 SUPER SHIFTER OK / OK-JUNIOR

60 MINI / OK / OK-JUNIOR / KZ2 X30 MINI / X30 JUNIOR / X30 SENIOR / X30 PRO / X30 MASTER / KZ-I

DECEMBER 13/12

Sarno

Sarno WSK – Final Cup

13/12

Portimao

Rotax Max Challenge International Trophy

60 MINI / OK / OK-JUNIOR / KZ2 DD2 / DD2 MASTER / MICRO MAX / MINI MAX / ROTAX JUNIOR / ROTAX SENIOR

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KARTCOM NEWS #61

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

YOUNG AUSTRALIAN BARTER, WINNER OF

RICHARD MILLE YOUNG TALENT ACADEMY 2020

Despite a 2020 sporting season that has been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the third edition of the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy was able to take place in good conditions in Le Mans. The potential and motivation of the ten participants was very high this year so jury had to deliberate at length before awarding the scholarship to the young Australian Hugh Barter.

election of the Birel ART drivers was not easy with so few races in each country and travel from some countries still complicated. The first achievement was that the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy was nevertheless still on the 2020 calendar to testify to the desire to support the young karting hopefuls in their move to cars. Thanks

to Richard Mille, ten young kart drivers racing in the colours of Birel ART were able to take part in two days of selection and training at the FFSA Academy and on the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans. The second positive point of this third edition was that the talent of the contenders was unquestionable.

REPORT

Ten drivers selected by their respective Birel ART distributors or by the Birel ART Racing Team had the chance to meet up in France, on the Le Mans circuit site, on 12th and 13th October, to take part in this unique formula which is entirely free of charge. Under the responsibility of the Formula Medicine team, they were first assessed physically and mentally in the FFSA Academy facilities. They then familiarised themselves with the layout of the Bugatti circuit on video and on a

KARTCOM NEWS #61

simulator with the advice of a French F4 instructor, prepared their position in the single-seater and discovered the details of its operation. This first busy day ended with an interview with the members of the jury composed of Morgan Caron (All Road Management), Riccardo Ceccarelli (Formula Medicine), Marc Antoine Chollet (Richard Mille), Debbie Gourdon (Richard Mille) and Ronni Sala (Birel ART). On Tuesday morning, there was rain for the first runs in the FIA F4 cars on the

Bugatti circuit. The perilous exercise was well mastered and after three sessions of 20 minutes each on the track, the best five were selected for the final stages. The sun quickly dried the asphalt of Le Mans and the cars were fitted with their Pirelli slicks for two more 20-minute runs in the early afternoon. The performances confirmed the impressions of the jury who selected Hugh Barter (AUS), Albin Karlsson (SWE) and Craig Tanic (FRA) for the very last session.

This time, the choice was going to be more difficult with three very convincing drivers on the track. After a lengthy deliberation taking into account all the phases of the selection procedure, Hugh Barter was declared the winner of the 2020 Richard Mille Young Talent Academy. Representing Richard Mille in Le Mans, who has been involved in RMYTA from the outset, Debbie Gourdon was responsible for announcing the jury’s final verdict. “I would first like

to thank the FFSA Academy for its highly professional logistical and educational support. I would also like to thank Doctor Riccardo Ceccarelli and the Formula Medicine team for their decisive contribution to the progress of our operation. I also salute the collaboration with Birel ART and its president Ronni Sala who remains the founding element of this Academy. Finally, many thanks to All Road Management for the organisation and supervision of the event. Congratulations to the 10

participants of this third edition who all showed great qualities. During our deliberations, we reviewed all the points assessed during these two days. We felt that Hugh Barter had been the most consistent at each stage and his profile corresponds to our expectations in the field of young hopefuls that we wish to support towards the highest level of motor racing. We are delighted to be able to reward him by offering him the opportunity to take part in the 2021 French F4 Championship.”

REPORT A WORD FROM THE WINNER, HUGH BARTER : “The standard of the participants was very high. It pushed me to surpass myself and I gave my best in all the tests. I was exhausted after the physical assessments, which is normal! I started cautiously during the first F4 sessions in the rain as I only had the experience of a single-seater day in Australia and it was dry. I admit that I really like computer simulation games... but it’s still a game, the real driving is quite different. The relationship with my engineer was very important. I took his advice into account to make progress, both on the wet track and on the dry. I am very happy to have won the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy. It’s an incredible opportunity

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to be able to take part in the French F4 Championship next year. I would like to thank all the people who put their trust in me, starting with Michael Patrizi, as well as the members of the jury and Richard Mille for supporting young hopefuls like me.”

AWARDS

HUGH BARTER

Australian Vice-Champion KA4 Junior (OK-Junior equivalent) 9th Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Junior Max

Australian, 15 years old, born in Japan on 15/09/2005 Started karting at five years old Currently driving a Ricciardo Kart Selected by the distributor Birel ART Australia and New Zealand, Patrizicorse managed by Michael Patrizi.

g 2016

10th in the Australian Cadet Championship 8th Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Mini Max

g 2019

g 2020

Current leader of the Australian Championship

KA4

Junior

FFSA KARTING

INTERNATIONAL

MID-SEASON RE NEW WINN JUNIOR MAX

KAI RILLAERTS CELEBRATES HIS SECOND WIN IN A ROW

im Gerhards (SP Motorsport) was the fastest of the practice sessions, while Eliska Babickova (TEPZ Racing Team) took the lead after the heats. Championship leader Kai Rillaerts (JJ Racing) fought back in both Finals, even though the climb wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy for him. Behind the double winner, Valentin Kluss (RS Competition) took 2nd place in the classification of the day on his own territory, ahead of Freddie Spindlow (KR Sport).

SENIOR MAX

NEW WINNER AND NEW LEADER

achlan Robinson (KR Sport) took the lead in Qualifying. However, defending champion Mathilda Olsson (Strawberry Racing) took over the lead in the heats. The winner of the first round and current leader of the Championship, Dylan Lahaye (GKS Lemmens Power), had to withdraw because of an injury to his back. Mark Kimber (Strawberry Racing) took the lead without hesitation and won the first Final in front of Robinson. In the second Final, Kimber repeated his performance. He controlled the pack and led the race from start to finish. Robinson finished 2nd again. Olsson completed the podium in 3rd place, taking the lead in the provisional Championship classification.

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EWARDS NERS

Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy 2/4, Wackersdorf

KEY POINTS

ROTAX DD2

Organiser Camp Company

Place

XANDER PRZYBYLAK TAKES THE VICTORY

Prokart Raceland, Wackersdorf, Allemagne – 1190 m

100 pilotes – 4 categories

ebastian Janczewski (Tony Kart) remained in the lead both in Qualifying and after the heats. But Xander Przybylak (Bouvin Power) took the maximum points in the first Final even though Florian Breitenbach (Nees Racing) set the pace with the fastest lap and a comeback from 20th to 6th place. In the second Final, Breitenbach took the lead in mid-race in front of Przybylak and won the race and took the lead of the Championship. Przybylak took 2nd place on the podium followed by Petr Bezel (KSCA Sodi Europe).

Date 4th to 6th September 2020

Entries

Rillaerts a double winner in Rotax Junior • Two victories in Senior Max for Kimber • Przybylak and Breitenbach the DD2 winners • Pesevski dominates in DD2 Masters • Very satisfactory entry for 2020 • Nice warm weather

ROTAX DD2 MASTER

ROBERT PESEVSKI DOMINATES

efending champion Robert Pesevski (KSCA Sodi Europe) was unbeatable. From Qualifying to the heats and the Finals, nothing escaped him. 2nd place went to Slawomir Muranski (46Team), who finished 2nd on the podium and also climbed to the top of the Championship standings. Alessandro Glauser (FM Racing) finished the weekend in 3rd place.

EURO TROPHY

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet

INTERNATIONAL

ROOKIE ANTONELLI WINS UGOCHUKWU BECOMES JU KARTCOM NEWS #61

S THE TITLE IN OK, UNIOR CHAMPION

FIA EUROP. Karting CHAMP OK & Junior 3/3 - Wackersdorf

KEY POINTS Organiser

FIA Karting

Promoter

RGMMC

Place

Prokart Raceland, Wackersdorf, Allemagne – 1190 m

Date 11th - 13th September 2020

Entries 140 drivers - 2 categories Two strong new champions rewarded • Reinforced field despite infectioncontrol constraints • The ranking changes on a sinuous and technical course • Spectacular races • LeCont tyres • Fairly warm weather

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

INTERNATIONAL

NEW DEMONSTRATION FROM ANTONELLI

he young Andrea Kimi Antonelli (KR/Iame) didn’t give any quarter by taking the fastest time, three of his four heats and the overall victory. 2nd in Qualifying, Lorenzo Patrese (KR/Iame) then lost his foothold. Luigi Coluccio (Kosmic/Vortex) finished 2nd in the heats in front of Rafael Camara (Exprit/TM). The Brazilian driver took 2nd place behind the new Champion, whereas Marcus Amand (KR/Iame) took a superb 3rd place. Taylor Barnard (KR/Iame) was never really able to worry Antonelli and his spoiler penalty in the Final didn’t help. Coluccio took 4th place ahead of Juho Valtanen (KR/Iame) in 5th with a 10-place advantage in the last race. Joe Turney (Tony Kart/Vortex) had a steady, but flat meeting, whereas Nikita Bedrin (Tony Kart/Vortex), although fast, was delayed in the heats.

2020 FIA Karting European Championship Ranking - OK

2 33 44 55 2

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA)

67 points

Taylor Barnard (GBR)

65 points

Joe Turney (GBR)

43 points

Nikita Bedrin (RUS)

40 points

Rafael Chaves Camara (BRA)

39 points

KARTCOM NEWS #61

INTERNATIONAL

KARTCOM NEWS #61

OK-JUNIOR

UGOCHUKWU CROWNED AFTER VERY SUCCESSFUL MEETING

fter the first pole position for Alex Powell (KR/ Iame), Ugo Ugochukwu (KR/Iame) was in great shape, very much ahead of his opponents. Winner of his five heats, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to challenge Arvid Lindblad (KR/Iame) in the Final for the European title. Harley Keeble (Tony Kart/Vortex) stood out on the podium in front of Sonny Smith (KR/Iame) and Karol Pasiewicz (Tony Kart/ Vortex), the fastest on the track. Evan Giltaire (Sodi/TM) put in a great performance by taking 8th position with a gain of seven places. Artur Rogeon (Exprit/Vortex) made some great moves, but finished 28th.

2020 Ranking of the FIA Karting European Championship - Junior

2 33 44 55 2

Ugo Ugochukwu (USA)

65 points

Arvid Lindblad (GBR)

60 points

Tuukka Taponen (FIN)

48 points

Valerio Rinicella (ITA)

30 points

Harley Keeble (GBR)

28 points

INTERNATIONAL

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

A BITTERSWEET BALANCE AFTER WACKERSDORF A 3rd time in the qualification out of 75 drivers for Gowda, a 16-place climb in the heats for Slater and a 16-place climb in the Final for Irfan, there were reasons for satisfaction in OK-Junior for the RFM team in Germany. However, there was a legitimate feeling of disappointment at the end of this European Championship, during which racing incidents too often slowed down the progress of the drivers from the British team.

KARTCOM NEWS #61

here was a change of scene for the third and last round of the OK and Junior European Championship that took place from 11th to 13th September in Wackersdorf. In contrast to the first two races, the German circuit is short and twisty, less than 1200 m long, which caused some problems for a large proportion of the field. Moreover, the 2020 European season, with three events concentrated in a month and a half, has seen unceasing confrontations at all levels and above all a lot of crashes.

3RD JUNIOR I N QUALIFYING GOWDA Singapore driver Dion Gowda set the fastest time in the first session and took 3rd place in Qualifying Practice for the OK-Junior European Championship. However, he lost ground in the heats following a retirement, but fought his

way back to 17th place in the Final. British driver Coskun Irfan was not spared setbacks in his heats, but he managed to qualify and made a remarkable 16-place progression in the Final to 15th position.

SLATER FINISHES 7TH IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP Although Freddie Slater was not able to repeat his Sarno feat, he once again demonstrated his fighting spirit under difficult circumstances. Avoiding the traps of the pack in his heats, he climbed from 40th to 24th position and was ready to continue on the same pace in the Final. Unfortunately, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the opportunity to continue his progress by crashing on the second lap. Nevertheless, Slater was 7th in the European Championship thanks to his excellent previous results.

Neither Edgar Anpilogov nor Lucas Fluxa Cross managed to be among the 36 finalists after many obstacles in the heats. In the absence of Thomas Ten Brinke, who is already looking towards singleseaters, Sebastian Gravlund was the only representative in OK and his progress during the heats wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough for him to participate in the Final. RFM is already back in Lonato to take part in the double final meeting of the WSK Euro Series.

INTERNATIONAL

Info KARTCOM - Renaud Didier © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

JAMES WHARTON AN EMOTIONAL END TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

For Australian hopeful James Wharton, it was a FIA Karting European Championship full of lessons that has just ended in Germany. On the Wackersdorf circuit, where the tension was palpable, the young driver with the official Parolin Racing Kart team was again a finalist. However, too many incidents impeded his progress so he had to be satisfied with 26th place in the Final.

s motivated and determined as usual, James Wharton worked hard with his team to perfect the set-up of his equipment during the Free Practice sessions. “The first two rounds of the Championship were held at Zuera in Spain and Sarno in Italy, which are long, fast and wide tracks. Here, it was almost the opposite,” said James. “But this is a circuit that I like, this is where I won my first race in Europe in Rotax Junior. Free Practice ended with a 4th place in my group and I was confident before the Qualifying session. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to repeat the same time and I was in 7th place in my group, 25th overall.” There were 65 drivers registered in total.

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A GREAT START IN THE FINAL James Wharton’s task became even more complicated in the first race on Saturday morning, where the Australian had to retire on the first lap. Nevertheless, he recovered perfectly afterwards. He moved up to 7th place in the next race with the second best lap in the race. He was even 5th in another one! Unfortunately, a crash at the beginning of the last heat took him out again, so that he had to be satisfied with the 33rd place on the starting grid for the Final. “Due to my distant position, we had to make a specific technical choice to favour the first part of the race. In fact, I made a very good start and then I managed

to gain several places. At this point in the race, the objective of scoring more points in the European Championship was possible. Then, my end of the race was more difficult and I had to settle for taking the chequered in 24th position. To make matters worse, my front fairing suffered in the duels in the Final and I received a five second penalty that put me back two places.” For his first year in OK, the category that brings together all the best young international hopefuls before they move on to cars, James Wharton has learned a lot and made progress during the European Championship. Now the Australian will focus on the World Championship, which will take place in Portimao (southern Portugal) from 5th to 8th November 2020.

INTERNATIONAL

Info KARTCOM - Renaud Didier © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

MORGATTO, COMPETITIVE AND TOP-8 IN WACKERSDORF

KARTCOM NEWS #61

Races follow one another and do not always look the same! Having just been crowned double European Champion the previous week in KZ and KZ2, the Birel ART brand was hoping to continue its momentum and finish its European campaign in OK and OK-Junior with a new major result. Alas, the hazards of the race decided otherwise. Several points of satisfaction remain for the official team of Lissone, such as the excellent performance of the Brazilian Matheus Morgatto, who came 8th in the final with a high level of performance.

t each new competition, the Birel ART chassis continues to prove its worth whatever the category and type of tyres used. With a layout that is very different from the two previous circuits used for the FIA European Karting Championships in OK and OK-Junior (Zuera in Spain and Sarno in Italy), Wackersdorf gave the drivers a hard time and they had to work harder to improve during the meeting. All the technical staff of the official Birel ART team never stopped working to improve everything that could be improved, as explained by Luca Filini, the team

manager of Birel ART Racing. “Here in Germany we have certainly had our ups and downs. Already in Free Practice we have been able to place our drivers at the top of the ranking, but not always consistently. The work on tyre optimisation kept us very busy. It was the same for the Charles Leclerc by Lennox Racing team. In these conditions, the result of Timed Qualifying wasn’t as satisfying we expected and that complicated our weekend.”

MORGATTO GETS HIS BEST RESULT IN FIA KARTING In OK, Matheus Morgatto confirmed his competitiveness, showing that he is one of the most talented drivers in the category. Always close to the leaders, he scored an excellent result: 10th in the Timed Qualifying session out of a total of 65 drivers, then 5th, 5th, 6th and 9th in the heats, the Brazilian finished the Final in 8th place, even though he was only 14th after a hectic first lap. This was Morgatto’s best result at this level. He was one place ahead of another Birel ART-TM driver, the Dutchman Laurens Van Hoepen (Leclerc by Lennox Racing team), who finished in the top 10 for the third time in three races. A little bit further back in the pack, both teams still had two drivers wheel in wheel: Oliver Gray, who moved up from 36th to 17th place, and Maya Weug, who gained five places in the Final. For her comeback in Europe after a long period of absence, Brazilian Julia Ayoub didn’t have an easy time at Wackersdorf, like Thai driver Thanapongpan Sutumno.

