Paolo Ippolito (KR/IAME) is the new KZ World Champion and Niels Tröger (Maranello/TM) won the KZ2 World Cup, but the most spectacular finish at Wackersdorf was in KZ2 Masters.

Italian karting icons Davide Forè (Sodi/TM) and Alessandro Manetti (CRG/TM) crossed the line side-by-side, Forè adding the KZ2 Masters International Super Cup to his long list of achievements by 0.015 seconds!

But it was a race for victory that New Zealander Daniel Bray should have been part of.

Bray (Parolin/TM) started the Masters final from pole position. After the qualifying heats, of which he won two as well as the Super Heat, the Kiwi was the highest ranked driver in the 70-kart field. After losing the start to Forè, he experienced a deflating front tyre on lap four and had to retire.

Australians Jake Klarich and Jay Coul both contested KZ2 with the Modena Kart ASD team on Parolin/TM. They were ranked 61st and 63rd respectively (in a 118-strong field), thus missing the final.

“I’m happy with my performance over the week as I had limited preparation going in” Coul posted. “It was a great experience racing against the best in the world and by far the best event I’ve been apart of.”

The Australian Patrizicorse team entered former champion Marijn Kremers in KZ, running Birel Art/Vortex. The Dutchman qualified 15th but just didn’t quite have the ultimate pace to run with the leaders. He transferred to the final and started 21st, but DNFd.

“We started in P21 and after the 2nd lap Marijn Kremers had us in 6th” Michael Patrizi posted on social media. “We stayed there for most of the race only to start falling back with 5 laps to go due to an issue with the engine. These things happen as at this level everything is on the limit – it must be. Then whilst 10th we were taken out on the last lap last corner.”

Daniel Bray, post race interview:

Sunday’s Live Stream footage is below. Saturday’s live stream is on YouTube HERE.

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from FIA Karting

BREATHTAKING FINALS FOR THE FIA KARTING TITLES IN GERMANY

On Sunday morning, the Super Heats had already given a glimpse of the competition at Wackersdorf. But that was nothing compared to the afternoon’s Finals, which produced a breathtaking spectacle with many unexpected twists and turns. At the end of a memorable FIA Karting competition, Italy’s Paolo Ippolito was crowned KZ World Champion, Germany’s Niels Tröger won the KZ2 World Cup and Italy’s Davide Forè added the FIA Karting International Super Cup – KZ2 Masters to his impressive list of honours.

• full results HERE

The constant fine weather over the Upper Palatinate for several days made a major contribution to the success of an FIA Karting event of rare intensity, with 25° in the morning and 30° in the afternoon. The 1190m Pro Kart Raceland circuit and the quality of the organisation were also major factors in this success. Crowded into the grandstand, on the balconies and all around the track, the public enjoyed a first-class sporting spectacle. Although the LeCont tyres used in the three categories were put under pressure, they were not criticised. FIA Karting President Akbar Ebrahim made a point of being present in Wackersdorf

KZ World Championship: DESERVED CROWN FOR IPPOLITO AND KR

David Trefilov (DEU-Maranello/TM Kart/LeCont) confirmed his performance in the Qualifying Heats by winning Super Heat A ahead of Tom Leuillet (FRA-Tony Kart/Vortex/LeCont) and Jérémy Iglesias (FRA- CRG/TM Kart/LeCont). Emilien Denner (FRA-Sodi/TM Kart/LeCont) was well ahead of Paolo Ippolito (ITA-KR/IAME/LeCont) and Stan Pex (NLD-KR/TM Kart/LeCont) in Super Heat B.

Trefilov and Ippolito shared the front row of the grid in the Final, ahead of Denner and Pex, then Iglesias and Leuillet. As soon as the red lights went out, a series of incidents, not serious but not without consequences, affected the running of the Championship. Several protagonists such as Trefilov, Denner, Iglesias and Leuillet had to retire on the first lap. Danilo Albanese (ITA-KR/IAME/LeCont), then Senna van Walstijn (NLD-Sodi/TM Kart/LeCont), Pedro Hiltbrand (ESP- Birel ART/TM Kart/LeCont) and Giuseppe Palomba (ITA-Birel ART/TM Kart/LeCont) added to the list of those who failed to reach the finish. Viktor Gustafsson (SWE- CRG/TM Kart/LeCont) took advantage of the situation to make up ten places towards the front of the race. Positioned almost two seconds behind Ippolito at the halfway stage, he looked capable of pulling off a feat. But Ippolito had enough reserves and motivation to take the coveted victory with a lead of almost five tenths. Driving for the KR Motorsport team, he gave Dino Chiesa’s Kart Republic brand its first KZ world title.

Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship – KZ standings
1- Paolo Ippolito (ITA)
2- Viktor Gustafsson (SWE)
3- Stan Pex (NLD)
4- Matteo Vigano (ITA)
5- Lorenzo Camplese (ITA)

KZ2 WORLD CUP GOES TO TRÖGER AND MARANELLO

Maksim Orlov (Parolin/TM Kart/LeCont) won Super Heat A ahead of Thomas Imbourg (FRA-Sodi/TM Kart/LeCont) and Alex Powell (JAM-KR/IAME/LeCont), while Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR-KR/IAME/LeCont) won Super Heat B ahead of Niels Tröger (DEU-Maranello/TM Kart/LeCont) and Robert Kindervater (DEU-Birel ART/TM Kart/LeCont). Tröger and Powell were on the front row of the grid for the Final ahead of Imbourg and Daniel Vasile (ROU-Birel ART/TM Kart/LeCont), then Kindervater and Nikolas Roos (ZAF-CRG/TM Kart/LeCont).

Powell immediately set off in pursuit of Tröger, while Vasile was firmly entrenched in third position. The field thinned out with the early disappearance of several drivers at the start of the race, including Kindervater, Orlov and Roos. Nakamura-Berta had been held up in 21st position after the start. Powell reduced his gap to the leader to two tenths around the halfway mark, but was unable to attack. Tröger gradually extended his lead and won the Cup by 1.4″. It was the first German success at world level for several decades, and the first on home soil. The Maranello SRP Factory Team had not yet won a world title. The official team of the Italian marque Maranello has close links with Germany, particularly through its manager Maik Siebecke.

FIA Karting World Cup – KZ2 standings
1- Niels Tröger (DEU)
2- Alex Powell (JAM)
3- Daniel Vasile (ROU)
4- Thomas Imbourg (FRA)
5- Jean Nomblot (FRA)

INTERNATIONAL MASTERS SUPER CUP – KZ2 FOR FORÈ AND SODI

Alessandro Manetti (ITA-CRG/TM Kart/LeCont) took the lead over Davide Forè (ITA-Sodi/TM Kart/LeCont) in Super Heat A, while Daniel Bray (NZL-Parolin/TM Kart/LeCont) won Super Heat B ahead of Mirko Mizzoni (ITA-Italcorse/TM Kart/LeCont).

Bray was on pole position for the start of the Final alongside Forè, with Manetti and Mizzoni on the second row. Forè jumped into the lead as soon as the lights went out, ahead of Bray and Manetti. Manetti overtook Bray, who retired with a technical problem on lap 4. Thomas Mich (FRA-Birel ART/TM Kart/LeCont) got off to a good start and moved up to third place.

Forè was already 2” ahead of the runner-up, but Manetti then set a very fast pace. Thanks to his great speed, he caught up with the leader at the halfway point. After preparing his strategy, he went on the attack on lap 21, but met with stiff resistance from Forè. Meanwhile, Mich defended his third position against Mizzoni at the head of a chasing group. Manetti came back to Forè on the last lap, but again without success. Forè won the race by 15 thousandths of a second and, at 49 years of age, added a new world title to his list of honours thanks this time to the Renda Motorsport team. Another multiple champion, Manetti, at 52, had nevertheless demonstrated a pleasing competitiveness. With his third place finish, Mich, at the age of 35, made a comeback to the internationale competition.

FIA Karting International Masters Super Cup – KZ2 standings
1- Davide Forè (ITA)
2- Alessandro Manetti (ITA)
3- Thomas Mich (FRA)
4- Riccardo Nalon (ITA)
5- Alessio La Martina (ITA)