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| June 22, 2011 |
| CIK-FIA World KF1 Championship/European KZ1/KZ2 Championship Report |
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 | Nyck De Vries
(Photo: CIK-KSP) |
With four wins in as many races the Dutchman Nyck De Vries outrageously dominated the first round of the World KF1 Championship held this weekend on the German track of Wackersdorf. In the added best three results of the weekend, Nyck obviously leads the Championship; he is ahead of the Pole Karol Basz and of the Belgian Sébastien Bailly.
Run in one single meeting, the European Championships for gearbox karts saw the crowning of Paolo De Conto in KZ1 and of the Italian Fabian Federer in KZ2.
Henceforth held over five meetings, the World KF1 Championship started on the Pro Kart Raceland track of Wackersdorf could very well be the private hunting ground of one single – young – man. In all four races of the German event, Nyck De Vries (Zanardi/Parilla) indeed showed an unashamed domination. However, the diminutive Dutch wonder achieved a flag-to-flag victory only once. In the other three competitions he had to recover three or four places further to some difficult first laps. Methodically and with amazing serenity for a young 16-year old Driver, the reigning World Champion always caught up and got the upper hand over dumbfounded opponents… who had to admit that they were unable to do anything against such a Driver this weekend.
In the meeting, the “best of the rest” was Poland’s Karol Basz (RK/BMB), twice on the second step of the podium and currently runner-up to De Vries in the Championship. Having progressed throughout the weekend with two podiums (3rd and then 2nd) on Sunday, Belgium’s Sébastien Bailly (Kosmic/Vortex) also confirmed that he was going to be a candidate to a choice position at the end of the season by taking the provisional third place.
With one podium each on the Saturday, the Italian Ignazio D’Agosto (Tony Kart/Vortex) and the Czech Libor Toman (Birel/BMB) were less successful on Sunday but left Wackersdorf in the 4th and 5th Championship ranks. As for Flavio Camponeschi (ITA - Tony Kart/Vortex), Alexander Albon (GBR - Intrepid/TM), Zdenek Groman (CZE - Kosmic/Vortex), Chris Lock (GBR - Tony Kart/Vortex) and Matteo Vigano (ITA - Birel/BMB), they hope to get a better place in the top 10 at the next event, to be held on the Spanish course of Zuera from 21 to 24 July.
KZ1: A second European KZ title for De Conto
Last year’s European Champion in KZ2, the gearbox karts division 2, Paolo De Conto (Energy/TM) has enjoyed a more than successful entry among the heavy weights of KZ1 in this European Championship at Wackersdorf. With a first and a second places in his two qualifying heats, the Italian initially treated himself to pole position for a Prefinal which he led throughout. In the Final it only took him two laps to get the upper hand over Armand Convers (Kosmic/Vortex), who had managed to take the best start. Subsequently threatened by a probably slightly faster Marco Ardigo (Tony Kart/Vortex), De Conto could breathe a little more when the former double World Champion retired with a tyre that came off its rim. This time, nothing could prevent him from rushing to his second consecutive European crown, the first in the top category.
While De Conto triumphed, the tipped favourites tripped against problems. In addition to the unlucky Ardigo, the title-holder Bas Lammers (Intrepid/TM) saw all his hopes vanish into thin air in a collision at the start. Jonathan Thonon (CRG/Maxter) was 5th in the Final when he had to retire because of a puncture. Last year’s vice-champion Jérémy Iglésias (Intrepid/TM) hoped to take advantage of it but was unable to pull away from Armand Convers… before Yannick de Brabander (Parolin/TM) also caught up with him. Very fast at the end of the race, the Belgian even managed to take the vice-champion title from the Frenchman two laps from the chequered flag. Behind Iglésias, eventually fourth, Davide Foré (CRG-Maxter) concluded in a fine way his recovery from 10th place on the starting grid. Second at the end of the first lap, the Belgian Rick Dreezen (Tony Kart/Vortex) fell back into line and ended up just short of the top 5 ahead of Italy’s Alessandro Bressan (CKR/TM), Antonio Piccioni (Parolin/TM), Sauro Cesetti (Birel/BMB) and the young Dutchwoman Beitske Visser (Intrepid/TM).
KZ2: First European title for Federer
Held over one single event, the European KZ2 Championship was especially indecisive at Wackersdorf. Whereas the Italian Mirko Torsellini (CRG-Maxter) was undefeated in the qualifying heats, thus getting pole position for the Prefinal, it was Finland’s Henri Kokko (Ninar/TM) who landed this Prefinal ahead of the Italian Fabian Federer (CRG/TM), the Frenchman Clément Da Silva (Birel/TM), the Swede Joël Johansson (Energy/TM) and Mirko Torsellini. But the main work had to be done in the Final, the only decisive race in this European competition…
Managing to take the best start in the Final, the Italian Fabian Federer seized the opportunity of the fight behind him to take a definitive advantage over his competitors. Those who fought for the podium indeed occupied in turn this second place many times but it was Sweden’s Joël Johansson who had the final word against Mirko Torsellini, who achieved the fastest lap time of the race, Henri Kokko and Croatia’s Kristijan Habulin (CRG/Maxter), who stayed a long time in the second spot of the Final. With the best time in qualifying practice, the Italian Francesco Celenta (CRG/TM) completed the top 10 ahead of Yuri Lucati (ITA – BRM/TM), Adam Janous (CZE – Intrepid/TM), Ryan Van den Burgt (NLD - Maddox/Parilla) and Jesper Wernersson (SWE – Tony Kart/Vortex). |
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