INTERNATIONAL

INTENSE DUELS FOR BERTUCA IN THE HEART OF THE PACK In OK-Junior, Christian Bertuca set the 5th fastest time of his group, just in front of the RK chassis of Tymoteusz Kucharczyk, whereas the Peruvian Rafael Modonese was in the top 10 with his Birel ART-TM from the Leclerc by Lennox Racing team. Unfortunately, numerous incidents then took place for the Italian team, even though there were three brilliant 4th places for Bertuca in the Qualifying Heats and a 3rd for Kucharczyk on Sunday morning. Although Czech driver Adam Kowalskiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s race stopped at this stage, Bertuca had a good start in the Final. However, the Italian lost a few places to finish in 20th place. There success for Kucharczyk, only 29th because of a 10-second penalty. Back in Italy, the Birel ART team will now head to Lonato for the final of the WSK Euro Series, followed by the much awaited KZ World Championship, along with the KZ2 International Supercup.

KARTCOM NEWS #61

INTERNATIONAL

KARTCOM NEWS #61

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

RINICELLA: A ROOKIE IN 4TH PLACE IN EUROPE The last round of the European Championship didn’t go very well for Parolin Racing Kart. Little known by the team, the circuit of Wackersdorf offered very different conditions than the two previous competitions and the circumstances weren’t often favourable for the Parolin drivers. Only Valerio Rinicella was able to maintain his position in the Junior class and to finish in 4th place of the Championship, an exceptional result for a rookie. However, the Racing Team took the opportunity to prepare for the World meeting at Portimao. horter, more twisty and more demanding, the Wackersdorf circuit was the opposite of the first two European races, especially as the weather was much cooler than in Spain and Italy. The only constant in the 2020 European Championship was the impatience and excitement of part of the field, which resulted in many incidents on the track throughout the season.

Championship in his first season against three much more experienced drivers”.

“We were expecting a difficult competition”, explained Marco Parolin. “But the harshness of the races and frequent crashes didn’t make it any easier for us. James Wharton showed that we had very good performances in OK, as did Valerio Rinicella in OK-Junior. The Qualifying session didn’t turn out to our advantage and we had to regain ground in the heats, which is often a risky exercise. Rinicella was incredible in avoiding all the traps in his races. It’s very satisfying to see him finish 4th in the European Junior

Valerio Rinicella did not make any mistakes in Germany. With excellent concentration, he regularly came back up during the heats and gainef 13 places in a difficult situation. He kept his calm in the Final despite some complicated first laps and fought until the last lap to come back in 12th position at the finish. His very rewarding 4th place in the Championship is a just reward for his efforts and a very encouraging sign for his debut in OK-Junior.

RINICELLA’S PERFORMANCE AND FORESIGHT IN THE JUNIOR CLASS

INTERNATIONAL

Maxwell Dodds also came back convincingly in the heats and made a great start in the Final, gaining another 12 places in four laps. After he had regained his competitiveness, his climb was unfortunately stopped by an electrical problem that caused him to retire on lap 7. For Giovanni Trentin, the problems multiplied in the heats and he wasn’t able to take part in the Final.

WHARTON MAKES THE MOST OF THE EVENT IN OK James Wharton qualified for the Final after a retirement and another tough race in the heats. Determined as usual, he regained no less than 13 places in the first eight laps of the Final, but the end of the race was more complicated and a spoiler penalty relegated him to 26th position, far away from his true potential. Hugo Sasse started from very far back after the Qualifying Practice, but he regained ground consistently in the heats although was not able to reach the Final. “Parolin is delighted to welcome a champion of the dimension of Lorenzo Travisanutto in his official team”, added Marco Parolin. “Lorenzo’s great experience will help to strengthen our project. His arrival was at the last minute, we didn’t have the time to prepare for the Wackersdorf race as we would have liked. His mission was essentially to get his bearings with us and start working towards the World Championship, the flagship event of the season. We are completely confident in his qualities and we will do everything we can to enable him to give the best in our team.”

KARTCOM NEWS #61

INTERNATIONAL

KARTCOM NEWS #61

Info KARTCOM- Renaud Didier © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

FORMIDABLY EFFICIENT TYRES AT THE OK AND JUNIOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS The 2020 FIA Karting European events ended on the Wackersdorf circuit in Germany with races full of interest and intensity. The quality and efficiency of the LeCont tyres were an element of this success, which once again demonstrates the manufacturer’s ability to respond to calls for tenders, with its recognised professionalism and high level technology.

he consistency and performance, which LeCont tyres once again demonstrated in the OK and Junior European Championships, show that the Italian brand is an ideal choice for federations, ASNs and promoters wishing to make their championships a success. Whether in option or premium version, the tyres from the Rovereto factory delighted the 88 OK and 97 Junior drivers who took part in this prestigious international competition, which took place successively at Zuera in Spain, Sarno in Italy and Wackersdorf in Germany.

TITLES GO TO ANTONELLI AND UGOCHUKWU! The excellent feedback and comments from the competitors and teams involved are not misleading. Crowned European OK Champion after another brilliant victory in OK, Andrea Kimi Antonelli did not fail to show his great satisfaction, during one of the numerous interviews given at the end of the meeting. “I was

really happy with the technical work done during the season with my KR-IAMELeCont team. I always managed to use the tyres at the beginning of each race and their consistency allowed me to keep a high level of performance in each round and Final.” The figures confirmed what the Italian said: pole position, three victories out of four in the heats, including one in the very last one on Sunday morning, and a very consistent pace in the Final. From the 8th to the 26th and last lap for example, his times varied between 47”326 and 47”542, with 16 laps in the same tenth of 47”4! In OK-Junior, the new European Champion Ugo Ugochukwu set his fastest time in the Final on his penultimate lap. “To be fast and consistent from the first to the last lap is essential to win a race,” the young American admitted.

INTERNATIONAL

SEE YOU AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP...

KARTCOM NEWS #61

Among the anecdotes of the weekend, the LeCont sales department received a visit from a German driver, who had never before had the opportunity to drive with LeCont tyres in his KZ2 class. As a privileged observer of the event and impressed by the performance of the

tyres used during the event, he wanted to buy a set in order to try the Italian tyres! It is true that the times achieved in the last DKM (German Championship) race organised at Wackersdorf, in 2019, were beaten.

Antonelli lapped in 46”942 in OK and Pasiewicz in 48”292 in OK-Junior, gains of respectively 4 and 6 tenths! “Despite the pandemic that we have experienced, which has led to a relatively large drop in the number of drivers actually

present compared to the number of entries, LeCont is delighted that the sport has emerged victorious from these FIA Karting European Championships in OK and OKJunior”, commented Paolo Bombara, Marketing Manager at LeCont. “The factory is already working hard for the next World

Championship with the same concern for high standards, consistency and sporting fairness, in order to once again offer highperformance tyres that are equivalent from one set to the next. We are also ready to respond to the various calls for tenders with a view to 2021.”

INTERNATIONAL

KARTCOM NEWS #61

BUSY WEEK AT L

LONATO

WSK Euro Series 2/3, Lonato

KEY POINTS Organiser

WSK Promotion

Location

South Garda Karting, Lonato, Italie – 1200 m

Date 15th to 20th September 2020

Entries 226 drivers - 4 categories

Double WSK Euro meeting at Lonato • Convincing field • Vega 60 Mini, OK-J and KZ2 tyres • LeCont OK tyres • Fine warm weather

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

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60 MINI

POLE AND VICTORY FOR NAKAMURA

nly a retirement in the second race disturbed the course of Kean Nakamura (KR/Iame). The Japanese poleman recovered from his 9th place after the heats and won the Final in front of René Lammers (Parolin/Iame) and Kai Sorensen (Parolin/TM), two other protagonists of the race. Jimmy Helias (Tony Kart/Vortex) finished 15th and Jules Caranta (Tony Kart/Vortex) 21st. Thomas Quincé (Sodi/TM) had to withdraw in Prefinal A.

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OK-JUNIOR

SPINA BEATS BADOER

rando Badoer (KR/Iame) took another pole position, but Igor Cepil (KR/Iame) took the advantage at the end of the heats. Ugo Ugochukwu (KR/Iame) came back to the lead in Prefinal A, and Badoer took the victory in the B. In the Final, Ugo Ugochukwu was penalised 10’’ for a jump start. Harley Keeble (Tony Kart/Vortex) was in 1st place for a while, but Alfio Spina (Tony Kart/Vortex) came back strongly and won ahead of Badoer and Coskun Irfan (Kosmic/Vortex). For his first participation, Romain Andriolo (Sodi/TM) scored an excellent 22nd place after having finished 55th in the heats. Qualified 20th, Macéo Capietto (Kosmic/Vortex) had to retire midway through the Final.

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ANTONELLI WINS AGAINST TURNEY

oe Turney (Tony Kart/Vortex) started by leading in Qualifying, Heats and Prefinal A. Penalised by 10’’ in the first heat, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (KR/Iame) however moved up to the lead in Prefinal B. In a lively Final, Antonelli kept the lead in front of Charlie Wurz (Exprit/ Vortex), who was then passed by Turney. Juho Valtanen (KR/Iame) finally took 3rd place, followed by Luigi Coluccio (Kosmic/Vortex) and Nikita Bedrin (Tony Kart/Vortex), who set the fastest time.

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KZ2

KREMERS HONOURS HIS TITLE OF EUROPEAN CHAMPION

arijn Kremers (Ricciardo/TM) has indisputably dominated this second round from the pole in Qualifying. Riccardo Longhi (Birel ART/TM) was just ahead of him at the end of the heats. Tied with one victory each in the Prefinal, the two Birel ART drivers escaped in the lead of the Final. Kremers won against Longhi who was content to score important points for the Championship. Matteo Vigano (Birel ART/TM) started a comeback that would lead him to 3rd place by more than 2’’. Tom Leuillet (Praga/TM) finished 8th ahead of Émilien Denner (Tony Kart/Vortex), 15th, Jérémy Iglesias (Formula K/TM) had lost time in the Final stages, Jean Nomblot (Sodi/ TM) was 17th, Arthur Carbonnel (Sodi/TM) 19th, Adrien Renaudin (Sodi/TM) 22nd and Hubert Petit (Sodi/TM) 27th.

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FINAL MARATHON AT LONATO

WSK Euro Series 3/3, Lonato

KEY POINTS Organiser

WSK Promotion

Location

South Garda Karting, Lonato, Italie – 1200 m

Date 15th to 20th September 2020

Entries 226 drivers - 4 categories

Double WSK Euro meeting at Lonato • Convincing entry • Vega 60 Mini, OK-J and KZ2 tyres • LeCont OK tyres • Fine warm weather

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

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60 MINI

VICTORY AND TITLE FOR LAMMERS

lthough Christian Costoya (CRG/TM) was the fastest in Qualifying, Kean Nakamura (KR/Iame) made an impressive 17-place comeback to take the lead in the heats. René Lammers (Parolin/Iame) and Antonio Apicella (KR/Iame) then shared the Prefinal victories. Lammers lost some time at the beginning of the Final, and Apicella and Mark Kastelic (KR/Iame) took advantage of the opportunity to take the lead. But Lammers hadn’t resigned himself and he came back to the leaders to win the race and the Championship, ahead of Kastelic and Apicella. Kean Nakamura (KR/Iame) took 4th place ahead of Jan Przyrowsky (Parolin/TM). Jimmy Helias (Tony Kart/Vortex) finished 12th and Jules Caranta (Tony Kart/Vortex) 29th with a spoiler penalty. Thomas Quincé (Sodi/TM) had not qualified in Prefinal A, also with a spoiler penalty.

Final standings of the 2020 WSK Euro Series - Mini

2 33 44 55 2

René Lammers

295 points

Kean Nakamura

278 points

Jan Przyrowski

216 points

Mark Kastelic

182 points

Kai Sorensen

173 points

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OK-JUNIOR

LINDBLAD WINS, SPINA TAKES THE CHAMPIONSHIP

go Ugochukwu (KR/Iame) had marked the beginning of the race with pole position and three heat victories. Unfortunately, he was dropped when he was leading Prefinal A and didn’t qualify. Igor Cepil (KR/ Iame) and Arvid Lindblad (KR/Iame) took the wins. Romain Andriolo (Sodi/TM) achieved well again by regaining 11 places in the Prefinal to qualify 9th. Andy Ratel (CRG/ Iame) 24th and Enzo Deligny (Birel ART/TM) were not as good as they had hoped. Lindblad escaped to a clear Final victory while Spina finally came back to 2nd position to take the crown, and Brando Badoer (KR/Iame) had to fight with Macéo Capietto (Kosmic/Vortex) to keep 3rd place. Andriolo was stuck and had to retire.

Final classification of the 2020 WSK Euro Series - OK-Junior

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Alfio Spina

302 points

Brando Badoer

218 points

Igor Cepil

211 points

Arvid Lindblad

208 points

Tuukka Taponen

157 points

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TURNEY WINS, ANTONELLI CHAMPION

ndrea Kimi Antonelli (KR/Iame) started very strongly in this third round with pole position, the lead in the heats and victory in Prefinal A against Joe Turney (Tony Kart/Vortex), whereas Juho Valtanen (KR/ Iame) took the victory in Prefinal B in front of Luigi Coluccio (Kosmic/Vortex). At the start of the Final, James Wharton (Parolin/TM) took over from Turney whereas Antonelli was 7th. Turney took the victory with a 1.7â&#x20AC;? lead. Nikita Bedrin (Tony Kart/Vortex) set repeated fastest laps and finished 2nd in front of Valtanen and Antonelli, the Champion despite his 4th position.

Final classification of the 2020 WSK Euro Series - OK

2 33 44 55 2

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

299 points

Juho Valtanen

271 points

Joe Turney

261 points

Nikita Bedrin

170 points

Luigi Coluccio

156 points

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KZ2

VICTORY FOR IRLANDO, TITLE FOR LONGHI

anilo Albanese (KR/Iame) was the fastest in Qualifying and Giuseppe Palomba (Birel ART/TM) took the lead in the heats ahead of Alessandro Irlando (Birel ART/TM) and Mirko Torsellini (KR/Iame). Irlando took the lead in the Final in front of Bas Lammers (Sodi/TM) who had already moved up from 10th to 2nd place in the Prefinal. While Palomba was in 3rd place, Paolo Ippolito (CRG/TM) took 4th place by overtaking Torsellini. Very fast, Stan Pex (KR/TM) finished 5th (+7 pl.). 11th, Longhi ensured his victory in the Championship. Tom Leuillet (Praga/TM) finished 12th, JĂŠrĂŠmy Iglesias (Formula K/TM) 14th and Arthur Carbonnel (Sodi/TM) 15th (+17 pl.) while Jean Nomblot (Sodi/TM) dropped back to 23rd with a spoiler penalty.

Final standings of the 2020 WSK Euro Series - KZ2

2 33 44 55 2

Riccardo Longhi

242 points

Giuseppe Palomba

237 points

Alessandro Irlando

199 points

Mriko Torsellini

176 points

Marijn Kremers

134 points

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

JUNIOR PODIUM AT LONATO WITH IRFAN

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The WSK Euro Series concluded at Lonato in a double meeting immediately after the German European Championship event. For the staff of Ricky Flynn Motorsport as well as for its drivers, it was a race against the clock to get to the next competition without any rest time.

uring six days of non-stop competition, the WSK Euro Series intertwined its last two rounds at an elevated pace. There were many racing incidents and the results of the RFM team often suffered, particularly because of several retirements that prevented several drivers from achieving their excellent results. Irfan could have entered the top three of the championship after his beautiful podium in Round 2, but he had to be satisfied with 6th place while Slater finished 8th after beautiful recoveries and Gowda confirmed his great potential.

ROUND 2 The British driver Coskun Irfan performed very well during the OK-Junior Qualifying Practice and in the heats before concluding with a superb podium in the Final. Meanwhile, fellow countryman Freddie Slater climbed 26 places in the heats and finished in 14th place in the Final despite a problematic Qualifying Practice. Singapore’s Dion Gowda set an excellent 6th time in Qualifying, but a retirement in the first heat delayed him and he could do no better than 21st in the Final. The Spaniard Lucas Fluxa Cross qualified for the Final stages and progressed to 26th position. A retirement and a penalty in the Prefinal prevented Japan’s Rintaro Sato from reaching the Final, while Ukraine’s Edgar Anpilogov had an unusual series of setbacks.

in the Final to finish 22nd.

ROUND 3 Irfan had set out to achieve a very good result by reaching 3rd place at the end of the heats, but an incident put an end to his legitimate ambition at the beginning of the Prefinal. This fate also interrupted his progress in the championship standings and he could not exceed 6th position, although a top three had been possible. Gowda, who set the 5th fastest time, continued in 10th in the heats and finished in the Final top 10, which earned him 15th place in the WSK Euro Series. Slater confirmed his ability to regain ground in the heats and was 3rd in his Prefinal and crossed the Final finish line in 11th place, securing 8th place in the championship. After some complicated heats, Fluxa had a good Prefinal and finished in 18th position. Anpilogov was

more successful and regained 15 places in the final stages by finishing 19th. After qualifying 33rd, Sato climbed up to 8th place in his Prefinal, but only completed six laps in the Final. Gravlund regained ground in the heats and the OK Prefinal before finishing 23rd in the Final.

