Preview: European Championship Final


  26 July 2016
   

Four entries from Australia and one from New Zealand will compete at Genk (Belgium) this weekend in the final round of the European Championships for OK, OK-J, KZ and KZ2.

Oscar Piastri (#218, Ricky Flynn Motorsport, FA Kart/Vortex/Vega) and Lachlan Hughes (#259, Novalux Srl, Lenzokart/LKE/Vega) are part of a mammoth field of 89 OK Junior.

A 71-kart KZ2 entry includes honorary Aussie Marijn Kremers (#304, Birel ART Srl, Birel Art/Parilla/Vega) and Troy Loeskow (#348, Ricciardo Kart Racing, Ricciardo Kart/Parilla/Vega).

Kiwi Marcus Armstrong will once aagain compete in KZ with the factory Tony Kart team.

As detailed in the official CIK-FIA preview below, numbers are up in all categories compared to last year, and the event features the largest field of Senior OK (47 entrants) since the inception of the class.

 

from CIK-FIA

Unique in the history of international karting, four CIK-FIA European Champions will be awarded on Sunday at the end of the Competition at Genk (BEL). Direct drive karts in the new categories OK and OK-Junior will meet for their fourth Race of the season. For the gearbox karts in the KZ and KZ2 categories, it will be the third Race of their European programme. The challenge is uncertain in all categories and the famous Belgian circuit will not lack spectacle from 27th to 31st July 2016 with 235 Drivers entered from 41 nations and four continents.

This exceptional concentration of talent in search of European recognition will motivate young hopefuls from 13 years old in the OK-Junior category as well as the professionals of KZ, some of whom have exceeded 40 years of age with the same motivation, without forgetting elite karting in line with the origins of the sport in OK and the pure amateurs in the best sense of the term, who compete in KZ2. We will see a beautiful image of karting today, a fascinating discipline that develops tomorrow's stars of motorsport while retaining its loyal followers for years.

The modern version of a legendary track, the current Horensbergdam site offers, throughout its 1360 m length, several technical difficulties of which the sequence of corners following the start is not the least. Genk will be very selective and the challenge for the drivers is no less important than that of their technicians. Spectators could extend well beyond the main grandstand to watch  this great confrontation all around the circuit. A very positive sign is that the numbers are up from 2015 in all categories, the new OK having attracted its largest number of participants in an international competition since its recent creation.

Joyner and Basz side by side in OK

The lead of the CIK-FIA European Championship was taken by Briton Tom Joyner (Zanardi / TM Racing / Vega) at Portimao against the Pole Karol Basz (Kosmic / Vortex / Vega) who had led until then. Separated by only five points, both former World Champions will deliver a decisive battle at Genk. The young Spaniard Pedro Hiltbrand (CRG / Parilla / Vega) is still close enough to join in the fight for the title. His compatriot Marta Garcia Lopez (Evokart / Parilla / Vega) and the American Logan Sargeant (FA Kart / Vortex / Vega) are still able to target the places of honour.

OK-Junior: Watt an uncertain leader

The CIK-FIA European Junior Championship is more open than it seems. Although the Dane Noah Watt (FA Kart / Vortex / Vega) has not left the lead since the first Competition at Zuera, his dominance has appeared to erode to the benefit of newcomers such as Spain's David Vidales (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega) and the Frenchman Victor Martins (Kosmic / Parilla / Vega), both previous winners. These Drivers are a bit far back, 9th and 8th respectively, to aim for the Championship, but they have helped to revive the title race and can again aim for victory at Genk. The Brazilian Caio Jotta Collet (BirelART / Parilla / Vega) is consequently up in 2nd place with a favourable score, which makes him one of the favourites for the Championship, ahead of the Swede Isac Blomqvist (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega). The Briton Finlay Kenneally (FA Kart / Vortex / Vega) and the Norwegian Dennis Hauger (CRG / Parilla / Vega) are meanwhile serious underdogs.

Three-way battle in KZ

Three very different Drivers are within only four points in the provisional classification of the CIK-FIA European KZ Championship. The supremacy of the Italian Marco Ardigo (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega) was challenged by the Czech Patrik Hajek (Kosmic / Vortex / Vega) in the second Competition, while the Frenchman Jérémy Iglesias (Sodi / TM Racing / Vega ) has taken 2nd place with impressive regularity. Ardigo still has the highest rating going into Genk, but a surprise is not ruled out. Behind this leading trio, two other Italians, additional team members, completed the top five: Paolo De Conto (CRG / Parilla / Vega) and Flavio Camponeschi (CRG / Parilla / Vega), the title holder.

KZ2: Federer slightly ahead of Pex

In the current classification of the CIK-FIA European KZ2 Championship, three points separate the leader Fabian Federer (CRG / Modena Engines / Vega) and his rival, the Dutchman Stan Pex (CRG / Vortex / Vega), while in 3rd place the Italian Alessandro Irlando (Energy / TM Racing / Vega) will have the less easy task of joining them to contest the title. It must be said that his compatriot Luca Corberi (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega), the winner at Essay and distanced in the Final at Adria, finds himself in a more favourable position in terms of dropped scores, despite his current 4th spot. Then there is another Italian, Leonardo Lorandi (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega) showing up in 5th.

 

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