South European Trophy: New Success on French Soil

The top performances of French driver Enzo Guibbert, who won in KF2, and of Esteban Ocon, second in KF3, added a special touch to the event and proved the worth of French drivers in the international arena. The circuit and team of Varennes-sur-Allier lived up to expectations again by organising a very high standard international meeting in close cooperation with the FFSA. Everything was perfectly organised on the Auvergne circuit and not even a grain of sand disrupted these European KF2 and KF3 qualifications. As usual, the FFSA/ASK Varennes lived up to the confidence placed in it by the CIK-FIA for several years now.
«The weather was very nice, races were of a particularly high standard and French drivers showed some striking performances. As president of the Commission Nationale de Karting, I am very happy with this success. The young French drivers are very talented and their success is extremely encouraging for our sport: it is a good omen for the future» Jean-Pierre Deschamps added.

Spanish, Italian, Swiss, and German drivers contributed to the quality of this international event, with their best representatives in the lead places of the meeting, against a group of French competitors very motivated by the high stake of the event. Race officials did not make the task of the latter particularly easy by showing an uncompromising severity to ensure sporting fairness, and it is something that honours them. But that did not prevent the French delegation from qualifying 21 of its members for the European Championship, which will be held in Zuera (Spain): an extraordinary result indeed.
Enzo Guibbert had the last word in KF2 by winning the final at the end of a relentless recovery against Spaniards Adrian Del Rio and Gerard Barrabeig and Italian Damiano Fioravanti, who finished second.
Victor Sendin, 5th, proved to be one of the men to beat in the group. German Marvin Kirchhöfer, 6th, revealed his more than promising talent just like French driver Nicolas Gonzalès, who concluded in the top 10.
Esteban Ocon lived up to the hopes placed in him by standing head and shoulders above anyone else in KF3. Although it was Spaniard Alex Palou who won the final race, Ocon reacted perfectly after a difficult start by going up to the second step of a podium completed by Benjamin Gérard, one of the revelations of the weekend. Other drivers showed their international worth in Varennes: Paolo Besancenez, Dorian Boccolacci - 5th after a series of problems - as well as Hubert Petit, Simon Tirman and Florian Latorre in the final top 10.