- Text: Guillaume Alvarez
- Photos: James Gasperotti
KZ2
Alessandro Irlando (Birel ART)/TM) got his first appearance in this year’s WSK Super Master Series off to a strong start by taking pole position in the KZ2 class on Friday morning. The Italian was the fastest in the opening series ahead of his teammate Riccardo Longhi (Birel ART/TM) and Douglas Lundberg (Lenzokart/TM). Giacomo Pollini (Formula K/TM) secured the fourth place ahead of Matthew Payne (Birel ART/TM).
Two heats were on schedule for the shifter category filled with 77 drivers. Lundberg kept his advantage in the opening race (C-E) in front of Giuseppe Palomba (Birel ART/TM) and Jérémy Iglésias (Formula K/TM) after an early tussle between Payne and Adrien Renaudin (Sodikart/TM) led to their retirement after the start. The second confrontation smiled upon Pollini who denied Longhi the win ahead of Simo Puhakka (Tony Kart/Vortex).
Next Qualifying Heat for the KZ2 class: Saturday at 09:40 am (A-E)
OK
Out of 88 participants, Enzo Trulli (KR/IAME) led a Kart Republic 1-2 in the OK Qualifying session ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli (KR/IAME), fastest in the first and third groups respectively. Rafael Camara (Exprit/TM), quickest in the middle series, was third, followed by his Forza Racing teammate Dilano Van’t Hoff (Exprit/TM) and Lorenzo Travisanutto (Tony Kart/Vortex).
Standings’s leader Pedro Hiltbrand (Tony Kart/Vortex) recovered three positions to take the first heat win of the day (C-E) in front of Camara and Travisanutto. Antonelli did likewise in the second race (B-D) way ahead of Joe Turney (Tony Kart/Vortex) and Nikita Bedrin (Tony Kart/Vortex).
Later on, the overall polesitter Trulli converted his Qualifying performance into success (A-E) against Hiltbrand and Travisanutto, both securing their second top three-finish. Eventually, Theo Wernesson (Kosmic/TM) claimed the fourth and last qualifying race (C-D) for a short distance ahead of Van’t Hoff and Camara.
Next Qualifying Heat for the OK class: Saturday at 11:00 am (A-B)
OK-Junior
Kart Republic once again ruled out Qualifying’s outcome, this time in the 97 driver-filled OK-Junior class, with Brando Badoer (KR/IAME), fastest in the third series, leading Igor Cepil (KR/IAME), Arvid Lindblad (KR/IAME) and TB Racing Team’s Akshay Bohra (KR/IAME). Karol Pasiewicz (Tony Kart/Vortex) followed in fifth place ahead of Tymoteucz Kucharczyk (RK/TM).
The Junior drivers, along with the Minis, were the busiest of the day racing-wise with six heats. Badoer secured an early victory (A-B) in front of Cepiln Matheus Ferreira (KR/IAME) and Alfio Spina (KR/IAME), winner of the opening round at Adria. Lindblad dominated the next heat (C-D) against Douwe Dedecker (KR/IAMe) and Bohra, both promoted one rank after Cristian Bertuca (Birel ART/TM) was penalized (front fairing).
The E vs. F race was clinched by Martinius Stenshorne (KR/IAME) in front of Kucharczyk and Pasiewicz, while Badoer added another win (A-C) to his Friday’s tally by preceding Lindblad and a recovering Freddie Slater (Kosmic/Vortex). The last two Qualifying Heats of the day went to Kucharczyk (D-F), ahead of Bertuca and Tuukka Taponen (Redspeed/IAME), and Cepil (B-E) who had the upper hand over Ugo Ugochukwu (Kosmic/Vortex), climbing from seventh on the grid, and Spina.
Next Qualifying Heat for the OK-Junior class: Saturday at 10:20 am (A-D)
Mini 60
Mark Kastelic (KR/TM) took advantage of improving track conditions to take the overall fastest lap in the Mini 60 Qualifying session, topping a field of more than 100 drivers. Luka Savu (KR/TM) followed in second position ahead of Antonio Apicella (Energy Corse/TM), Jan Przyrowsky (Parolin/TM), James Egozi (Tony Kart/Vortex) and Shimo Zhang (Parolin/TM).
Dmitry Matveev (Energy Corse/TM), one of the eye-catching performers in the class since the season kicked off, took the opening heat (A-B) for himself, ahead of Kastelic and German Foteev (Energy Corse/TM). In the next race (C-D), Rashid Al Dhaheri (Parolin/TM) recovered from a more difficult Qualifying up to first position, followed by Kean Berta Nakamura (KR/IAME) and Apicella.
Gerasim Skulanov (IPK/TM), victorious at Adria’s opener, won the following heat (E-F) in front of Egozi and Zhang, imitated in the A-C race by Matveev claiming his second success as he defeated Maciej Gladysz (Parolin/TM) and Anatoly Khavalkin (Parolin/TM). The penultimate heat (D-F) saw the victory achieved by Przyrowsky ahead of Enzo Tarnvanichkul (Energy Corse/TM) and Yaroslav Trukhin (Energy Corse/TM), while the closing race of Friday went to Skulanov, twice on top, followed by Jimmy Hélias (Tony Kart/Vortex), producing his effort from eighth, and René Lammers (Parolin/TM).
Next Qualifying Heat for the Mini 60 class: Saturday at 11:40 am (A-D)
Main schedule
| Saturday | 08:00 – 09:38 Warm-up 09:40 – 17:50 Qualifying Heats |
| Sunday | 08:20 – 09:58 Warm-up 10:00 – 11:45 Qualifying Heats 11:50 – 14:30 Prefinals 14:30 – 16:25 Finals |
Useful links:
You may also be interested in:
- WSK Super Master Series – Round 2: What you need to know
- WSK Super Master Series R1 – OK : Hiltbrand defeats Barnard & Van’t Hoff
- WSK Super Master Series R1 – OK-Junior : Spina makes it two in a row at Adria
- WSK Super Master Series R1 – Mini 60 : Skulanov victorious in a thrilling Final
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