In OK, Denmark’s Sebastian Gravlund held a steady course and advanced six places

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

NOAM ABRAMCZYK

STRONG PREPARATION IN WSK AT LONATO

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For many drivers and teams, the double round of the WSK Euro Series in Lonato provided an opportunity to train for the upcoming FIA Karting International Super Cup World meeting. Noam Abramczyk, who started a long way back in Qualifying, could not achieve a convincing result, but he learned a lot in preparation for the next competition.

he Formula K Racing Team applied a team strategy to test the chassis for the most important FIA Karting event of the season. The search for pure performance for each driver was not the priority in WSK. With good pace during Free Practice, Noam was less successful in Qualifying, a sometimes stressful exercise that takes place in a matter of minutes. With a deficit of more than 6 tenths per lap, he found himself in around 60th position each time.

condition during the long break at the beginning of the year, now he is ready to give his best on the track. The team has also worked hard for the KZ2 FIA Karting International Super Cup. If everything goes well, Noam’s goal will be to be among the 36 finalists!”

configuration”, explained his coach Romain Wozniak. “He pushed his limits and seriously enriched his experience, which was the best thing to do from a broader perspective than the result of this competition. He had time to take care of his physical and mental

From then on, the next part of the event looked difficult with starts at the back of the grid in the heats. Noam’s fighting mentality allowed him to approach each race positively. As determined as ever, he tried to compensate for the performance of his equipment with a constant attack. This tactic was unfortunately accompanied by numerous 5” spoiler penalties at the finish. In addition, he was twice victim of a crash that caused him to drop out of the race. Aware from the beginning that it would be almost impossible for him to reach the Finals, Noam took the opportunity to improve his skills with less reserve in the race than in a normal situation. The exercise was very formative in the end for a young driver who didn’t have the opportunity to drive enough in his first season in KZ2. “Noam made the most of this particular

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

INTERNATIONAL END TO THE SEASON FOR

ROMAIN ANDRIOLO Romain Andriolo’s sporting destiny has just taken a major turn, having previously competed in the French Junior Championship at the FFSA Academy, in addition to a complementary programme in the National category. His remarkable performance in Lonato in OK-Junior during the last rounds of the WSK Euro Series has propelled him into international competition with very interesting prospects for the end of the season.

t was almost at the last moment that a great opportunity to compete in the WSK in Lonato presented itself to him. “There was a question of doing some tests in Lonato on a Sodi/TM with Trèfle Racing, and the proposal turned into participation in the double meeting of the WSK Euro Series”, Romain said. “I was delighted, but also a bit nervous to discover OK-Junior racing on a track as famous as the one in Lonato. The WSK is renowned for its standard, the best are racing. There was also the question of getting used to new equipment and a new team, so there were a lot of uncertainties...”

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Romain’s first pleasant surprise was to see how well the Sodi chassis performed in this very demanding context. During Free Practice, he was lucky enough to be advised by Adrien Renaudin, an official Sodi driver, and the speed was already there. Joining the Trèfle Racing team went smoothly and working with JeanPhilippe Guignet went very well, while Julien Dexmier, the Sodi Racing Team manager, was present alongside Romain throughout the week.

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Qualifying Practice remained a difficult exercise, trying to achieve a good time in only three laps. However, Romain climbed to 34th place out of the 61 participants in Round 3. In the battle of the Qualifying Heats, he discovered the intensity of international races where you can’t afford to be afraid of being pushed around. In fact, he was taken out of the race twice. In an unfavourable situation, Romain made the difference by succeeding in two superb Prefinals and qualified each time for the Final. He made a superb comeback of 12 places in his Prefinal for Round 2, then finished 9th with a gain of 11 places and 7th time in his Prefinal for Round 3. Despite a collision at the beginning of Final 2, he was back up 10 positions to finish in a very encouraging 22nd position. 18th on the starting grid in Final 3, he was on his way to do even better when a severe crash interrupted his climb after a few laps. Although physically equal to the grip of Lonato, and mentally very strong, Romain was surprised to achieve such a good performance in his first big international race. “This is a weekend that will stay in my memory! Of course, I am very happy to have been able to race so well at this level. I would like to thank Sodikart, Julien Dexmier and Jean-Philippe Guignet for trusting me and for allowing me to have this great experience. I only have one desire now, to continue!” Romain’s performance did not go unnoticed: he will now compete in the Junior World Championship at Portimao in November alongside Evan Giltaire with the Trèfle Racing team and the support of Sodikart. A week before, the Champions of the Future series event will allow them to get their bearings on the Portuguese track in order to be ready for the world meeting. Romain thanks his partners for their loyal support: Motul, Andriolo Automobile, Big Mat, Gariso, Ligue de Karting Occitanie Pyrénées, ASK 31, HGK and Distinxion.

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

VERY GOOD PERFORMANCE FOR PAROLIN AT LONATO

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The Parolin Racing Kart chassis once again showed excellent competitiveness at the double closing meeting of the WSK Euro Series in Lonato in three of the four categories, despite numerous race incidents. A final victory in Mini and three drivers in the top five of the championship, a 4th place in the Final and a 7th place in the Junior championship for Dodds as well as two top 10 and a 7th place in the OK championship for Wharton attest to Parolin’s level of performance.

“W

e have as many reasons for satisfaction as regrets after this Lonato marathon,” explained Marco Parolin. “When the equipment is as good as ours, we certainly become demanding when it comes to results. Sorensen allowed us to dream in Mini, but he had to settle for a podium and 5th place in the championship. Gladysz delighted us

with some great climbs and a top five in the Final. Dodds and Rinicella had strong cards to play in Junior, but with three retirements out of four starts in the Final, it becomes more complicated to succeed! Wharton had arguably his best performance of the year with a consistent presence at the forefront of the OK category, which resulted in two 9th-place finishes in the Finals. That said,

it’s hard to complain when our chassis are so competitive in three categories at once! I would like to congratulate our drivers and our technical staff for their total commitment during this long week of intense competition.” In OK and OK-Junior, there was no question of resting between the last round of the European Championship at Wackersdorf and the start of the WSK Euro Series at Lonato. Like others, the Parolin Racing Team did well to be in place in time at the South Garda Karting circuit.

SORENSEN ON THE MINI PODIUM American driver Kai Sorensen caused quite a stir in the younger age group by leading the heats in Round 2, winning Prefinal A and fighting his way to the front of the Final before finishing 3rd. He also came back to 2nd place in Prefinal A of Round 3, but dropped to the back of the field in a collision on the last lap of the Final when he was 5th. He still finished 5th in the championship. Polish driver Maciej Gladysz showed good fighting spirit in the face of adversity. He still moved up six places in the Final of Round 2 and was in the top five. Delayed by an incident at the start of Prefinal A of Round 3, he fought hard to qualify and gained 16 places in the Final to finish 14th. The Italian Samuele Cecchetto made his debut with the Parolin team in this very tough competition.

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P4 IN THE JUNIOR FINAL FOR DODDS In Round 2, Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maxwell Dodds made a strong impression by moving up from 48th place in Prefinal B to 3rd and continuing to 4th in the Final with an unusual overall gain of 44 spots. The situation was more favourable in Round 3 and this time he reached 2nd place in the Prefinal. He moved up to 2nd place in the Final, but had to retire prematurely due to a technical problem. Maxwell was still 7th in the WSK Series. The Italian Valerio Rinicella had a very good run in the top 10 in both rounds, but the Finals ended with a retirement each time. The Emirati driver Rashid Al

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Dhaheri was in a very good rhythm at Lonato. In Round 2, he progressed from 23rd place in the heats to 8th place in the Final, but a penalty in Prefinal A of Round 3 prevented him from repeating his feat in Round 3. Finally, Frenchman Guillaume Bouzar took advantage of the end of the season to move from Mini to OK-Junior.

WHARTON CONSISTENT IN THE TOP 10 OF OK Mastering the OK category better and better as the races went on, Australian James Wharton put in a great performance at Lonato. Fast against the clock, consistent in the heats with notably two victories to his credit, James did not weaken in the final phases. We even saw him take 2nd place at

the beginning of the Final on the third lap. His two 9th place finishes allowed him to finish the championship in a rewarding 7th position. For his part, the Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto continued to give the team the benefit of his experience beyond any expectation of results in WSK. It is a pity that an incident at the beginning of the Final put an end to his claims on the first lap. In the coming weeks Parolin Racing Kart will concentrate all its efforts on preparation for the OK and OK-Junior World Championship in Portugal at the end of October.

THE ABSOLUTE WEAPON... #KSPREPORTAGES #SONYALPHA9 #SONY400MMF28

THANK YOU SONY!

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

FIVE PODIUMS AT LONATO AND A HAT-TRICK IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP Lonato was a festival for Birel ART-TM! The WSK Euro Series ended with a triumph for the Italian teams. During this rather special meeting, two events per category were held simultaneously in the space of five days. In KZ2, the first one resulted in a triple win led by Marijn Kremers (Ricciardo Kart), Riccardo Longhi and Matteo Vigano (Charles Leclerc by Lennox Racing). Alessandro Irlando won the second round and it was Longhi who won the Championship ahead of Giuseppe Palomba and Irlando! With two weeks to go before the World Championship on the same circuit of Lonato, the Birel ART brand confirms its great current form. This certainly bodes well for the end of this season...

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BIREL ART: BENCHMARK CHASSIS IN KZ2 The drivers in the colours of the Birel ART factory made the most of their return to a major international event on the South Garda Karting circuit, an intense week with the successive organisation of the second and third rounds of the WSK Euro Series. On Wednesday, Kremers took pole position ahead of Palomba and Longhi. The tone was set for the chassis from the Italian factory. This was followed by 16 victories in the heats and three in the Prefinals! At the wheel of his Ricciardo Kart-TM, Marijn Kremers celebrated his recent European Championship with another success in the Final of the second round on Sunday morning. Arriving at Lonato with the lead of the WSK Euro Series, Riccardo Longhi strengthened his hold on the title by securing 2nd place, while Matteo Vigano came back to 3rd position with his Charles Leclerc chassis prepared by the Lennox Racing team. A magnificent treble for the Lissone factory products! In the afternoon, in the third round, Alessandro Irlando took the honours, showing that all the Birel ART drivers were performing well in Lonato. Giuseppe Palomba accompanied him on the 3rd step of the podium. Leonardo Marseglia managed to gain four places to enter the top 10. Finally rewarded for his efforts, Riccardo Longhi was crowned in this WSK Euro Series! “Riccardo hasn’t always had a lot of chances over the last few years and I am very happy to see him crowned in this very competitive and coveted series,” commented team manager Luca Filini.

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GREAT DEBUT FOR BERTUCA IN OK Hardly back from Germany where they took part in the last round of the European Championship, the drivers entered in OK and OK-Junior had to put their helmets back on just two days later, for this double competition! In these difficult conditions, both physically and mentally, the Birel ART Racing team drivers did not fail to perform. The Brazilian Matheus Morgatto finished all his heats in the top six, but success was not on his side in the Final stages. Dutch driver Maya Weug finished a Prefinal in 2nd position, before taking 7th place in the Final of the second round. As for Cristian Bertuca, he brilliantly made his transition from Junior to OK, with a comeback to 6th position in the Final of the third round. In this race, the Thai driver Thanapongpan Sutumno completed an encouraging performance. Also to be noted are the performances of the drivers of the Charles Leclerc by Lennox Racing team and the top 10 in OK-Junior for Tymoteusz Kucharczyk (RKTM) in the Final on Sunday afternoon, after his misfortunes in the morning.

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Guillaume Veuve

SODI ET BAS LAMMERS ON THE WSK PODIUM AT LONATO

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Less than three weeks before the World KZ Championship that will take place on the same South Garda Karting circuit, the Sodi Racing Team showed an excellent level of performance in Lonato. During the last round of the WSK Euro Series, Bas Lammers confirmed his status as a top-level driver - and specialist in the discipline - by being at the forefront. After a long final battle, the Dutch driver took 2nd place on the podium.

t the double meeting of the WSK Euro Series Rounds 2 and 3, the elite of world karting met for a final preparation race in KZ2 on the famous Italian track of Lonato with an exceptional line-up of 67 participants from all over the world. It is an understatement to say that the confrontation was fierce. The official Sodikart drivers Adrien Renaudin and Bas Lammers were very competitive in the Qualifying Heats of Round 2, but several setbacks delayed them in the final stages. Renaudin was on his way to a very good result when an accident forced him to retire in the last heat and his fate was no more enviable in the Final. Lammers regained 10 places in the heats and was 4th in the Prefinals. The Dutchman drove a magnificent Final at the wheel of an extremely competitive and fast Sodi/TM Racing kart. He quickly moved up to 2nd place and stayed in contact with the leader throughout the race. Bas Lammers, who was able to try to overtake several times, ended up on the second step of the podium to the great satisfaction of the whole team. In view of the performances achieved this weekend in very competitive conditions, the Sodi Racing Team is already looking like a serious contender for the KZ world title from 2nd to 4th October in Italy. The French brand was well represented in Italy with no less than twelve karts entered in the competition. Two young drivers also competed in Lonato under the official colours of Sodikart and TrĂ¨fle Racing. In extremely competitive conditions, the Sodi chassis allowed them to continue their apprenticeship at a high level with very promising performances.

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Thomas QuincĂŠ continued to develop his Sodi/TM Racing in the extremely competitive international Mini category. He got off to a good start with an excellent 12th place out of 61 participants in Round 2, and he took a very good 4th place in his last heat after having been in trouble in the first three. Round 3 didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start so well under the clock, but Thomas then climbed up more than 15 places before missing his Final qualification because of a spoiler penalty after having achieved the 5th fastest time in his Prefinal. Romain Andriolo discovered the OK-Junior category by diving directly into the battle of the WSK Euro Series. His quick adaptation and fighting spirit earned him a place in both Finals. Romain notably made a superb comeback of 12 places in the Round 2 Prefinal and finished 9th with a gain of 11 places and the 7th time of his Round 3 Prefinal. He took another 10 positions in the Round 2 Final to confirm his remarkable performance for a first participation.

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101

VILLA DOMINATES, WALK LINE AND CLARK INHERI

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KER WINS ON THE ITS THE VICTORY

IAME Euro Series 2/3 Castelletto di Branduzzo

KEY POINTS Promoter

RGMMC

Location

7 Laghi, Castelletto di Branduzzo, Italie – 1256 m

Date 18th to 20th September 2020

Entries 90 drivers - 3 categories

2nd round of the IAME Euro Series • Selective track • Interesting races • Reduced entries • Komet tyres in Mini, MG in Junior and Senior • New Driver of the Day trophies

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo The RaceBox Alexandros Vernardis

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X30 SENIOR

UNTOUCHABLE VILLA

doardo Villa (TB Kart/Iame) set the fastest lap time and confirmed his ambitions with three race victories. Harry Platten (Xenon/Iame) followed in 2nd position in front of Maximus Mayer (Exprit/Iame). Villa also won the Prefinal and led the Final from start to finish. Cian Shields (Kosmic/Iame) moved up from 5th to 2nd place in front of his team-mate Sean Butcher (Kosmic/ Iame), 3rd with a gain of six places. 4th on the line, Platten was dropped after a penalty and Caden McQueen (Croc Promotion/Iame) was 4th. Esteban Masson (Praga/Iame) gained seven places to finish in the top five and received the “Driver of the Day” award. Arnaud Malizia (OTK/Iame) finished 13th, Enzo Lévêque (Redspeed/Iame) 16th and François Dell’Atti (Kosmic/Iame), winner of the repechage 28th. Sacha Maguet (Birel ART/Iame) had retired. Mathéo Cochet (Praga/Iame) and Pierre-Albert Fusella (Tony Kart/ Iame) had not qualified.

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X30 JUNIOR

WALKER IN THE SPOTLIGHT

liver Greenall (Exprit/Iame) and Bart Harrison (Tony Kart/Iame) missed Qualifying due to a delay in the parc fermé. Senna Van Soelen (OTK/Iame) took pole ahead of Yani Stevenheydens (OTK/Iame). From 10th position, Aaron Walker (Tony Kart/Iame) was in the lead, whereas Greenall was already 2nd in front of Freddie Spindlow (Kosmic/Iame). Winner of the Prefinal, Walker started on pole and was leading during the whole Final despite pressure from Bart Ploeg (TD Kart/Iame). Greenall wasn’t far away from victory with a tremendous climb of 14 places to the podium. Harrison was the “Driver of the Day”. Also without a Qualifying time, Benjamin Hovelacque (EOS/ Iame) was 14th.

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X30 MINI

CLARK RECOVERS THE VICTORY

fter pole position for Filippo Sala (KR/Iame), Fionn MacLaughlin (KR/Iame) was ahead of Cathal Clark (KR/Iame) at the end of the heats. MacLaughlin won the Prefinal and led the pack in the Final with Leo Robinson (KR/Iame) on his tail. But he had the bad idea of replacing his spoiler and was disqualified. The victory went to Clark followed by Robinson and Sacha Van’t Pad Bosch (KR/Iame). Luna Fluxa (KR/Iame), 4th in front of Tiziano Kuzhnini (Kosmic/Iame), completed the domination by Fusion Motorsport in Mini and was elected “Driver of the Day”.

