Double event for Vortex in both the European Championship and Italian Championship
OTK Kart Group's "engine division" opens the 3rd Round of the FIA Karting European Championship for the OK-OKJ categories in Denmark with the second best time in the Junior class. In Italy, for the tricolour championship, on the other hand, two are the podiums gained by the VTM in the MINI Gr.3 and MINI Gr.3 U10 classes.
OKJ – The VTJ engine soon shows off in the Junior class with Kirill Dzitiev (Tony Kart Racing Team), fastest in Group 1 of Friday's chrono practices and second overall in the combined standings. The Tony Kart Racing Team driver continues with a podium and a fastest lap in the qualifying heats, plus two Top 3 places gained by Elliot Kaczynski (Ward Racing) and a win and a third place obtained by Oliver Kinnmark (Koski Motorsport). The results in the eliminatory heats, together with Scott Kin Lindblom's (Tony Kart Racing Team) best timing and Maria Germano Neto's (Tony Kart Racing Team) fourth chrono time in Sunday morning's warm up, promise well for a high level performance for the Vortex drivers in the decisive final. Thanks to a firm race, Dzitiev finishes seventh across the line, however he goes back several places due to a 5-second penalty for having his front spoiler in the wrong position. Lindblom is able to perform a comeback of not less than 10 places and finishes in the top ten drivers of the weekend.
Kaczynski is our third best representative in the final, which also sees at the start Davide Bottaro (Tony Kart Racing Team), Alp Hasan Aksoy (Tony Kart Racing Team), Kinnmark and Mees Houben (Ward Racing).
OK – After the pole position gained two weeks ago in the Champions of the Future Euro Series, the weekend in Rødby starts with many good results from our engines since Friday’s free practice sessions. Arthur Poulain (Tony Kart Racing Team) is second in the first series, followed by David Walther (Koski Motorsport), while Luigi Coluccio (Tony Kart Racing Team) is fifth in the third session. Of the three, Walther is the one able to better realise his performance in the following qualifying session, obtaining the third best time in the second group. Coluccio, on the other hand, achieves a third best result in the qualifying heat for Vortex.
Sunday's final sees Coluccio in the fight for a Top 10 finish, however a five-second penalty for an incorrectly positioned front fairing prevents the Italian from hitting the target. The VTS engine allows Poulain and Sebastiano Pavan (Tony Kart Racing Team) to show off with excellent comebacks in the standings, 9 and 18 positions, respectively. Bad luck, however, for Walther, who forced to retire two laps from the end.
MINI – The VTM unit is once again the leader after its recent victory in the WSK Super Cup by MINI, this time in the Italian ACI Karting Championship, now in its second round of the season at the La Conca circuit.
In the MINI Gr.3, Ilie Tristan Crisan (Tony Kart Racing Team) sets the second best time in Group 1 of the qualifying heats and finishes fourth in the combined ranking. The Canadian records a podium and a fastest lap in the qualifying heats, after which he fights hard for victory in race 1 and gains the place of honour. Also Bruno Blanco (Tony Kart Racing Team) and Oliver Sini (Tony Kart Racing Team) make it and have access to the two finals.
In the MINI Gr.3 U10, Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi (Tony Kart Racing Team) comes to Muro Leccese on the strength of the WSK Super Cup by MINI title obtained the previous Sunday. The Australian driver does not disappoint expectations and starts with a third place overall in the chrono practices, behind his teammate Achille Rea (Tony Kart Racing Team) who, on the other hand, leads everyone in Group 2 and is second overall. The two score a total haul of one win, three podiums and two fastest laps in the eliminatory heats, with Eskandari-Marandi second in the intermediate ranking.
In race 1, Eskandari-Marandi is in the running for the final success and gets on the third step, while Rea finishes easily in the Top 10. Race 2 is less lucky for our drivers with Eskandari-Marandi seventh and Rea suffering a 5-second penalty which compromise his final result.
