PRESS RELEASE - TKART - In Genk, Birel ART wrapped up its first ever KZ & KZ2 European Championship by making the Top 7 in KZ and the Top 12 in KZ2 .

In KZ, Birel ART placed sixth and seventh with Jordon Lennox-Lamb and Menno Paauwe respectively. Final resuIts, however, didn’t reflect how competitive Birel ART chassis were over the weekend, as performances on Sunday were influenced by changing weather conditions and track temperatures. This is especially true for Lennox-Lamb, who in the Heats dueled for the top positions and placed fifth and ninth, before being forced to withdraw in the last race due to a technical issue.

Menno Paauwe, instead, started with troubled heat races, then recovered nicely in the Prefinal: he started eighteenth and with a great pace and several overtakes rose all the way to ninth. Menno then completed his climb in the Final, closing seventh.

In KZ2, the result achieved with Marijn Kremers were conditioned by heat penalties: after placing twice third, ninth, and fifth, the Dutch driver was handed 30 seconds for the unhooking of his front bumper after several contacts in the first two races and 10 seconds for a pass with yellow flag in the last race. After placing third in the Second Chance Heat, in the Prefinal, despite the track being wet from morning showers, Marijn achieved a 10-position climb from thirty-first to twenty-first. Then in the Final, with the track back to dry, he stormed his way to the front and closed twelfth.

Giorgio Mandozzi also did a steady progression in Genk: after a tough Qualifying, the Italian managed to compete for the Top 10 in his last two Heats, placing fourteenth and tenth. In the Second Chance Heat, he started from sixteenth on grid and unleashed his kart’s force, rising all the way to seventh – just a few tenths far of qualifying for the finals.

Jordon Lennox-Lamb, #5: “The weekend was disappointing. We failed to find the right compromise between chassis and engine and so we couldn’t fight to be at the forefront. We need to keep up the team spirit and find the right solution for the World Championship. We have a great potential and need to solve the issues that are keeping the team from winning. I am very happy for Dreezen’s second place on track with Ricciardo Kart team: a great home-race result, just what he needed.”

Menno Paauwe, #24: “The problems we had in the Qualifyings and Heats kept us from finding the right speed until Sunday. Once we did, though, we were able to recover to ninth in the Prefinal and then seventh in the Final. I am happy we finally got our pace down on the last day.”

Marijn Kremers, #306: “We were very unlucky on Saturday and this conditioned our chances on Sunday. In fact, since we had to use new tires in the Second Chance Heat, the Prefinal and Final were tougher than expected. It’s a pity, because we had a good speed and could have achieved important results. Now, our focus is entirely on the Super Cup in Le Mans. I am confident that we’ll be able to aim for victory.”

Giorgio Mandozzi, #318: “I am satisfied with my weekend. We did much better than the last race events and we improved very nicely from Thursday to Sunday. In fact, we got close to qualify for the finals, which is what we were aiming for. With better luck, we would have made it.”

Gianluca Beggio, General Manager: “We were struggling to find the ideal set-up as soon as the first practice sessions. Then on Sunday, the weather turned on us, with  rain showers and dropping temperatures compromising the good work we’d achieved over the weekend.”

Next event: World KZ Championship & International KZ2 Super Cup, 11-13 September – Le Mans (France).