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TERRIBLE WEATHER FOR AT WACKERSDORF

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DKM

DKM 2020 3/4 – Wackersdorf

KEY POINTS Organiser

DMSB

Place

Prokart Raceland, Wackersdorf, Allemagne – 1190 m

Date 25th to 27th September 2020

Entries 107 drivers - 4 categories

2nd circuit of the season • Advanced infection-control protocol • Consistent entries • Disruptive weather: rain on Saturday, dry track on Sunday • Vega tyres for everyone

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo LRN - Loredana Ivancov

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OK-JUNIOR

EW SUCCESSES AND A GUARANTEED TITLE FOR HAANEN

aniel Guinchard and Kris Haanen, the duo from SFR Motorsport, set exactly the same time in the Timed Qualifying sessions and Guinchard took 1st place in the heats. In the first race, Herolind Nuredini (KSM Official Racing Team) made the best start, but Haanen finally celebrated his fifth consecutive victory ahead of Kiano Blum (TB Racing Team) and Nuredini. Haanen again took his chance to take win in Final 2 and was therefore able to celebrate his early victory in the Championship. Blum finished 2nd to strengthen his position in the leading trio of the Championship. Rehm finished in 3rd position.

DJKM Championship standings after six of the eight rounds:

2 33 44 55 2

111

Kris Haanen

193 points

Herolind Nuredini

123 points

Kiano Blum

113 points

Daniel Guinchard

83 points

Maxim Rehm

78 points

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DOUBLE VICTORY FOR TB RACING TEAM

fter the pole position for Joel Mesch (TB Racing Team), it was the leading driver of the Championship, Juho Valtenen (TB Racing Team), who used all his experience on the wet track and took the lead with two victories. He then won the first Final in the dry with an advantage of more than 4’’. Luca Griggs (SFR Motorsport) led the chasing pack in 2nd position against Vincent Andronaco (Millennium Racing Team). Griggs and Valtanen were eliminated in the second Final in a crash and it was Ben Dörr (TB Racing Team) who took the victory ahead of Georg Kelstrup (TK Racing) and Julie Friis (TK Racing).

Ranking of the DKM Championship after six of the eight races:

1 12

2 3 33 4 44 5 55 2

Juho Valtanen

131 points

Luca Griggs

108 points

Moritz Wiskirchen

105 points

Ben Dörr

89 points

Vincent Andronaco

65 points

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DSKM

THE PEX BROTHERS SET THE PACE

orrit and Stan Pex (SP Motorsport) were the reference in KZ2. The reigning champion, Stan Pex, was the fastest driver in the rain. His brother Jorrit took the lead in the heats and didn’t give up his leading position in the first Final. Fabian Federer (SRP Racing Team) got closer to the leading duo without being able to attack. Jorrit and Stan Pex also decided the victory in Final 2. Stan attacked at the end of the race to win in front of Jorrit. Alexander Schmitz (BirelART KSW Racing) also got closer, but he couldn’t represent a real danger to the two Kart Republic drivers.

Classification of the DSKM Championship after six of the eight races :

2 33 44 55 2

115

Jorrit Pex

178 points

Stan Pex

147 points

Fabian Federer

113 points

Alexander Schmitz

101 points

David Trefilov

84 points

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IGLESIAS FINALLY R

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REWARDED!

FIA Kart. WORLD CHAMP. KZ Lonato

KEY POINTS Organiser

FIA Karting

Promoter

RGMMC Group

Location

South Garda Karting, Lonato, Italie – 1200 m

Date 1st to 4th October 2020

Entries 32 drivers - 1 category Duel at the front between Iglesias and Kremers • Memorable victory for a much appreciated driver • World Championship for Cédric Sport Motors • High entries for 2020 • Vega tyres • Very wet weather Saturday morning, almost dry Sunday

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

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IGLESIASâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DAY HAS COME

he 2019 Champion, Marijn Kremers (Birel ART/ TM) was again very fast this year. He took the pole position and won the first two heats. But Jeremy Iglesias (Formula K/TM) was steadily increasing his power and the two drivers were equal on the front row of the Final. The start was postponed for a few minutes to allow a brief rain shower to pass. The Frenchman started in the lead and was attacked by the Dutchman on the eighth lap. Iglesias replied immediately with a decisive pass. Bas Lammers (Sodi/TM) had joined the leading duo and took the lead over Kremers for a moment. Iglesias then broke away 1â&#x20AC;? ahead of Kremers, Lammers had to watch out for Fabian Federer (Maranello/TM) while Riccardo Longhi (Birel ART/TM) was back in 5th position in front of Pedro Hiltbrand (Tony Kart/ Vortex). Iglesias managed the end of the race and took the victory as the new World Champion 4 tenths ahead of Kremers, Lammers accompanied them on the podium, Federer finished 4th and Longhi 5th, followed by Stan Pex (KR/TM) who had moved up nine places. The party was spoiled by the inconceivable reaction of Luca Corberi (Tony Kart/Vortex) and his father after a track incident caused by Paolo Ippolito (CRG/TM), which could have serious consequences for South Garda Karting.

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Info KARTCOM - Renaud Didier © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

A DOUBLE AND ANOTHER PODIUM AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN LONATO

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The Birel ART brand continues to win at the highest level worldwide! And if it isn’t with the official team, success comes with a private team, demonstrating once again that the Italian chassis is indeed the current benchmark in the KZ and KZ2 categories. Simone Cunati dominated the Final of the KZ2 International Super Cup masterfully, while Giuseppe Palomba ensured a double despite starting in 7th position. 2019 World Champion and reigning European KZ Champion Marijn Kremers, his Ricciardo Kart colours and TM engine were just 4 tenths from a new title. They clinched the vice-World Championship after a difficult but perfectly managed event by Birel ART.

ive drivers with Birel ART chassis in the top 12 of the KZ World Championship, including one on the second step of the podium; six Birel ART chassis in the top 12 in the KZ2 International Super Cup, with a fabulous double on the finish line. The figures speak for themselves for the products of the Lissone factory. This FIA World Karting event held at the beginning of October at the South Garda Karting of Lonato was undoubtedly the most eagerly awaited competition of the season and Birel ART draws extremely positive conclusions from it, as its President Ronni Sala admitted.

CUNATI AND PALOMBA DOMINATE KZ2 Leader after the Qualifying Heats, which were made very difficult by the changing weather conditions, Simone Cunati fully deserves his victory in the Final. Thanks to the magnificent work carried out by the Modena Kart ASD team, the Italian brings a magnificent trophy to the Birel ART brand in this event that could be called “KZ2 World Cup”, so high is the standard. A member of the factory team, Giuseppe Palomba certainly had the speed to

win. However, he had some difficulties in the rain and he was only able to start from the 7th position in the Final. In the end, however, he secured a magnificent double. Ranked 4th, Leonardo Marseglia obtained his best result in an FIA Karting event. Birel ART also congratulates Matteo Zanchi (Zanchi Motorsport) in 6th, Viktor Gustavsson (Charles Leclerc by Lennox Racing) in 10th, Filippo Berto (Emilia Kart) in 12th and all the drivers who used Birel ART chassis.

“We had to deal with changing weather conditions at the beginning of the meeting and I think that our chassis proved to be the most competitive in all conditions: on rain tyres, slicks or even on an intermediate track! I must salute the talent of the drivers and the brilliance of the teams, official or private, who enabled us to achieve this result. It’s very important for our factory to see that all the teams using our chassis are performing well. This double in KZ2 is very rewarding. In KZ, Marijn Kremers came very close to the title. He was a little faster at the end of the race than the leader, but lost time in a duel with another driver. That’s racing! I have to admit that after the 2020 European Championship title, it is however very satisfying to finish 2nd in the World Championship”.

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VICTORY WAS CLOSE FOR KREMERS The rain that fell in the Timed Qualifying session made the teams’ work very difficult at Lonato. Alessandro Irlando jeopardised his chances of a podium finish on Friday, although he was still extremely fast, as evidenced by his second fastest time in the Final where he finished 10th. An incident in one heat severely delayed Matteo Vigano, who was defending the

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Charles Leclerc by Lennox Racing colours. However, he moved up from 14th to 9th place, two places ahead of his team-mate Antonio Fuoco. The car driver certainly enjoyed himself at Lonato. Riccardo Longhi took the official record of the event with 45”874, whereas Kremers remained the fastest driver of the meeting with his time of 45’’588 in the warm-up. Marijn Kremers, who won two heats and was on the verge of taking pole position, was close to winning. “A few drops of rain

fell before the start, the first lap wasn’t easy and I lost the lead,” commented the Dutchman. “Nevertheless, victory was still within reach, before another driver came in between us. By the time I came back, the leader had taken more than a second’s lead. In the end, the gap narrowed to four tenths, but in a few more laps I could have made an attack! In any case, this will remain a great season for me, Ricciardo Kart, Birel ART and TM Racing. Thanks to the whole team...”

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

SODIKART

ANOTHER WORLD PODIUM IN KZ AND EXCELLENT PERFORMANCES IN KZ2 The shortened 2020 season did not stop Sodikart continuing its path at the forefront of international competition. For this 2020 edition of the World Championship at Lonato, the Sodi Racing Team was able to maintain its position at the front of the KZ category, as shown by the new podium for Bas Lammers. At the same time, the satellite team CPB Sport lined up 12 drivers in KZ2 with exceptional performances.

ince 2015, Sodikart has played a leading role in the elite category of international karting by reaching the podium of the World KZ Championship five times. It is by far the only brand that has achieved such consistency in performance over the years.

ANOTHER KZ WORLD PODIUM WITH LAMMERS The big FIA Karting meeting in Lonato wasn’t easy to manage because of the changing weather conditions, in addition to the ever greater intensity in the battle for victory. The official drivers of the French brand honoured Sodikart’s reputation for quality. Setting the 5th fastest lap time among the best drivers in the world, Bas Lammers was 4th at the end of the heats, just in front of Adrien

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Renaudin who had gained seven places in this phase. Lammers continued his climb in a Final complicated by a short rain shower before the start. He quickly reduced the gap to the first two drivers and launched into the battle with the defending champion, as well as watching his back. Although Renaudin wasn’t able to defend his chances as he would have liked, like last year Lammers managed to mount the world podium in front of many famous rivals.

GREAT SUCCESS IN KZ2 For several seasons now, the world of racing has got used to seeing Sodi chassis shine in international KZ2 thanks to CPB Sport. This year again, the satellite team of the Nantes factory lined up a large number of drivers for the FIA Karting International Super Cup - KZ2. Paul Bizalion’s team fully achieved its goal with Final

qualification for six Sodi chassis, i.e. half of its squad. Before that, the young Arthur Carbonnel had set the 3rd fastest time out of 99 participants and Lorenzo Giannoni was in the provisional lead on Saturday evening. In total, the Sodi chassis won no less than six heats. The Final allowed three CPB drivers to finish in the top 10 of this world event. After a great start, Arthur Carbonnel managed to take the lead of the Final on lap 5 before dropping back in front of very experienced drivers. He still managed an excellent 7th place in front of Hubert Petit, who moved up 11 places in 25 laps. The young Dutch hopeful Senna van Walstijn made exceptional progress of 16 positions and set the fastest lap of the race. He reached an unthinkable 9th position knowing that he had set only the 55th time in Qualifying. The Final was unfortunately more difficult for Lorenzo Giannoni who finished in 15th position.

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

JÉRÉMY IGLESIAS

BECOMES THE FIRST KZ WORLD CHAMPION IN THE HISTORY OF FRENCH KARTING A former member of the French FFSA Karting Team, Jeremy Iglesias became the ninth French driver to put his name in gold letters in the history of the World Karting Championship. He is above all the very first to achieve this in KZ.

or Jérémy Iglesias, it is a dream come true. Now 33 years old, the Frenchman has never given up his greatest wish, of winning this prestigious competition. Perhaps more than ever on Sunday, 4th October, 2020, Jeremy believed in his chances. It all started with an excellent 4th in Timed Practice in rainy conditions. Then, the top athlete applied himself particularly well at all the starts in each of his heats, while being incisive in the early stages of the race, which are often so important! On Saturday, he finished 3rd on rain tyres for the

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first time, then 3rd again, but on slicks.

JÉRÉMY SEIZES HIS CHANCE “As soon as I woke up on Sunday morning, I told myself that I shouldn’t miss my chance this year,” admitted Jeremy. “I’ve already finished 2nd in the World Cup twice and 2nd in the European Championships three times, but I

couldn’t climb the final step. In the past, I also won the Winter Cup on this circuit, Lonato, in front of all my usual KZ (125cc gearbox) rivals. So I knew that victory was possible. I have sometimes been criticised for not being aggressive in the important moments. But the standard is so high in this category that it is always extremely difficult to be in a position to win such a race. As soon as you enter the track, you must not make the slightest mistake.”

“Everyone works hard all year round to win the World Championship. This is “the” race not to be missed. This time, the equipment was perfect, the team extremely motivated, my Formula K chassis was perfectly adapted to the conditions and the TM engines from Cédric Sport Motors were supersonic! In my head, my goal was clear: to win! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cédric Goudant, as I am all the more proud to win with a French engine builder.”

A TRIUMPH AFTER A MASTERLY FINAL FROM START TO FINISH The last heat on Sunday morning also acted as a motivator for Jérémy Iglesias, who won after a masterful start from 4th to 1st place! The Frenchman arrived with full confidence on the starting grid for the Final, with a

favourable alignment of planets at this point in the competition. Defending Champion Marijn Kremers proved to be his most dangerous rival. But at one of the key moments of the race, Jeremy Iglesias overtook the Dutch driver, before resisting him with breathtaking determination.

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After 25 laps and 30 km of effort, the Frenchman crossed the finish line as World Champion. For this driver from Marignane, the Marseillaise resounded in the enclosure of South Garda Karting to celebrate this victory. “Many thoughts crossed my mind on the highest step of the podium. My first ones were for my family, who gave me this passion for karting and who have always supported me. My whole team, my engine builder and my partners were also a great help. Of course, the image of Jules Bianchi was very present! We shared so many things together... “ Notably they were both in the French FFSA Karting Team, where in the 2005 Formula A World Championship Jeremy finished in 5th position just behind Jules.

FRENCH WORLD KARTING CHAMPIONS ERIC GASSIN

(SUPERKART, 1987)

EMMANUEL COLLARD (FORMULE A, 1988)

DAVID TERRIEN (FORMULE A, 1993)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE RAVIER (FORMULE A, 1996)

FRANCK PERERA (FORMULE A, 1999)

ARNAUD KOZLINSKI (FORMULE SUPER KF, 2009)

VICTOR MARTINS (JUNIOR, 2016)

VICTOR BERNIER (JUNIOR, 2018)

JÉRÉMY IGLESIAS (KZ, 2020)

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

THE ENGINE MANUFACTURER

CÉDRIC SPORT MOTORS IS WORLD CHAMPION!

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At the KZ World Championship in Lonato, Jérémy Iglesias, the IPK factory and the TM Racing engines by Cédric Sport Motors clearly made the difference against competition that is always extremely sharp in a world event. The French engine manufacturer directly confronted the largest factories and the most prestigious tuners. With this success, Cédric Goudant has definitively entered the closed circle of the world’s most successful engine builders!

nationally and then internationally recognised driver, Cédric Goudant put his technical skills at the service of drivers about 10 years ago with a racing team, which enjoyed magnificent success for several years. He took the opportunity to develop the engine area, which has become one of his specialties over time. At the beginning of 2018, he decided to devote himself 100% to his status as an engine tuner. Cédric Sport Motors quickly achieved success in all categories, both in France and abroad, with Rotax, OK-Junior, OK and KZ-KZ2 engines.

CONSTANT DEVELOPMENT “The work is constant, in the workshop, on the test bench or on the track,” confirms Cédric Goudant. “I think I’m a very meticulous, rigorous and determined person. I’m always looking for maximum performance. The satisfaction of the drivers and teams who trust me is my priority. For me, the World Championship at Lonato was obviously one of the major objectives of the season, with the supply of TM Racing engines to the CPB Sport team, which represents Sodikart’s colours in KZ2, as well as to the IPK factory with

the Formula K and Praga brands.” Jérémy Iglesias was one of the drivers keen to work with Cedric Sport Motors in KZ. “The challenge was high, not least because the TM factory directly supplies many KZ drivers. We had to go up against them! But the performances we achieved in 2019 with Adrien Renaudin did not go unnoticed. Adrien had come very close to the title during the previous World Championship at Lonato. For a race like this, everything has to be perfect. The experience I had as team manager also helps me to better understand the overall functioning of the equipment and the ideal fit between chassis, engine and driver. That’s how you can win, even against the factories.”

WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION WITH TM RACING! 4th in Timed Practice, Jérémy Iglesias gained momentum over the heats thanks to the work done in collaboration with the Formula K Racing Team and Cédric Sport Motors. His victory in the last heat on Sunday morning on a perfectly dry track confirmed the very high level of competitiveness of the French driver. His Final was perfect! After a battle

with Marijn Kremers, Jeremy Iglesias managed to build up a small lead, which he then maintained with panache. With this fabulous World Championship won by Jeremy, it is a historic victory, because no Frenchman had yet won this race in KZ. “I was shaking all the way to the end, but I am happy and proud to have contributed to this success. It wasn’t until the technical controllers returned the engine to me after taking everything apart that it began to sink in. Thomas Laurent’s world victory in KZ2 in 2015 was already a big moment, but it’s fantastic now.” Barely back in his workshop, Cédric Goudant quickly got back to work. “There are still several important deadlines in 2020, in KZ2 as well as in other categories. For example in OK-Junior where development is intensive with the official Sodikart team. I’m looking forward to the World Championship at Portimao!” Cédric Sport Motors is also available to all drivers and teams who wish to take advantage of its personalised engine rental service, in France and abroad.

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ITALIANS IN THE S ON HOME TERR

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SPOTLIGHT RITORY

FIA Kart. INTERNAT. Super CUp KZ2 Lonato

KEY POINTS Organiser

FIA Karting

Promoter

RGMMC Group

Location

South Garda Karting, Lonato, Italie – 1200 m

Date 1st to 4th October 2020

Entries 99 drivers - 1 category Very competitive racing • High level of entries • Vega tyres • Downpour on Saturday morning, lots of spoiler penalties • Nice weather on Sunday

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

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A NICE REVENGE FOR CUNATI

“O

nly” vice-Champion of Europe after a collision at Genk, Simone Cunati (Birel ART/TM) was able to regain control and win the FIA Karting International Super Cup - KZ2 in Lonato very nicely with a private team, Modena Kart ASD. Viktor Gustavsson (Birel ART/TM) had dominated Qualifying, but he was sanctioned for being underweight in one heat. Arthur Carbonnel (Sodi/TM) had won three heats before conceding some ground so Cunati led the heats ahead of Matteo Zanchi (Birel ART/TM) and Lorenzo Giannoni (Sodi/TM). At the beginning of the Final, Carbonnel threatened Cunati who responded and then escaped to victory. Giuseppe Palomba (Birel ART/TM) wasn’t able to close the gap and took 2nd place ahead of Giacomo Pollini (Formula K/TM). Six Italian drivers took the top six places. Carbonnel finished 7th in front of Hubert Petit (Sodi/TM) who moved up 11 places. Senna van Walstijn (Sodi/TM) moved up 16 places to 9th ahead of Gustavsson.

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

NOAM ABRAMCZYK

F4 TARGET AFTER DISAPPOINTMENT AT LONATO Even though it was difficult to envisage a straightforward qualification for the Final of the KZ2 International Super Cup, Noam Abramczyk didn’t expect to experience such a fiasco at Lonato. The karting season is coming to an end and he is now concentrating on his new goal: making his debut in F4 next year. he Formula K Racing Team had nevertheless managed to find an excellent level of performance with hard work, as proved by the magnificent KZ World Championship won by Jérémy Iglesias. Like him, Noam, powered by a TM Racing from Cédric Sport Motors, had completed very convincing Free Practice sessions. He was able to lap with three tenths of the fastest, which opened up interesting possibilities in the racing.

during heats that were made very difficult from the back of the grid. The blow to his morale was hard to take and the mission impossible to carry out calmly, all the more so as the weather was seriously deteriorating on Saturday morning. Moreover, Noam was hit several times and his spoiler had a hard time staying in place in the fighting, which didn’t help his situation with the 5” penalties that followed. On Sunday morning, the final score was settled and the competition was over.

The pressure was building up under Noam’s helmet when he started Qualifying, probably a little bit too much, due to the complicated weather conditions between wet and dry. He made a rookie mistake on his warm-up lap and went off the track on a wet patch. With damaged steering, he was unable to record a single time, which resulted in a 99th and last place in the classification.

Only the fantastic victory of Jérémy Iglesias in the Final of the World Championship brought a happy note to this otherwise forgettable weekend. Noam is expected to take the start of the next race of the PACAC League on the Brignoles circuit with a brand new World Champion at his side as an advisor, just to end his karting career on a good note. As planned since the beginning of the season, Noam will now intensify his training in order to be ready to make his debut in single-seater racing in 2021. A new adventure begins!

Mortified by his mistake, he tried to make up for it

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Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

KARTAGENE

ALUTES ARTHUR CARBONNEL’S INCREASINGLY SOLID PERFORMANCES 8th in the European KZ2 Championship, Arthur Carbonnel once again strengthened his game by finishing 7th in the KZ2 International Super Cup at Lonato. And he was on his way to do even better...

true real world cup in all but name, the KZ2 International Super Cup brought together nearly 100 drivers for an intense competition in Lonato at the beginning of October. Very changeable weather and sometimes near deluges made the event more complicated than expected. Nevertheless, Arthur Carbonnel started with flying colours. The young Frenchman, trained within the Kartagene Driver Programme, started strongly and set the 3rd fastest time of his group. Faster and faster, he took the victory in his first three Qualifying Heats. He then had some problems in the fourth heat, but came back to 3rd in the last one. He started from 5th position on the starting grid for the Final. He immediately took 2nd place thanks to his impressive determination and took the lead of the race on the third lap. He continued to fight in the top three, but his machine wasn’t as good as in the beginning of the meeting and he

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lost some ground after that. Arthur finally finished 7th in the race, the first Frenchman behind no less than six Italians racing at home. The 2020 season on a Sodi/TM from the CPB Sport team allowed him to shine as never before in international competition. This last event even showed that he has the makings of a champion...

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FIA Karting AcadEMY TrophY 3/3 - Lonato

KEY POINTS Organiser

FIA Karting

Promoter

RGMMC Group

Location

South Garda Karting, Lonato, Italie – 1200 m

Date 1 to 4 October 2020

Entries 31 drivers - 1 category Hotly contested races • Very good level of entries • Exprit/Vortex one-make karts • Vega tyres • Very wet weather Saturday morning, dry Sunday

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

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ACADÉMIE

VICTORY FOR D’ELKIN, ZILISCH CROWNED IN THE ACADEMY

he American Connor Zilisch was the winner of the Trophy, but the races were very lively. Tom Braeken (BEL) was once again on pole position in front of Connor Zilisch (USA). Aleksander Gubenko (RUS) took the lead at the end of the heats, with Zilisch still in 2nd position. Matteo De Palo (ITA) took the lead in the Final, whereas Zilisch and Macéo Capietto (FRA) retired after an incident. Ariel Elkin (ISR) started a magnificent comeback from 11th position. He placed a decisive attack in the last lap and crossed the finish line to win ahead of De Palo and Gubenko, while Rafael Modonese (PER) and Théo Micouris (GBR) completed the top five. This didn’t prevent Zilisch from winning the Trophy.

Final standings of the 2020 FIA Karting Academy Trophy *

2 33 44 55 2

Connor Zilisch (USA)

69 points

Theo Micouris (GBR)

41 points

Macéo Capietto (FRA)

41 points

Matteo De Palo (ITA)

39 points

Jonathan Weywadt (DNK)

35 points

* provisional following an appeal by a competitor

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Info FFSA Karting © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

FRENCH PODIUM IN THE ACADEMY TROPHY WITH

CAPIETTO

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After Anthoine Hubert’s 2nd place in 2010 and Erwan Julé’s 3rd place in 2012, Macéo Capietto enabled France to return to the podium of the FIA Karting Academy Trophy* this year.

uring the three rounds of the 2020 season, the FFSA Karting Espoir Team France driver Macéo Capietto showed his unfailing fighting spirit at the forefront of this onedesign international competition. “Macéo was a very good recruit for the FFSA Espoir Karting French Team,” said Christophe Lollier, the National Technical Director. “We were able to do a very good job with him thanks to his confidence in us. He needed support and encouragement to reach his full potential and we are very happy to have been able to contribute to his international progression. We continue to follow him in view of the next FIA Karting World Championship - Junior in November, a competition in which he has the potential to achieve a very good result.”

4th at Adria (ITA) during the opening race, then 3rd at Genk (BEL), Macéo unfortunately encountered several setbacks in the closing race at Lonato (ITA). Very fast in the heats, he twice set the fastest lap in the race, but various problems relegated him to 7th position. After a crash in the first lap of the Final, he couldn’t defend his chances until the end. But he finished in 3rd position in the Trophy, equal in points with the 2ndplaced driver*.

We will be at his side until the Portimao World Championship (POR), his next objective.” * Result pending following an appeal from a competitor. Under the leadership of Yvan Muller, the 2020 FFSA Karting Espoir French Team is made up of Marcus Amand and Macéo Capietto.

“It was a difficult weekend”, said Marc Berteaux. “Without giving up, Macéo gave a great performance both in the dry and in the rain. It was a pity that he had to suffer from a racing incident, because he deserved to finish in 2nd place. It was a pleasure to work with him in a real team atmosphere and we congratulate him!

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CHANGING WEATHER SHOCKS THE HIERARCHY 147

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IAME Euro Series 3/3 - Mariembourg

KEY POINTS Promoter

RGMMC

Location

Karting des Fagnes, Mariembourg, Belgique – 1366 m

Date 8th to 11th October 2020

Entries 68 drivers - 3 categories

Last event of the IAME Euro Series 2020 • Nice layout • Interesting races • Variable weather • Smaller grids • Komet tyres in Mini, MG in Junior and Senior

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo The RaceBox Alexandros Vernardis

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X30 SENIOR

GOLDSTEIN WINS, CUNNINGTON TAKES THE TITLE

am Balota (OTK/Iame) set the best time, but Élie Goldstein (Kosmic/Iame) took the lead with two victories, against Balota and Guy Cunnington (Tony Kart/Iame). Cian Shields (Kosmic/Iame) won the Prefinal before encountering problems at the beginning of the Final. Goldstein was leading the race, Balota threatened him before retiring with mechanical problems and Goldstein took the victory with a comfortable lead. Behind him, the battle for the title raged between Lévêque (Redspeed/ Iame) and Cunnington, separated by Sean Butcher (Kosmic/ Iame). Whereas the Frenchman seemed to have secured the title by finishing 2nd, two positions ahead of Cunnington, a penalty for Butcher allowed Cunnington to be crowned. Khali Atkins (Croc/Iame) received the “Driver of the Day” trophy for his seven-place comeback.

Final standings of the 2020 IAME Euro Series - X30 Senior

2 33 44 55 2

149

Guy Cunnington

174 points

Enzo Lévêque

173 points

Cian Shields

166 points

Harry Platten

161 points

Sean Butcher

157 points

KARTCOM NEWS #61

150

INTERNATIONAL

151

KARTCOM NEWS #61

X30 JUNIOR

WALKER’S PERFECT SUCCESS STORY

uben Volt (Tony Kart/Iame) started by securing his 2nd pole position of the season. Aaron Walker (Tony Kart/Iame) then led in the heats against Oliver Greenall (Exprit/Iame). Santiago Vallve (KR/Iame) managed to win the Prefinal ahead of Walker but both drivers were penalised and Nathan Ottink (Tony Kart/Iame) was on pole for the Final. The rain had stopped, but the wet tyres were still in place. Walker attacked Vallve, whereas Greenall lost some time in a spin. The tyres were suffering on the drying asphalt. Walker took the victory 9” ahead of Greenall, whereas Angelo Meli (Tony Kart/Iame), the only driver in the race on slicks, regained 11 places to 3rd position and received the “Driver of the Day” award. Benjamin Hovelacque (FA Kart/ Iame) moved up to 6th position.

Final classification of the 2020 IAME Euro Series - X30 Junior

2 33 44 55 2

Aaron Walker

184 points

Santiago Vallve

178 points

Oliver Greenall

173 points

Bart Harrison

162 points

Bart Ploeg

161 points

152

INTERNATIONAL

X30 MINI

WIN FOR VAN’T PAD BOSCH, TITLE FOR CLARK

acha Van’t Pad Bosch (Fusion Motorsport) and Thibault Ramaekers (Eurokarting) set the same time in the lead. Van’t Pad Bosch continued on his way with two heat victories that gave him the advantage over Ramaekers and Thibauld Gelade (Eurokarting). Van’t Pad Bosch was still ahead of Cathal Clark (KR/Iame) and Thomas Strauven (Tony Kart/Iame) in the Prefinal. The rain came down before the start of the Final and Van’t Pad Bosch and Strauven battled out the victory until the finish line, far ahead of their opponents. The Dutchman, who seemed to be beaten, took the last corner and beat the Belgian by 2 tenths on the line. Due to a penalty, Tiziano Kuzhnini (Kosmic/Iame) lost his 3rd place to Adrian Ferrer Benito (Praga/Iame) and Clark’s 4th place was enough for him to take the victory over Van’t Pad Bosch.

Final classification of the 2020 IAME Euro Series - X30 Mini

2 33 44 55 2

153

Cathal Clark

182 points

Sacha Van’t Pad Bosch

179 points

Tiziano Kuzhnini

171 points

Adrian Ferrer Benito

169 points

Leo Robinson

168 points

KARTCOM NEWS #61

154

155

156

NATIONAL

157

CONDENSED BUT SUCCESSF

KARTCOM NEWS #61

FUL 2020 SEASON

National Series Karting 2/2 – Salbris

KEY POINTS Organiser

3MK Events

Location

Circuit International de Salbris, France – 1477 m

Date 18th - 20th September 2020

Entries 188 drivers - 7 categories

Solid entry numbers • Strict infectioncontrol protocol • Well-functioning organisation • No rain during the races • Track sometimes wet • Very selective competition • 12 places for the RMCGF in Portimao

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

158

NATIONAL

BIENAIMÉ, CONFIRMS MINIME

159

KARTCOM NEWS #61

oleman and leader of the heats, Elouan Bienaimé (Energy/Iame) has extended his domination until the Final by winning with a comfortable advantage over Sacha Avril (KR/Iame). The battle for 3rd place continued until the very last metres. Thomas Pradier (Exprit/Iame) and Hugo Martiniello (Exprit/Iame) lost ground and Louis Baziret (Parolin/Iame) took 3rd place, followed by Walter Schulz (Exprit/Iame) and Antoine Grisel (Sodi/Iame), who made a nice comeback.

2020 NSK Final Ranking - Minime

2 33 44 55 2

Elouan Bienaimé

391 pts

Matthéo Dauvergne

304 pts

Hugo Martiniello

304 pts

Louis Baziret

254 pts

Antoine Grisel

240 pts

160

NATIONAL

161

KARTCOM NEWS #61

CADET

DORISON THE WINNER, BOUVIER TITLED

axence Bouvier (Sodi/Rotax) had dominated the beginning of the meeting. In the Final, Arthur Dorison (Sodi/Rotax) took the lead on the second lap. Bouvier and Valentin Hervas (KR/Rotax) battled it out for 2nd place, while Louis Iglesias (Praga/Rotax) came back strongly to the leaders. Dorison took the win by two tenths against Bouvier and Iglesias finished 3rd after a 10-place comeback. Hervas and Mathis Carnejac (Alpha/Rotax) were in the top five.

2020 NSK Final Ranking - Cadet

2 33 44 55 2

Maxence Bouvier

384 pts

Arthur Dorison

352 pts

Louis Iglesias

310 pts

PacĂ´me Weisenburger

288 pts

Mathis Carnejac

272 pts

162

NATIONAL

NATIONALE

PEUGEOT WINS, GIUSTI IS CROWNED

attéo Spirgel (Redspeed/Rotax) and Enzo Peugeot (Kosmic/Rotax) alternated in the lead throughout the weekend. Spirgel regained the lead in the Prefinal and at the beginning of the Final, but the duel with Peugeot continued until Téo Blin (Tony Kart/Rotax) took 2nd position. Peugeot narrowly won the race against Blin and Spirgel, Alessandro Giusti (Kosmic/Rotax) ensured a decisive 4th position in the classification and Yoan GayBardiaux (Praga/Rotax) completed the top five.

2020 NSK Final Ranking - National

2 33 44 55 2

163

Alessandro Giusti

350 pts

Enzo Peugeot

348 pts

Matteo Spirgel

304 pts

Léo Poncel

266 pts

Mehdi Lassoued

232 pts

KARTCOM NEWS #61

164

NATIONAL

165

KARTCOM NEWS #61

ROTAX MAX

LESITRA AHEAD OF THE REST

elgian driver Luca Leistra (Tony Kart/Rotax) completed a masterful clear round to win the Final and the Championship with a good lead. Dylan Léger (Tony Kart/Rotax) in Qualifying, then Arthur Roché (Kosmic/Rotax) in the heats tried in vain to take the lead. In a very lively Final, Paul Fourquemin (Sodi/Rotax) was led from the start, Roché and Guilhem Crespin (Exprit/Rotax) took over in 2nd position, but Yann Bouvier (Alpha/Rotax) came back brilliantly from 12th place to finish 2nd eight seconds behind Leistra. After many problems, Crespin took 3rd place in front of Valentin Gil (Tony Kart/Rotax) and Léger.

