FIA Karting European Championship, Adria - Victories for Irlando, Gustavsson and Zilisch

The first appointment of the European route is already in the archive after a weekend full of interesting ideas for the KZ panorama. Both the show on display and the very high potential of all the contenders for the 2020 continental title.

KZ - Irlando and Birel Art in seventh heaven
A weekend that ends as we started it, a season that begins exactly the way it ended, KZ is Birel Art dependent. A fiery afternoon for the Lissone company that immediately established itself as a cannibal by deploying all the best of its line-up in the front rows at the attack of the deserved pole position of Simo Puhakka (Tony Kart). At the start the Finn perhaps did not start as he would have liked and was immediately threatened by a brilliant Irlando capable of taking the lead at the start of turn 2, a maneuver then replicated by the equally brilliant Matteo Viganò (Lennox Racing Team) who jumped from the fourth in second place returning Puhakka to the third step of the podium. From that moment on it is a continuous war of nerves with Irlando who, albeit firmly in command, fails to make a void on Viganò and Puhakka, taking them with him at a safe distance until the end. In the rear, meanwhile, it is always a show with Riccardo Longhi (Birel Art) comeback towards the top positions. After 21 laps of tension, the usual twist worthy of great events falls on Matteo Viganò's head, just when the Charles Leclerc-branded driver was preparing to attack Irlando, a sudden technical problem forced him to approach his own Birel chassis abandoning the race with his hands in his hair. A waste that does not cancel a great weekend but which in fact gives the green light to Irlando to complete a giant race by winning ahead of Simo Puhakka, who is also more than positive. Third place therefore in the hands of Riccardo Longhi, fourth and fifth place for a good Marijn Kremers (Ricciardo Kart) on his return and Fabian Federer (SRP Racing) in a comeback of six positions.

KZ2 - Gustavsson good first
KZ2 opens the afternoon of the very finals with the great show of strength as well as the first victory at the debut for the Charles Leclerc by Lennox Racing Team with the Swedish Viktor Gustavsson. Already projected in front of everyone after obtaining the pole position, the Nordic completed his journey by imposing a practically infernal pace for everyone with a second advantage after just five laps. Solitary race and victory never in question for a driver who is a candidate for the role of great surprise at the beginning of 2020. If Gustavsson did not have to do anything else but accelerate, the tension behind him remained sky high until the end. Simone Cunati (Modena Kart) and Giuseppe Palomba (Birel Art) literally animated the KZ2 show by carrying out a race more comparable to a duet. Between the 2019 Italian Champion and the Campanian, the bagarre is now recurring and proved to be so also on this occasion with Cunati splendid to close all possible doors to an arrembante Palomba who starts the European Championship in a positive way. Only a tenth divided the two riders, who arrived on parade under the checkered flag in second and third place followed by Paavo Tonteri (SC Perfomance) revelation of the weekend, able to keep the fourth position. Fifth Tom Leuillet (Prague) alone in the top five with overtaking to the assets, five compared to the start.

FIA Academy Trophy - Zilish the American
The trophy for the youngest on the track starts the season speaking American thanks to the talent of Connor Zilish. The stars and stripes driver had already impressed during the heats by taking the initial pole position, the same which he then easily transformed into victory with a four-second advantage over Maxime Furon-Castelain, another experienced rider in the category, third Jonathan Weywadt . Top five completed by Maceo Capietto and Rafel Modonese with nine recovered positions.

 

FULL RESULTS

S.Corradengo
Photo: Fotocar13