FIA Karting European Championship, Portimao - Matveev and Severiukhin are the first seasonal winners

New course and new drivers at the top of international karting. The first weekend of the year goes in the archives with two victories marked by consistency and some twists and turns, probably already decisive for the fate of this season.

OK - Severiukhin, a perfect back-to-back
Perhaps Severiukhin himself, surprise master of the first continental round, did not expect two weeks like this. The Ward Racing driver, already victorious and protagonist of the Champions of The Future at Portimao (preparation race), repeated himself today. The Russian has built his success since the last heats of yesterday, useful to be able to face and win the Super Heat with more confidence. Even in the twenty laps of the Senior Final, Severiukhin had no choice but to run away to solo success.
The race was much closer for the podium positions with a battle that had two key moments. In the early stages it was Evan Giltaire who led the charge in the hunt for first place, followed by Joe Turney and Kean Nakamura-Berta. It was the 2021 Junior World Champion who, towards the middle of the race, started a counter-productive battle with the two rivals, which ended up rewarding Tomass Stolcermanis, who was able to exploit a gap to pass. The Latvian driver, among the fastest of the weekend, in the last part of the race had almost completely recovered the gap from Severiukhin, but then had to surrender to a penalty of 5sec at the end of the race (front spoiler). Second place for Joe Turney, the best of the Tony Kart trio favoured on the eve of the race, third place for Oscar Pedersen with seven positions recovered from the start, a worthy end to a weekend to remember for the Ward Racing colours. Top five completed by Nakamura-Berta and Giltaire, both authors of a positive weekend. To be mentioned the incident of the first lap with five drivers out of the race, also involved Tuukka Taponen and Viktor Gustavsson, who restarted after the contact.

OKJ - Matveev-Khavalkin, what a duo
The new course of the Junior starts with two new names with clear signs of high potential already launched last season. Dmitry Matveev and Anatoly Khavalkin put on their own show during the Portuguese weekend, sharing victories, overtaking and even the final podium.
Already at loggerheads in this morning's Super Heat, won by Khavalkin with a surgical overtaking move, they both repeated themselves in the Junior final. Matveev got off to a perfect start, firmly in command from pole position, intelligent and constant in his conduct of the race, never quiet and never alone. Breath on the neck constant caused, in fact, by compatriot Khavalkin started from fifth position and quickly behind the rival in a few laps. A perfect race also for the Parolin driver, just a step away from finding the breakthrough that would have allowed the attack for the first position. With this result, Dmitry Matveev takes home the victory and the top of the general classification, giving Koski Motorsport a success pursued since last season.
Also in the Junior category there was a tight fight for the podium with Oleksandr Bondarev, Nathan Tye, René Lammers and Thomas Strauven closely involved. During the first half of the race it was Bondarev and break the delay by trying to attack Nathan Tye, resulting in a contact of the race detrimental to both and turned into a perfect opportunity by Lammers, third under the checkered flag. Fourth place in the hands of Thomas Strauven, fifth Tye.

COMPLETE RESULTS

From Portimao, S.Corradengo