2020 NSK Final Ranking - Max Senior

2 33 44 55 2

Luca Leistra

384 pts

Arthur Roché

304 pts

Dylan Léger

292 pts

Guilhem Crespin

274 pts

Paul Fourquemin

270 pts

166

NATIONAL

ROTAX MAX MASTERS

RICCI KEEPS THE SUSPENSE ALIVE

eading the way to Salbris, Thomas Ricci (Tony Kart/ Rotax) let Eric Chapon (Alpha/Rotax) and Charles Seguin (Tony Kart/Rotax) take the lead until the Final. Ricci showed himself already in the first lap of the Final and won after a 15-lap lead that exhausted his opponents. Seguin dropped back at the beginning, Chapon dropped out halfway through the race and François Peurière (Tony Kart/Rotax) moved up from 8th to 2nd position despite the strong resistance from Clément Morin (Kosmic/Rotax). Vivien Cussac-Picot (Tony Kart/Rotax) was 4th in front of Jonathan Wemaux (Sodi/Rotax).

2020 NSK Final Ranking - Max Masters

2 33 44 55 2

167

Thomas Ricci

381 pts

Charles Seguin

324 pts

François Peurière

320 pts

Clément Morin

318 pts

Eric Chapon

279 pts

KARTCOM NEWS #61

168

NATIONAL

169

KARTCOM NEWS #61

MAX DD2

PICOT FAR AHEAD

ith the same confidence as at Angerville, Nicolas Picot (Tony Kart/Rotax) completely dominated the DD2 category at Salbris. Alexis Coursault (Birel ART/Rotax) and Anthony Millet (Kosmic/Rotax) battled it out in the top three for a long time and finally Millet finished 2nd ahead of Coursault. Brian Ancher (Tony Kart/Rotax) finally overtook Antoine Barbaroux (Sodi/ Rotax) for 4th position.

2020 NSK Final Ranking - DD2

2 33 44 55 2

Nicolas Picot

394 pts

Alexis Coursault

338 pts

Antoine Barbaroux

322 pts

Brian Ancher

320 pts

Anthony Millet

312 pts

170

NATIONAL

MAX DD2 MASTERS

LOUVEAU DOMINATES

ince his return to competition, Paul Louveau (Tony Kart/Rotax) has become the man to beat in DD2 Masters. Once again he showed all his qualities at Salbris. Romain Mangé (Tony Kart/Rotax), then Charly Hipp (Tony Kart/Rotax) tried to challenge him, but it was finally Christophe Adams (Sodi/Rotax) who took 2nd place ahead of Hipp at the end of a Final full of twists and turns.

2020 NSK Final Ranking - DD2 Masters

2 33 44 55 2

171

Paul Louveau

394 pts

Christophe Adams

322 pts

Franck Lavergne

304 pts

Bruno Dos Santos

304 pts

François Le Floch

272 pts

KARTCOM NEWS #61

172

NATIONAL

BEAUTIFUL INTERGEN BATTLES IN CHA

173

KARTCOM NEWS #61

NERATIONAL ARENTE

FRENCH CHAMP. Long Circuit 1/3, Haute Saintonge

KEY POINTS Organiser

FFSA Karting

Location

Circuit de Haute Saintonge, La Genétouze (17), France – 2200 m

Date 26th - 27th September 2020

Entries 24 drivers - 3 categories

First event of the season • Very small field • Three categories grouped into one grid • Vega tyres • Flood on Saturday, strong wind all weekend

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Joël Gaboriaud

174

NATIONAL

KZ2 : TIGHT DUEL BETWEEN CHOISNET AND PICOT

icolas Picot (Tony Kart/TM) took pole position, dominated the heats and the Prefinal. Hugo Choisnet (Birel ART/TM) negotiated the last metres of the Final masterfully and won ahead of Picot, with Matt Preuvost (Sodi/TM) taking 3rd place.

Provisional Ranking of the French Long Circuit Championship - KZ2 after the first event

2 33 2

Nicolas Picot

92 points

Hugo Choisnet

90 points

Matt Preuvost

64 points

KZ2 MASTER : SANCHEZ TAKES FLIGHT

ften fighting for 1st place in all three categories, Yoann Sanchez (Sodi/TM) clearly made the difference in KZ2 Master. Gregory Guilvert (Birel ART/TM) and Gregory Leder (Sodi/TM) battled it out for 2nd position, while Jérôme Lardenais (Tony Kart/TM) monopolised 4th position against Thomas Bailly (Sodi/TM) in the Prefinal and Yannick Savard (Alpha/Modena) who made a good comeback in the Final.

Provisional Ranking of the French Long Circuit Championship - KZ2 Master after the first event

2 33 2

Yoann Sanchez

102 points

Gregory Leder

72 points

Gregory Guilvert

72 points

KZ2 GENTLEMAN : VALLÉE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN THE FINAL STAGES

enoit Portmann (Birel ART/TM) first of all set the fastest lap in Qualifying, then Emmanuel Galichon (Birel ART/TM) came out of the heats in the lead. But Stéphane Vallée (Sodi/TM) won both in the Prefinal and in the Final against Galichon. Alain Serra (Birel ART/TM) mounted the third step of the Final podium in front of Portmann.

Provisional classification of the French Long Circuit Championship - KZ2 Gentleman after the first event

2 33 2

175

Stéphane Vallée

102 points

Emmanuel Galichon

80 points

Benoit Portmann

58 points

KARTCOM NEWS #61

176

NATIONAL

A VERY COMPETITIVE S

ENDURANCE

177

KARTCOM NEWS #61

SECOND ROUND

French Endurance Champ. 2/3, Anneville

KEY POINTS Organiser

FFSA Karting

Location

Circuit Lucien Lebret, Anneville, France – 1217 m

Date 28th to 30th August 2020

Entries 25 crews - 4 categories Second event of the season • Championship relaunched with the • support of FFSA Karting • Entries hold up 6-hour semi night Elite/Espoir race • Mojo D2XX and W5 tyres • 90 minute run for Minime/Cadet • Vega tyres • Variable weather, dry during the day, rainy in the evening.

Info KARTCOM - Frédéric Billet © Photo KSP - Philippe Kalmès

178

NATIONAL

ELITE

VICTORY FOR ARNAUD BOUILLAND AND BRUCE LORGÈRE-ROUX

n the absence of Nicolas Picot, the n° 6 Sodwin Racing (Sodi/Rotax) team of Antoine Colombel, Aymeric Borée and Louis Marchal took pole position in the Timed Qualifying sessions ahead of the n° 5 Team LGB Kartrunner (Tony Kart/Rotax) of Arnaud Bouilland and Bruce Lorgère-Roux. The n°24 Kartagene Wintec (Sodi/Rotax) of Lukas Papin and Gwenaël Loison took part in the battle for the lead of the race. The hazards of a night and wet event allowed the n°8 Kartrunner (Tony Kart/Rotax) of Alexandre Léotta and Julien Toscano to show its qualities by moving up in the classification, whereas Kartagene Wintec made some strategic mistakes. Team LGB Kartrunner took the victory after 348 laps with four laps lead over Kartrunner, followed by Sodwin Racing by 35’’. After a long stop and go, Kartagene Wintec was 4th.

Provisional classification of the French Endurance Championship Elite after Anneville

2 33 2

179

5 Team LGB Kartrunner

82 pts

8 Kartrunner

66 pts

76 Team Circuit de l’Europe 1

60 pts

KARTCOM NEWS #61

180

NATIONAL

181

KARTCOM NEWS #61

ESPOIR

TEAM VAL DE LOIRE 1 WINS

he n°124 Wintec Kartagene (Sodi/Rotax) crew of Camille Mcfarlane, Corentin Rousseau and Pierre Garat was the fastest in testing ahead of the n°176 Team SF Automatech (Tony Kart/Rotax) of Eva Mondou, Tom Cave and Edgar Pierre. The n°101 Team Val de Loire 1 (Kosmic/Rotax) of Lucas Delaunay, Eliott Couche Guillou and Kevin Chaussis took the lead after an hour of racing to the detriment of n°124 who faced some setbacks. Team SF Automatech took the opportunity to take 2nd place and fought against the leader. The n°101 Team Val de Loire 1 made a good finish and won after 340 laps, three laps ahead of the 176 Team SF Automatech, while the n°124 Wintec Kartagene finished 11 laps behind the leader.

Provisional classification of the French Endurance Championship Espoir after Anneville

2 33 2

101 Team Val de Loire

90 pts

124 Wintec Kartagene

82 pts

176 Team SF Automatech

72 pts

182

NATIONAL

SF AUTOMATECH DOMINATES IN NORMANDY CADET

183

KARTCOM NEWS #61

The n°210 SF Automatech crew of Arthur Dorison (Sodi/Iame) and Cameron Le Meur (Parolin/ Iame) dominated the category since Qualifying Practice. However, the 90-minute race was well contested. Dorison and Le Meur won after 94 laps, but the n°221 Birel ART France (Birel ART/Rotax) of Arthur Raphanel and Kimi Mérieux finished 2nd by only 22’’. The n°237 Team Cadets Val de Loire of Julien Freze (Zanardi/Rotax)

and Thomas Dreux (Birel ART/Rotax) was finally 3rd with a lap to go, followed at less than 10’’ by the n°257 Bergerac Karting of Raphaël Gassiarini-Laveau (Top Kart/Rotax) and Tom Cottin (Sodi/Rotax). The n°276 Circuit de l’Europe 3 of Tom Langlois (Birel ART/ Rotax) and Louis Humbert (Sodi/Rotax), 3rd on the line, dropped back to 5th place due to a penalty of one lap at the start.

Provisional ranking of the French Endurance Championship Cadet after Anneville

2 33 2

221 Birel ART France

90 pts

237 Val de Loire Cadet

64 pts

276 Circuit de l’Europe 3

62 pts

184

NATIONAL

185

KARTCOM NEWS #61

MINIME

BIENAIMÉ AND LE MARCHAND CONFIRM

he team n° 308 JHM (Energy/Iame) of Elouan Bienaimé and Maël Le Marchand once again took pole position at Anneville. The n°328 Galaxy Compétition (Energy/Iame) of Tom Martinez and Matthéo Dauvergne, the n°316 ASK Val de Loire Chatellerault of Clément Piaud (Tony Kart/Iame) and Pierre Lamirault (Birel ART/Iame) and the n°376 ASK Rouen 76 of Lisa Billard (Parolin/Iame) and Victor Galmiche (Tony Kart/Iame) took turns in the lead of the 90-minute race. The victory was contested until the very last moments as JHM took the victory after 86 laps only 12’’ ahead of ASK Val de Loire Chatellerault. Galaxy Competition 1 finished 3rd with one lap to go, 7’’ ahead of the 376 ASK Rouen 76 and the 307 ASK Circuit du Parc (Sodi/Iame) of Mathéo Villalard and Thomas Hélié.

Provisional ranking of the French Endurance Championship Minime after Anneville

2 33 2

308 JHM

100 pts

328 Galaxy Compétition 1

72 pts

316 ASK Val de Loire Chatellerault

66 pts

186

NATIONAL

KARTAGENE

DRIVERS UNITED IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY AT ANNEVILLE

187

KARTCOM NEWS #61

In endurance as elsewhere, the races are coming one after the other, although they don’t necessarily look alike. The second meeting of the French Endurance Championship at Anneville was particularly difficult. The night and the rain were not the only difficult elements of this event, as strategic errors complicated the progress of the Wintec Kartagene drivers. In the face of adversity, however, they showed real team spirit that enabled them to bravely face an unfavourable situation.

verything started well on Saturday 26th September in Normandy, as the n°24 Kartagene Wintec Kartagene (Sodi/ Rotax) crew set the 3rd fastest time and the n°124 Wintec Kartagene (Sodi/Rotax) crew set the 5th overall time, leading the Espoir category. The performance was still there during the six-hour race with Lukas Papin and Gwenaël Loison at the front of the Elite category. The n°24 even climbed back up to 1st place as the laps went on. In order to ensure at least a podium place, the crew had a long pit stop of seven minutes because of calamitous management of their pit stops that wasn’t of their own making. During this time, Camille Mcfarlane, Corentin Rousseau and Pierre Garat, who took 1st place in the early part of the race, were delayed by a breakdown that took a very long time to diagnose and that caused them to plummet down the classification. But they managed to finish the race and took 3rd place on the podium. In spite of some questionable choices made by the technical team, Kartagene is proud of the behaviour of the drivers whose determination and solidarity in spite of the circumstances illustrate the values of endurance perfectly. Congratulations to Julien

Freze and Thomas Dreux, crew n°237 Team Cadets Val de Loire, once again on the Cadet podium.

188

NATIONAL

BEAUTIFUL OPENING

189

KARTCOM NEWS #61

G IN THE JURA

French Sén. Mast. Gent. Hand. CHAMP. Septfontaine

KEY POINTS Organiser

FFSA Karting

Location

Circuit de l’Enclos, Septfontaine (25), France – 1172 m

Date 2nd to 4th October 2020

Entries 124 drivers - 4 categories

First Sprint event of the FFSA Karting season • Demanding track • Frequent overtaking • Great show despite the cool weather • Variable weather with showers Vega tyres

190

NATIONAL

HANDIKART

THIRD TITLE FOR LÉGER

fter the pole position for Omar Megari (Sodi/Iame), Maxime Léger (Kosmic/Rotax) took the lead in the heats against Mickaël Vacher (Sodi/Rotax). Léger continued his momentum in the Prefinal in the dry in front of Laurent Flamant (Exprit/Rotax) and Vacher. The Final took place in the rain and Léger won his third title in a row. Juan Lascorz Moreno (CRG/Iame), a quadriplegic Spanish former motorbike rider, put on an extraordinary show by coming 2nd on the slippery track. Flamant took 3rd place in front of Vianney Chan Tsin (Kosmic/Rotax), the 2nd H4 driver who was also very impressive. Olivier Boudin (Exprit/ Rotax) finished 5th after a very solid race.

191

KARTCOM NEWS #61

192

NATIONAL

193

KARTCOM NEWS #61

SÉNIOR

BARBARIN CROWNED AT THE END OF THE SUSPENSE

ylan Léger (Tony Kart/Iame) had started in pole position, but it was Sacha Maguet (Birel ART/ Iame) who led the race thanks to his two victories. Guillaume Barbarin (Exprit/Iame) was 3rd behind Léger, followed by Esteban Masson (Praga/Iame) and Vincent Fraïsse (Exprit/Iame). Barbarin took the victory on a wet track in Final 1 and Fraïsse replied on the dry in Final 2. The title was decided in the third Final, which started in the rain. Bastien Gassin (Praga/Iame) quickly took the lead, Fraïsse and Enzo Lévêque (Redspeed/Iame) followed one another in 2nd position, but Barbarin finally came back to finish 2nd behind Gassin, whereas Léger finished 3rd and Fraïsse 6th.

Ranking of the 2020 French Senior Championship

2 33 44 55 2

Guillaume Barbarin

260 pts

Vincent Fraïsse

248 pts

Enzo Lévêque

230 pts

Bastien Gassin

222 pts

Kevin Breysse

201 pts

194

NATIONAL

MASTER

RICCI AHEAD OF PONCELET

ulien Poncelet (KR/Iame) started by taking pole position. Thomas Ricci (Tony Kart/Iame) won all three heats ahead of Maxime Bidard (Redspeed/ Iame) and Jean-Philippe Ligier (Redspeed/Iame). Ricci took the victory in Finals 1 and 2 in front of Poncelet who was back to his top form and Vincent Arnould (Exprit/Iame). The third Final would decide the outcome of the Championship. Ricci was this time less combative and Poncelet managed to win in a last-minute pass, with Eric Chapon (Alpha/Iame) finishing 2nd. Thanks to his 3rd place, Ricci was crowned French Champion.

Ranking of the 2020 French Master Championship

2 33 44 55 2

195

Thomas Ricci

277 pts

Julien Poncelet

270 pts

Eric Chapon

216 pts

Thierry DelrĂŠ

202 pts

Vincent Arnould

193 pts

KARTCOM NEWS #61

196

NATIONAL

197

KARTCOM NEWS #61

GENTLEMAN

RUNGET AT THE TOP IN ALL CONDITIONS

ĂŠrĂ´me Garayt (KR/Iame) started from the pole position in the Timed Qualifying session, but was penalised in the first heat. Thierry Raccamier (Kosmic/Iame) took the lead on Saturday evening, on equal terms with Willy Runget (Tony Kart/Iame), whereas Yannick Le Moing (Kosmic/Iame) took 3rd place. Runget then went on to get the maximum score by simply winning all three Finals with a bigger and bigger advantage on his rivals, whatever the track conditions. Very comfortable in the rain, Matthieu Bourdon (Redspeed/Iame) counted two 2nd places against one for Emmanuel Ducrot (Sodi/Iame). Franck Darbonville (Exprit/Iame) took two top three finishes.

Ranking of the 2020 French Gentleman Championship

2 33 44 55 2

Willy Runget

300 pts

Matthieu Bourdon

240 pts

Emmanuel Ducrot

218 pts

Franck Darbonville

213 pts

Thierry Raccamier

197 pts

198

NATIONAL

BATTLES AT ALL LEVELS

199

KARTCOM NEWS #61

S IN MAYENNE

French

Wom. KZ2. KZ2 Mast. KZ2 Gentl AND Junior

Champ. 3/5, Laval

KEY POINTS Organiser

FFSA Karting

Location

Circuit de Laval Beausoleil - Louis Paillard, Laval (53), France – 1234 m

Date 9th to 11th October 2020

Entries 144 drivers - 5 categories

Second Sprint event of the FFSA Karting season • Respect of infection-control rules • New surface • Great racing • Frequent overtaking • Fair weather • Vega tyres

200

NATIONAL

WOMEN

SUPERB THREE-WAY BATTLE WON BY CANDAS

oyane Hamidat-Sodez (Kosmic/Iame), Caroline Candas (Tony Kart/Iame) and Luna Cléret (Praga/ Iame) fought a ruthless battle throughout the weekend. Hamidat-Sodez took pole position in the Timed Qualifying sessions, led at the end of the heats and won the first Final. Candas replied in Final 2 and made the difference in Final 3 on a wet track by winning with a more than 5” advantage over her rivals.

