Maisano makes KF3 heats his, but rain threatens Sunday’s races
The young Frenchman lines up on KF3 grid, on his Intrepid with all the right credentials for an significant performance in Sunday’s race. Other protagonists on grid with him are Zimim, Russian, and Italy’s Kevin Ceccon, both in force with Maranello team and they finished heats taking two podiums each, and a win for Ceccon. A word must be spent for the ladies, thanks to Denmark’s Michelle Getting, in force with Peter De Bruijn’s PDB team. She comes as outsider and ends with a win to her credit.
The situation is not so clear in KF2. Marc Otero (Genikart-FA Kart), one of the favourites on the provisional scoreboard, thanks to three podium places, and Mauro Pozzi’s pupil (MGM-Birel), Matteo Viganò, last heat winner are always up with the leaders, and with them Foster-Jones and Dalè who will undoubtedly be final protagonists.
The final results of the queen class, KF1, remain very much open, with Thonon among favourite, at least on paper with points. We expect to see some exciting driving from Covers who won Superpole and took and second in a heat. Also more exciment is expected from Tony drivers, Ardigò and Stevens. Contrary to predictions that gave final competition on a bet on most powerful engine, the weather was the most unpredictable: heavy clouds hung over Lonato, for about half an hour, a real menace for Sunday’s races.
Convers grabs Superpole win again
Excitement and very close driving, as usual, during the WSK Superpole race, where the best ten drivers match skill in a one lap race and finishing within 6 tenths. The new qualifying system presented by the WSK, this year, has brought about come an great one-lap specialist, Armand Convers (PCR/TM).
The Frenchman gets through for final qualifying phase distancing Belgian champion, Thonon (Crg/Maxter) by over 0.116” and Italy’s Piccioni (FA Kart/Vortex) by two tenths. The latter although always fast in Lonato, has been the revelation of this particular grid. Before they took the track, qualifiers had been dominated by younger drivers, Stevens and Te Braak, with veterans such as Ardigò, Forè and Kozlinski had dropped ground. After his success in KZ in Angerville, Toninelly, in force with Intrepid on KF is happy with his results – Ryall too, always with fastest top ten.
Superpole once more. Is it all so easy?
Convers: “I was really nervous before the start, I saw lots leave pre-grid qualifiers one after the other, so I waited for my turn without asking anything about their time. The once I was on grid, I just concentrated on driving and all went well”.
With the Angerville round, you’ve got two out of three, what’s the secret behind a perfect lap?
Convers: “You can’t make mistakes, logically, you pay for any mistake you make. I think that you must drive the best you can, with a good set up. This time too, my PCR responded well to the minor adjustments made, and our TM proved to be the right engine for the weekend. Tomorrow, we’ll see what happens.”
Kozlinski... magnifique!
With the risk of rain thwarted, after the calmness of the KF3 and KF2 finals, we didn’t expect the KF1 final to be so exciting. Instead, it was electrifying from the start, when the CRG group, Thonon, Guignet and Kozlinski come up very fast making the most of the early pile-ups to come through. Convers, early start gets black-white flag and after winning prefinal is back placed for next race. But he gains places and in fourth a few laps from race end but he’s guilty of contact with Ardigò as he tries to overtake with goes against Guignet. Thonon has problems and drops speed, while a very fast Kozlinski overtakes to lead after a fantastic prefinal where he gob bled up 12 rivals: magnifique!
Now on to the second coup-de theatre, or rather, breathtaking instant: Bressan, with the pack mid-field, goes straight on at the big corner near pit exit. The crash against the barrier is one to be best forgotten as it happened where there was no safety exit routs on that U-corner in Lonato. For him – and for us – some awful instants, as karts follow through for about ten laps with yellow flags up and race marshals holding up banners with “Slow”, telling drivers to slow down instead of stopping the race to allow an ambulance to get to the scene of the crash.
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Then again, the race programme was nearly over and there was plenty of time. Race starts over, Kozlinski leads, he swaps place twice with Guignet at the next corner – then pulls away to grab a well-deserved win ahead of a train of rivals headed by outsider, Ryall. Behind the leader; Guignet, Bollingtoft and Laine. Foré is very fast – gains places up to sixth from third from last – while although his kart wasn’t in great shape, Cesetti is again competitive. Stevens again unable to make his attack despite a brilliant prefinal performance: he gets involved in some very close fighting two laps from the end against Guignet and Te Braak, he sees his dreams of a wonderful weekend results vanish unable to finish the round.
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In KF2, Suvanto, first, and Rowland parade along: the two Tony Kart drivers monopolise the monotonous race, livened up just with Sassi’s pupil, Andre Hauke who takes home third for New Birel Team and Smarrazzo, a new talent in force with Morsicani. Who just misses podium. Otero and Thorp, heat protagonist are a let down.
And so Dane Gatting. In KF3, the latter sees his dreams from the day
before dwindle also due to a 10” penalty he got for race start, while
D’Agosto, had hoped for more than a fourth place. A good weekend for
Brandon Maisano though, he dominates leaving De Vries, Holland, to take
second while Lorenzo Camplese ends a good weekend in crescendo.
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Report: D. Leone
Photos: G. Cuna
