FIA Karting European Championship – OK/Junior: Guide to Round 2 at Sarno

• Info: FIA Karting / Guillaume Alvarez
• Photos: FIA Karting / KSP

After the Spanish circuit of Zuera, the second Compétition of the 2020 FIA Karting European Championship – OK/Junior takes place this weekend at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli of Sarno. Slightly shorter, the Italian track is also one of the fastest of the season while remaining very technical.

This is where a large part of the two European titles will be played: reduced to three Competitions instead of four because of COVID-19, only the two best results of the Qualifying Heats and the Finals of the FIA Karting European Championships – OK/Junior will be counted.

In this three-Competition configuration, missteps are costly and the tension will be palpable in Sarno as soon as the Qualifying Practices are held for the contenders for the FIA Karting European Championships – OK/Junior.

Main info & figures

• Name: 2020 FIA Karting European Championship Round 2
• Federation: CIK-FIA
• Promoter: RGMMC Group
• Organizer: Karting Club Sarno
• ASN: Commissione Sportiva Automobilistica Italiana
• Classes: 2 (OK, Junior)
• Drivers: 180
• Countries: 13
• Tires: LeCont
• Engines: IAME, TM Racing, Vortex, Modena

Circuit

In Spain, we have seen that a bold strategy can have serious consequences. It will be the same on the 1547 m of the Circuito Internazionale Napoli, well known by international teams. During the races, confrontations are usually fierce and overtaking is often frequent on this track. The racing will be spectacular from the first Qualifying Heats onwards.

• Name: Circuito Internazionale Napoli
• Location: Sarno (Naples), Italy
• Rotation: Clockwise
• Length: 1547 meters
• Width: 9-11 meters
• Corners: 13
• Straight lines: 3

Weather forecast

As usually the case at Sarno, Sunny weather, high temperatures and low humidity should be expected for the duration of the event, providing drivers with ideal track conditions while putting their physical resistance to the test!

• Friday: Sunny, 0% precipitation, 44% humidity, 23-35°C
• Saturday: Sunny, 0% precipitation, 45% humidity, 22-35°C
• Sunday: Sunny, 0% precipitation, 62% humidity, 23-33°C

Classes

OK

The top trio in the OK category made a strong impression in Zuera and the same may well be true in Sarno. Apparently, Taylor Barnard’s extra year in OK does not count for much against the determination of the two Rookies, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Nikita Bedrin.

The new-found form of 2018 Champion Hannes Janker is a pleasure to see against these young hopefuls, also including Laurens van Hoepen. Rafaele Chaves Camara’s impressive 24-place recovery in the Zuera Final gives an idea of his potential, while Norton Andreasson proved his speed on several occasions. Other participants, whether experienced or not, are likely to do their utmost to move up in the race and delight the racing fans.

• Drivers: 86
• Nationalities: 9
• Age: From 14 years old (in the year)
• Chassis: CIK-FIA International homologation
• Engine: 125cc direct-coupled, 2-stroke, mixed-lubrication engine
• Cooling: Water
• Exhaust: one-design with power valve
• Carburetor: 24 mm butterfly
• Horsepower: 39
• Revolutions: 16000 rpm (limiter)
• Brakes: Single rear with hydraulic control
• Weight: Minimum 145 kg (driver included)
• No gear shifting, clutch, starter or battery
• Tires: LeCont (“prime”, medium)
• Sarno lap time reference: 57″162, Zane Maloney (FA Kart/Vortex), 2018 FIA Karting European Championship

Junior

The top six in the provisional standings, Tuukka Taponen, Brando Badoer, Arvid Lindblad, Ugo Ugochukwu, Alex Powell and Valerio Rinicella are separated by only nine points. This means that there is a great deal of uncertainty for the Sarno Competition. Taponen’s eight-place climb in the Zuera Final certainly made a big impression but Ugochukwu did even better with an 11-place progression and the fastest lap in the race.

A number of serious contenders will no doubt strive to avoid repeating the mistakes from Zuera in Qualifying to keep their chances in the Championship alive. The racing promises to be extremely open with a need to get back into contention for some and a desire to preserve their advantage for others.

• Drivers: 94
• Nationalities: 11
• Age: 12-14 years old
• Chassis: CIK-FIA International homologation
• Engine: 125cc direct-coupled, 2-stroke, mixed-lubrication engine
• Cooling: Water
• Exhaust: One-design without valve
• Carburetor: 20 mm butterfly
• Horsepower: 29
• Revolutions: 14 000 rpm (limiter)
• Brakes: Single rear with hydraulic control
• Weight: Minimum 140 kg (driver included)
• No gear shifting, clutch, starter or battery
• Tires: LeCont (“option”, hard)
• Sarno lap time reference: 59″597, Paul Aron (Kosmic/Vortex), 2018 FIA Karting European Championship

Last OK/Junior event at Sarno

2018 FIA Karting European Championship – Round 1:

• OK Polesitter: Zane Maloney (FA Kart/Vortex) – 57″162
• OK Heats leader: Roman Stanek (Kosmic/Vortex)
• OK Final winner: Roman Stanek (Kosmic/Vortex)

• Junior Polesitter: Paul Aron (Kosmic/Vortex) – 59″597
• Junior Heats leader: Paul Aron (Kosmic/Vortex)
• Junior Final winner: Paul Aron (Kosmic/Vortex)

How to follow the meeting?

A live page will be at your disposal from Friday to Sunday, including live timing and live streaming (available on Saturday and Sunday).

Reports and results will be published on this website on a daily base.

Main schedule

Useful documents

• Full meeting schedule
• Full entry-list for OK and Junior
• Covid-19 plan

2020 FIA Karting calendar – OK/Junior

Check out our full international karting calendar here.

You may also be interested in:

• Round 1 – OK: Antonelli edges out Barnard
• Round 1 – Junior: Taponen achieves a successful recovery
• Round 1 / Saturday: Barnard and Lindblad provisional leaders
• Round 1 / Friday: Barnard and Rinicella on pole at Zuera!

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