Ranking of the 2020 French Women’s Championship

2 33 44 55 2

201

Caroline Candas

285 pts

Royane Hamidat-Sodez

262 pts

Luna Cléret

229 pts

Tania Cirelli

201 pts

Lydie Valichon

201 pts

KARTCOM NEWS #61

202

NATIONAL

203

KARTCOM NEWS #61

KZ2

UNLUCKY TANIC, SOGUEL CROWNED

artinique’s Craig Tanic (Birel ART/TM) took three victories in the heats and won with authority in the first two Finals after pole position was taken by Yohan Soguel (Oberon/Iame). An incident in the lower part of the circuit plunged the favourite into last position, while defending champion Hubert Petit (Sodi/TM) retired. Soguel, who had always been in the lead until then, had the way clear to win the race and the title. Nathan Hédouin (KR/TM) concluded a very satisfactory weekend in 2nd position, while Enzo Valente (Sodi/TM), 2018 Champion, and Thomas Landais (Birel ART/TM) were in the top five of the Championship.

Ranking of the 2020 French KZ2 Championship

2 33 44 55 2

Yohan Soguel

264 pts

Nathan Hédouin

230 pts

Craig Tanic

228 pts

Enzo Valente

193 pts

Thomas Landais

183 pts

204

NATIONAL

KZ2 MASTER

SANCHEZ FINALLY REWARDED

n the 30+ age group, the struggle was close between the three protagonists. However, Yoann Sanchez (Sodi/TM) won almost everything, Qualifying, heats and two out of three Final victories, fully deserving his title. Arthur Poulain (Sodi/TM) and Charles Fiault (Sodi/ TM), the reigning champion, were nevertheless formidable opponents who never gave up threatening the leader. Emilien Grosso (Alpha/TM) was always close to the leading trio, while Jean-Philippe Ligier (Redspeed/TM) was in 5th position in the Final stages.

Ranking of the 2020 French KZ2 Master Championship

2 33 44 55 2

205

Yoann Sanchez

287 pts

Antoine Poulain

262 pts

Charles Fiault

216 pts

Ă&#x2030;milien Grosso

198 pts

Jean-Philippe Ligier

187 pts

KARTCOM NEWS #61

206

NATIONAL

207

KARTCOM NEWS #61

KZ2 GENTLEMAN

TITLE FOR DE GAYE

oleman in Timed Practice, Emmanuel Ducrot (Sodi/ TM) couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything afterwards against the impressive speed of Brice De Gaye (Alpha/TM) who won two heats and especially in two of the three Finals. Ducrot remained combative until the chequered flag. The contenders for the third step of the podium followed one another and finally Alain Billon (Sodi/TM) took the 3rd place ahead of Nicolas Mathon (Birel ART/Vortex) and Benoit Portmann (Birel ART/TM).

Ranking of the 2020 French KZ2 Gentleman Championship

2 33 44 55 2

Brice De Gaye

289 pts

Emmanuel Ducrot

272 pts

Alain Billon

215 pts

Nicolas Mathon

200 pts

Benoit Portmann

197 pts

208

NATIONAL

JUNIOR

PEUGEOT TAKES THE LEAD

he three drivers in the lead battled it out during the whole weekend, but other hopefuls also put in some good performances on the one-design Exprit/Vortex of the FFSA Academy. Alessandro Giusti took pole position and led after the heats, Elliott Vayron won the Prefinal in a tough battle, but Enzo Peugeot took the victory at the end of the Final battle and took the lead in the provisional classification by just a point. Arthur Poulain, Oscar Py, Romain Andriolo and Loris ClĂŠricy took the opportunity to shine not far from the leaders.

Ranking of the 2020 French Junior Championship after the Laval race 3/5

2 33 44 55 2

209

Enzo Peugeot

118 pts

Elliott Vayron

117 pts

Alessandro Giusti

103 pts

Gaspard Simon

80 pts

William Nicouleau

78 pts

KARTCOM NEWS #61

210

NATIONAL

211

KARTCOM NEWS #61

ROMAIN ANDRIOLO RAISES THE PACE IN FRENCH JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

On the strength of his very positive international experience in WSK in Lonato, Romain Andriolo was back at the FFSA Academy on October 10th and 11th for the third round of the French Junior Championship on the circuit of Laval. The overall result of this competition only partially reflects the very interesting performances he achieved during this beautiful autumn weekend.

omain significantly improved his times during the three Free Practice sessions on Friday until he was 4th in the last one. However, the Qualifying Practice didn’t give him the opportunity to perform well in the middle of a nervous pack. Fortunately, he regained some ground in the two Qualifying Heats thanks to his excellent speed. With the fastest lap of the first heat, he confirmed with the 2nd fastest time of the second heat and moved up to 6th position, a gain of five places. The Junior races in Laval were spectacular with many clashes due to the reduced performance differences between the one-design karts and competitors eager to implement the coaches’ advice. Romain was unquestionably one of the drivers making clear progress.

He was initially contesting a solid Prefinal, but was given a penalty for early exit from his lane at the start. It was during the Final that he put in his best performance. Starting in 10th position, he quickly came back to 5th and then took 3rd place for several laps. The end of the race wasn’t so good for him and he finished 7th. His overall performance allowed him to regain a place in the provisional Championship classification, in 8th position, but above all confirmed a very interesting progress that he intends to continue during the fourth round of the French Junior Championship at Aunay-les-Bois, on October 24th and 25th, before heading to Portugal for two important international events in OK-Junior. Romain thanks his partners for their faithful support: Motul, Andriolo Automobile, Big Mat, Gariso, Ligue de Karting Occitanie Pyrénées, ASK 31, HGK and Distinxion.

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HE LEAD

FRENCH F4 CHAMP. 2/7, Magny-Cours

KEY POINTS OrganisER

FFSA Academy

Location

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France – 4411 m

Date 11th - 13th September 2020

Entry 14 drivers - 1 category

FFSA Academy Championship • New Renault Sport turbo 1.3l engine • Pirelli tyres • Very international field • Satisfactory entry levels for the circumstances • Three races during the weekend • Nice weather

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or a change, it was a Japanese driver who took pole position, Ren Sato, while Frenchman Sami Meguetounif took 2nd place ahead of Ayumu Iwasa, followed by Isack Hadjar.

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Sato took advantage of his pole position to win Race 1, but Meguetounif and Hadjar were in front of Iwasa. Dutch driver Marijn Kremers won his duel for 5th place with German Valentino Catalano, the top Junior driver.

Starting in 2nd position in Race 2, Ukrainian driver Ivan Pelkin took the lead quickly and Loris Cabirou (FRA) took 2nd place just ahead of Romain Leroux (FRA) before the intervention of the safety car.

Provisional ranking of the FFSA Academy French F4 Championship after Magny-Cours (2/7) 1

2 33 44 55 6 7 8 9 10 2

Peklin managed to keep the lead and took the win over Cabirou and Leroux. Sato broke away in Race 3 and first took a gap on Iwasa before winning again, despite a small mistake from which he came

out well. Hadjar came back to threaten Iwasa and climbed on the podium for the second time this weekend, this time in 2nd position. Meguetounif finished 4th in front of Mexican driver Rafael Villagomez.

Ren Sato (JPN)

97 pts

Ayumu Iwasa (JPN)

92 pts

Isack Hadjar (FRA)

52 pts

Sami Meguetounif (FRA)

48 pts

Marijn Kremers (NLD)

45 pts

Ivan Peklin (UKR)

41 pts

Valentino Catalano (DEU) 38 pts Rafael Villagomez (MEX)

36 pts

Romain Leroux (FRA)

31 pts

Loris Cabirou (FRA)

25 pts

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A HISTORIC VICTORY IN F4 FOR

IVAN PEKLIN

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For the very first time ever, a Ukrainian driver has won a single-seater race. Racing in the F4-FIA French Championship in 2020, Ivan put up a superb fight to cross the finish line as the winner in one of the three races of the meeting, organised as part of the GT World Challenge on the famous Magny-Cours circuit, which has hosted the French Formula 1 Grand Prix several times.

ut the weekend was a lively one for the Ukrainian... “I sometimes had a hard time finding the right balance with my car. During the Qualifying session in particular, I made a small mistake while my times were improving lap by lap. This definitely deprived me of a better place on the grid for Races 1 and 3.”

chequered flag was a relief. I am proud to win in the colours of Ukraine.”

the same balance, I lacked grip in the corners. My Pirelli tyres had already suffered a lot and it was a frustrating race because I had to settle for 11th place. In any case, this second round of the Championship at Magny-Cours will remain very positive for me with my first victory in single-seaters. I am currently 6th in the Championship and I hope to further improve this position. The next round is at Zandvoort in the Netherlands from 25th to 27th September.”

As for Race 3, it was unfortunately less exciting. “The start generated some tight wheel to wheel duels, I got a bit locked up, without being able to keep my initial place. Afterwards I didn’t find

Luckily, the FFSA Academy staff managed to repair the Mygale with the Renault Sport turbo engine for Race 1. Starting 10th, Peklin made a good start and a remarkable attacking race, before crossing the finish line in 9th position in a small compact group. The objective of starting on the front row of Race 2, with its inverted grid for the first 10, had been achieved! The young hopeful was not going to miss his chance… Stuck to the poleman’s wing from the very beginning of the race, he quickly found the opening to win with panache despite the pressure of the chasing pack until the last metres. “This victory is very satisfying for me. I would like to thank the mechanics for having been able to prepare my car in time on Saturday after my mishap in Qualifying. On top of that, it was incredibly fast. I kept concentration to avoid making mistakes and to keep a good rhythm, because I sometimes saw my opponents very close in my rear-view mirrors. Being in first position under the

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NOAH ANDY EFFORTS AT MAGNY-COURS ARE POORLY REWARDED

Trained at the tough school of karting, Noah Andy is taking part in his very first single-seater season in 2020. The Reunion Island driver has chosen the FFSA Academy to pursue his career within the French F4 Championship, which has revealed so many drivers since its creation several years ago. He arrived in the paddock of the prestigious GT World Challenge at Magny-Cours with great motivation for the second race of the year.

oah Andy first used the Free Practice sessions to perfect his knowledge of the circuit and to begin major tuning work with his technical staff. “At first I had some difficulties in exploiting the car’s potential perfectly. Even when I set up a new set of tyres for official Qualifying, I wasn’t 100% confident and my times weren’t as good as I had hoped,” Noah admitted. Still learning about his new and

unfamiliar environment, Noah knows that he must continue to gain experience to aim higher. Race 1 is a perfect illustration of this. If he had managed to make it through the many incidents that were a feature of this first lap, he could have finished in 12th place after starting 14th. The analysis of the data acquisition and the new settings allowed him to improve his lap times significantly in Race 2. He kept the driver David Ligier behind him and finished in 12th position again after a

very consistent race. Even though he was more and more at ease on the difficult Magny-Cours circuit that has been used by F1 for many years, Noah still suffered the handicap of his modest Qualifying and had to start from the back of the pack. He won his duel with the Russian Lev Lomko, but his 13th position was still far from his initial goals. “Timed Practice is very important in F4 and I have to improve in this area to aim for better results. I hope that the next meeting at Zandvoort in the Netherlands at the end of September will be better for me...”

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OWEN TANGAVELOU

BAD COMBINATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES AT MAGNY-COURS Owen Tangavelou was probably on his way to his first podium in the French F4 Championship on the circuit of Magny-Cours, before an unfortunate racing incident cut off his momentum. But on the Magny-Cours circuit, which is always difficult to tame for a young driver, Owen showed that he was ready for the many challenges in motorsport.

his second race of the season started with some valuable Free Practice sessions to learn the characteristics of the Nièvre track and to refine the settings of his F4 singleseater. Nevertheless, the result of the Qualifying session on Friday afternoon remained below his ambitions. “MagnyCours is a very nice track, even though I lost some time in the long chicane of Imola, which controls the speed of entry in the Château d’eau corner. Also, I found myself in traffic at the moment

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when the tyres were at their best and I couldn’t use them as I wanted,” commented Owen. Forced to start only 12th in Race 1 and 11th in Race 3, the young hopeful didn’t give up. “On Saturday morning, the first lap of Race 1 was quite rough in the pack, but I managed to get through the pitfalls, so that I was 9th at the beginning of the race. Then, during a duel, I found myself on the dirty part of the track and I lost a position. I knew

that I had to defend my 10th place, because it means a pole position start in Race 2 according to the inverted grid principle for the top 10 drivers.”

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In the end, Owen Tangavelou was rewarded for his efforts. In the afternoon, he set up his single-seater on pole position, discovering the pressure of such a moment. “I was very strong in my head. I think I managed the start and the beginning of the race perfectly. It’s a great feeling to be at the front of the pack”. Alas, after a few laps, the chaser managed to join him between the curves of the Château d’eau and the Lycée. “I thought I could keep the advantage, but he squeezed me on the outside and I couldn’t do anything so I lost time in the acceleration. Another driver took the opportunity to try to break through the chicane before the pit stop. From where I was, it was impossible to see him because I was still in front of him at the moment of turning. Unfortunately we touched each other. My car was damaged at the rear wheel and I had to retire. Too bad, as the podium was a real possibility.” Success was not to be on the agenda on Sunday in Race 3. “A driver hit me from behind when I was braking at Adelaide. Once again I had to pass outside and I dirtied my tyres, causing me to go straight on a little bit. This made me lose some places and the possibility of scoring some more points. I couldn’t do better than 12th. This race has given me more experience and after all these incidents, I think I have learnt the lesson. I’m going to arrive stronger in Zandvoort in the Netherlands on 25th, 26th and 27th September”.

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ISACK HADJAR NEW CHALLENGES IN FFSA F4

Fully satisfied with the lessons learnt from his first season in the French F4 Championship, Isack Hadjar is continuing his experience with the FFSA Academy in 2020 in an even more challenging situation with legitimate ambitions. After the first two events, Nogaro and Magny-Cours, he is perfectly in tune with the rhythm and in 3rd place in the provisional ranking of the French F4 Championship. owever, the 2020 season is quite different with a much faster single-seater and very experienced opponents. The FFSA Academy’s F4 has gained in performance with the adoption of the new Renault Sport Turbo engine as well as Pirelli tyres that bring it closer to the higher categories. On the other hand, this year’s line-up brings together drivers with a significant amount of experience and maturity compared to the French youngsters. If the benchmark has been raised by a significant step, the challenge is all the more interesting for Isack.

2nd place on the podium with great combativeness and excellent lap times.

3rd from the first race of the year at Nogaro, Isack wasn’t able to continue fighting for the lead in Race 3, in which he started from the front row, because of a technical incident that forced him to retire.

Isack would like to thank his coach Pierre Sancinéa, the FFSA Academy and his partners GeFi assurance, Usbepower, John Dalia and SportOne, for their commitment to him in this high-level challenge.

Despite having taken 4th place, Isack wasn’t fully satisfied with his Qualifying at the second meeting at Magny-Cours. After that, he drove some very convincing races that saw him take 3rd and then

The third round of the 2020 French F4 Championship will take place at Zandvoort in the Netherlands on 25th, 26th and 27th September.

After his misadventure in Nogaro, Isack was able to take 3rd place in the Championship thanks to his performances at Magny-Cours. He approaches the rest of the competition with tenfold motivation, which still includes five races in this particularly tight season. His achievement is all the greater as he invests the same energy in his education, in first class in an elite high school within the “engineering sciences” section.

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VICTOR BERNIER WINS WITH PANACHE IN F4 AT HOCKENHEIM

Fully immersed in his new challenge in the ADAC German Formula 4 Championship, Frenchman Victor Bernier (age 16) took a spectacular first victory on the prestigious Hockenheim circuit, at the same time rising to 4th place in the provisional classification after the first three meetings of 2020. The R-ace GP driver showed himself to be very competitive from the very first Free Practice sessions and then went on to score the maximum number of points, taking the opportunity to climb the top step of the podium. No doubt that this success will call for more...

Practice sessions on Friday. Very comfortable on this 4574-metre long track that regularly hosts the German Formula 1 Grand Prix, Victor was one of the great players in the Qualifying sessions, even though he was slightly disappointed when reading the results. “It was extremely close, as I finished the first session a tenth of a second from 3rd, and the second at 5 hundredths! I think I could have used the tyres even better.” In the end, Victor took the 6th and 7th fastest times, i.e. his positions on the starting grid for both races on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, Race 1 started with a crash. I got stuck between two drivers, I couldn’t do anything! In this misadventure, my front wing was damaged and I quickly saw that the car lacked effectiveness. I preferred to stop to avoid wearing out the tyres too much.”

onscious of racing in an extremely competitive Championship, with numerous contenders for victory, Victor Bernier nevertheless remains focused on his ambitions to win. World Champion in Karting in 2018 (two years ago to the day) then French Junior F4 Champion in 2019, the French motor sport hopeful wants to get noticed this season in his first year in ADAC F4 and give his career

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a new boost in order to continue his upward trajectory.

REDUCED GAPS IN QUALIFYING At Hockenheim, he was immediately on terms with the fastest, taking 3rd and 2nd positions in the two Free

A BEAUTIFUL VICTORY! His start was much better in Race 2, with a place gained in the first corners, then a second in the next lap. Two superb overtakes later, Victor Bernier could look forward to a podium finish. “In the last few laps, my car started to deteriorate, maybe because of the tyre pressures I had chosen. Two drivers passed me, but I still saved 5th place by giving my best all the way to the end.” A 5th place in these conditions remains a significant result, but Victor knows he can do even better. “We tried to improve my single-seater with the R-ace GP team for Race 3 on Sunday and the work paid off. I was able to keep a very high pace throughout the 15 laps.” From 4th to 3rd place on the first lap, Victor managed to find the opening on the 2nd-placed driver at the start of the last third of the race. “I was faster than the leader, but he defended his position very hard. I had to wait until the last lap to overtake him definitively under braking. I was looking forward to winning again, after having finished the 2019 French F4 Championship with a victory at Paul Ricard.” Victor Bernier moved up to 4th in the provisional standings of the ADAC German F4 Championship and does not intend to stop there. “I dedicate this victory to my R-Ace GP team, to my manager Stéphane Guérin, as well as to my partners, Vigus’b, the FFSA Academy and my Ancenis club in the Brittany-Pays de la Loire region. The objective is to stay on the same dynamic in a few days, during the next event at the Nürburgring, where we will compete as curtain raiser for the famous 24 Hours.”

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NEW CIRCUIT AND VICTORY FOR

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D DOUBLE IWASA

FRENCH F4 CHAMP. 3/7, Zandvoort

KEY POINTS OrganisER

FFSA Academy

Location

Circuit Zandvoort, Pays-Bas – 4259 m

Date 11th - 13th September 2020

Entry 14 pilotes – 1 catégorie

FFSA Academy Championship • New • Renault Sport turbo 1.3l engine • Pirelli tyresVery international field • Satisfactory entry levels for the circumstances • Three races during the weekend • Variable weather • First trip to Zandvoort

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n a dry track, Marijn Kremers (NLD) took a very strategic pole position on his home ground. Isack Hadjar (FRA) took 2nd in front of Ayumu Iwasa (JPN).

Iwasa made a very good start in Race 1 and took the lead in the first corner. Kremers took the advantage over Hadjar who finally finished 4th behind Ren Sato (JPN), with Rafael Villagomez (MEX) completing the top five. On a slippery track in Race 2, Romain Leroux exploited his pole position perfectly to take his first victory. Sato took 2nd place, but Hadjar came back strongly and took advantage of a mistake by the Japanese driver to finish 2nd. Iwasa and Valentino Catalano (DEU) took 4th and 5th positions. Back in the lead of Race 3, Kremers had to give way to Iwasa after the intervention of the safety car. Iwasa took his fourth victory of the season against Kremers. Catalano was on the podium in front of Hadjar and Leroux slipped into 5th position at the last minute, followed by Sato.

Provisional classification of the FFSA Academy French F4 Championship after Zandvoort (3/7) 1

2 33 44 55 6 7 8 9 10 2

233

Ayumu Iwasa (JPN)

153 pts

Ren Sato (JPN)

130 pts

Isack Hadjar (FRA)

88 pts

Marijn Kremers (NLD)

83 pts

Valentino Catalano (DEU)

67 pts

Romain Leroux (FRA)

57 pts

Rafael Villagomez (MEX)

56 pts

Sami Meguetounif (FRA)

52 pts

Ivan Peklin (UKR)

43 pts

Loris Cabirou (FRA)

37 pts

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IVAN PEKLIN LACK OF SUCCESS AFTER A SUPER QUALIFYING

Ivan Peklin could have been disappointed with the final result of the third round of the French FIA-F4 Championship at Zandvoort (Netherlands), as he had strong reasons to hope for an excellent result. The young Ukrainian hopeful had an excellent start to his weekend of 26th and 27th September, thanks to a perfect management of the Qualifying session.

“W

hen I went out on the track, the lines were still wet, but started to dry out as the laps went by,” said Ivan, “However, there were three red flag interruptions in a row, because the stewards had to evacuate the cars of the drivers who had made a mistake. It was quite stressful, but it was imperative to stay focused because the lap times improved each time we started again. In the end, it all came down to the final laps and I managed to gain my place in 4th position for Race 1 and on the outside front row for Race 3.” On a completely dry track, Ivan Peklin unfortunately lacked performance in Race 1 and had to be satisfied with 9th place. A result that nevertheless allowed him to start 2nd in Race 2, according to the principle of the inverted grid for the top 10. Once again, the Ukrainian driver would experience another disappointment. “The rain forced us to mount the wet tyres on our cars. The race was very hard fought and mistakes were

waiting for us at different places on the circuit which had become very slippery. In the end, my performance ended with a crash, in which I wasn’t at all responsible, as confirmed by the race director.” Once again on the front row in Race 3, this time on slick tyres, the French F4 Championship contender would have to defend his place in a very tough international leading group. Although determined to finish his weekend with a good performance, the Ukrainian driver had to retire again, this time because of a puncture after contact with another driver in a tough duel. “It is clear that the result of the Qualifying session was much better. I didn’t make any progress in the Championship and I lost places. The aim is to get back into the top five very quickly, or even on to the podium!”

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NOAH ANDY DIFFICULT LEARNING CONDITIONS AT ZANDVOORT

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the session, I managed to get into the top 10, but circumstances made it impossible for me to improve in the last minutes of the session. Several drivers passed me.”

Coming from a karting background, Noah Andy has discovered a totally new environment this season after choosing to make his debut in single-seater racing with the FFSA Academy in the French Formula 4 Championship. At each event, he has to learn and assimilate many things in order to make progress. Acquiring a maximum of experience remains his main objective, as the young driver from Reunion Island has far from the same experience as most of his rivals.

fter a steady rise in performance during the first two meetings at Nogaro and Magny-Cours in optimum track conditions, Andy had to deal with the changing weather in the Netherlands, on the edge of the North Sea. It was therefore not easy to learn the fast and difficult Zandvoort circuit, as well as to think about the best possible settings, when you can’t predict the grip of the track at the start! “With its relief, its sequences and its

banking, it takes a little bit of time to get used to this track,” confirmed Noah Andy. “It takes more than a single session to find all your marks. And when, on top of that, you have to face lines that dry up during the very important Qualifying session, it becomes a formidable exercise. “We started on slick tyres, but the track was still slippery. Some drivers made mistakes and the red flag came out. Every time I started to improve I was stopped in my tracks. At the end of

Lacking data to set the right set-up for his F4 car in Race 1 in the dry, Noah Andy found himself in trouble and was unable to get back on track as he would have liked. Starting 14th, he has to be satisfied with 12th place. The next morning for Race 2, the weather changed again. The track was clearly wet and the rain tyres came out. “In these conditions, I was quite comfortable. I got a good start and I was hoping to attack the drivers who started in front of me. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake and I lost contact with the field. In the end, the race ended behind the safety car because of a crash, definitively ending all possibilities of gaining places.” After this 11th place in Race 2, Noah Andy was to repeat his score of Saturday in the last race of the meeting: 12th. “We switched back to slicks and I saw that I was starting to get my bearings. I was improving my times as the laps went by and the top ten was finally only two seconds ahead of me. The experience is irreplaceable and only with more tests and races will I continue to improve.”

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OWEN TANGAVELOU PROGRESS THAT DESERVED A BETTER RESULT

Owen Tangavelou continues to get faster and faster with each new event in the 2020 FIA French F4 Championship. His two new top 10 finishes on the magnificent circuit of Zandvoort in the Netherlands prove it. But on closer inspection, this young driver who is competing in his very first season in a single-seater could have scored more points without a lack of success in Race 1.

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t all started with a Qualifying session that allowed Owen to get into the top 10 on the grid for Race 1. “There were several track exits that resulted in the red flag being raised three times,” said the FFSA Academy driver. “Wet at the beginning, the track gained grip as the minutes went by and everyone improved every time we came out of the pits. It was after the last restart that almost all of us set our best times. The session could have lasted five minutes, instead of 25, that would have been enough! Nevertheless, it was not easy to manage, especially with the traffic on the track.” On Saturday morning at the start of Race 1, things were to immediately get complicated for Owen Tangavelou. “From the second lap, another driver made a mistake and his car collided with mine. I couldn’t do anything. There was quite a lot of damage at the front. But Race 1 is really the one not to be missed, as it determines the starting order of Race 2, with an inverted grid for the top 10. I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.” Despite all this, Owen refused to give up. With rain tyres on a wet track on Sunday morning, he progressed from 14th to 9th place. “Due to another incident we finished the race behind the safety car and I couldn’t overtake any more drivers in the last few laps.” In Race 3, Owen finally managed to score some more Championship points, moving up from 11th to 9th place on a completely dry track. “I managed to maintain a good rhythm, I was very close in performance to the drivers fighting in the middle of the pack. This bodes well for the upcoming meetings.”

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S IN PROVENCE

FRENCH F4 CHAMP. 4/7, Le Castellet

KEY POINTS OrganisER

FFSA Academy

Location

Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France – 3800 m

Date 2nd - 4th October 2020

Entry 14 drivers - 1 category

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n a wet track, Ayumu Iwasa (JPN) was very comfortable and took a double pole position in front of Rafael Villagomez (MEX) and Ren Sato (JPN).

The Pirelli slicks were out for the first race on dry tarmac. Sato threatened Iwasa, but the latter held on and took another victory, whereas Sami Meguetounif (FRA) resisted Valentino Catalano (DEU) and climbed on the podium. Isack Hadjar (FRA) didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t finish a lap. Sato made another hot start in Race 2 with the grid reversed for the top 10. Contacts were made in the pack. Hadjar made a tremendous comeback from last place and finished 2nd in the wheeltracks of the winner Sato while Iwasa mounted the podium. Iwasa and Hadjar were in the lead in Race 3. Despite the constant threat from the Frenchman, the Japanese driver didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lose his cool and took his sixth victory of the season. Sato finished 3rd in front of Villagomez and Meguetounif.

Provisional ranking of the FFSA Academy French F4 Championship after Paul Ricard (4/7) 1

2 33 44 55 6 7 8 9 10 2

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Ayumu Iwasa (JPN)

215 pts

Ren Sato (JPN)

179 pts

Isack Hadjar (FRA)

120 pts

Valentino Catalano (DEU)

93 pts

Marijn Kremers (NLD)

83 pts

Rafael Villagomez (MEX)

80 pts

Sami Meguetounif (FRA)

77 pts

Romain Leroux (FRA)

71 pts

Loris Cabirou (FRA)

55 pts

Ivan Peklin (UKR)

50 pts

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THE PAUL RICARD CIRCUIT DOESN’T SMILE ON

IVAN PEKLIN

Ivan Peklin, who is usually a great protagonist in the pack of the French F4 Championship recognised by the FIA, will unfortunately not have great memories of his trip to the Paul Ricard circuit, in the south-east of France. A series of unfortunate situations compromised the Ukrainian hopeful’s chances to score important points in the overall classification.

his fourth race of the 2020 season, out of the seven to be contested in total, started with an encouraging lap time for Ivan Peklin in the Free Practice session. Unfortunately, whereas the MagnyCours race winner was hoping to make further progress in the rankings, almost the opposite happened. “Due to the pandemic, I couldn’t go to the Paul Ricard circuit in July for the test session organised by the FFSA Academy, unlike most of my rivals.” “And I admit that this long track is not easy to understand. There is a lack of visual reference points with large clear zones, making it a unique circuit. Moreover, I made a small mistake at the end of the qualifying session, when I was on the way to improve my classification. This didn’t help my situation during the whole meeting”.

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In the first race, Ivan Peklin had a technical problem. “The mechanics changed my steering wheel, but I didn’t have the same feeling afterwards. In a single-seater you have to be extremely precise, especially as the track was still wet and we were equipped with slick tyres. However, my times improved at the end of the race and I managed to gain a place compared to my original position, finally finishing P7.” In Race 2, the Ukrainian was unfortunately involved in a crash, where the mistake by another driver was acknowledged. While he was hoping to take advantage of his 4th place on the starting grid to aim for a good result, he picked up a puncture in the incident. After a pit stop to change the damaged tyre, Ivan had to be satisfied with 11th place. “This change changed the balance of my F4 car, which also delayed me in Race 3. I was only able

to keep my starting position, 10th. I am now looking forward to the next race.”

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NOAH ANDY RETURNS TO THE TOP 10 AT PAUL RICARD

After his disappointing return from his trip to Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Noah Andy was keen to show that he was capable of doing much better at the fourth round of the 2020 FIA F4 French Championship. On Friday, the hopeful Reunionese driver had to face the subtleties of the Paul Ricard circuit, which he is discovering for the first time and the changing weather conditions did not make his task any easier. “In July, I didn’t have the opportunity to take part in the tests organised by the FFSA Academy and I only had one Free Practice session to learn the track, before attacking the Qualifying session,” Noah regretted. “In addition, the track wasn’t quite dry yet, so it wasn’t ideal for finding the limits.”

n the end, the drivers had to start the competition with a singleseater equipped with rain tyres to go against the clock. “The session was cut short by a red flag, whereas I would have liked to be able to improve my times and my 11th position.” On Saturday morning for Race 1, the rain stopped, the slick tyres were back, but the lines were still wet in places, and

tricky! Noah Andy got off to a very good start and made an incisive and efficient start to the race, to the point of approaching the top five. Alas, surprised by a slippery part of the Paul Ricard circuit, he couldn’t avoid a spin and found himself relegated to last position! “After that, I kept a good rhythm, I managed to overtake two drivers and I was even very close to overtaking for

10th. It’s a pity I didn’t make it, because the starting grid for Race 2 is calculated according to the reverse order of the top 10.” After a difficult first lap in Race 2, Noah Andy showed his temperament again as he gradually moved up in the hierarchy. This time, he crossed the finish line in 9th position after some intense duels. During Race 3 the driver from Reunion Island was again close to the top ten for several laps. Unfortunately, the end of the race wasn’t favourable for him, forcing him to settle for 13th place. Nevertheless, Noah is making progress from race to race, step by step, and no doubt that this will pay off in the last three meetings of the season scheduled for Spa-Francorchamps, Lédenon and Le Mans. “At each new race, I learn a lot alongside the engineers of the FFSA Academy. I’m on the right track for my first year in motor racing. I’m aware that you have to be patient and that the results should improve quickly.”

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OWEN TANGAVELOU

DIFFICULT STARTS AT PAUL RICARD BUT A FEW MORE POINTS

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KARTCOM NEWS #61

In Qualifying as well as in racing, Owen Tangavelou showed an ever more consistent and solid level of performance on the Paul Ricard circuit, at the fourth round of the FIA French F4 Championship. His progression within the pack is real and the young Frenchman was again close to the podium despite having much less experience in motorsport than most of his rivals.

espite his unfamiliarity with the track, also used by Formula 1, Owen took 8th place in the Free Practice session. But he had to question himself for the official Qualifying session, as the wet track required the use of rain tyres. Although his lap times improved steadily with each lap, he was disappointed to settle for 10th place on the grid for Race 1. However, his best second fastest lap time in Race 3 gave him 7th place, his best starting position since the beginning of the season. LThe slicks were back on for Race 1, but the track was still wet and tricky, with little grip. “In these conditions, it was difficult to take risks,” commented Owen. “I just managed to keep my 10th

place at the finish, which gave me two more points in the Championship”.

restart to keep cooler tyres for Race 3.”

This position allowed him to start Race 2 in pole position, according to the principle of the inverted starting grid. Even if the track dried out, Owen Tangavelou had to deal with some sliding when the lights went out and he was quickly overtaken by one driver, then by a second. “On the third lap, I may have entered a corner a little bit too fast, but the grip wasn’t yet optimal, and my tyres weren’t perfectly up to temperature. At the end of the corner I hit a kerb which sent me into a spin. It was disappointing, because a podium finish was possible in this race. As I had no more chance of scoring points, I preferred not to

In this final round, Owen Tangavelou will be chasing for points. “Once again, my start wasn’t optimum. It’s really an area where I’ll have to improve and we’ve already planned to talk about it soon with the engineers of the FFSA Academy. It’s a pity, I was 7th on the grid, but only 10th on the first lap. After that I was fast and I was able to gain another place and finish 9th, thus increasing my points total.”

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VIDEO

PLAYER

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

FIA Karting European Championship KZ/KZ2/ Academy Round 2 Genk Highlights

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KARTCOM NEWS #61

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FIA Karting European Championship – OK & OK-Junior – Wackersdorf

R VIDEO

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FIA Karting European Championship 2020 Junior/OK Wackersdorf Germany Highlight

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

FIA Karting World Championship Lonato Italy Highlight

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