[Translated with Google]

Activity continues on the track for the Round 14 of the FIA Karting European Championship on the Kartodromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero in Valencia (Spain). After the first day of Friday, in which the qualifications and the first qualifying heats took place, on Saturday all the remaining heats for the two categories present in the race were held: OK and OKJ. The starting grids for Sunday’s super heats were then decided.

OK: Gabriel Gomez is a perfect "machine".

• More than perfect management by Gabriel Gomez (CRG Racing Team – CRG – IAME) during all the qualifying heats. The Brazilian driver, who took pole position yesterday, does not show any drop in performance: in fact, he collects five victories out of five races and maintains his leadership in the intermediate classification.


• Behind Gomez there are three new pretenders to victory, extremely lively during the heats. René Lammers (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM), already very fast two weeks ago for the Champions of the Future Euro Series, gains second position. Comebacks of 11 positions in total for Nathan Tye (Sodikart – Sodikart – TM) and Tomass Stolcermanis (Energy Corse – Energy Corse – TM), respectively third and fourth.


• Alex Powell (Prema Racing – KR – IAME) plays the card of concreteness in terms of results and goes from fourth place to fifth, while remaining in contact with the rivals ahead of him. The same strategy also for Joseph Turney (KR Motorsport – KR – IAME), sixth: the Briton is considered the number one candidate for victory in tomorrow's final.


• Some inaccuracies forced Jan Przyrowski (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex) to lose two positions in the standings (he is now seventh), but the Pole is another driver to keep an eye on tomorrow. Kirill Kutskov (DPK Racing – KR – IAME) did well, eighth and ahead of Arthur Poulain (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex), ninth.


• He slips from third position to tenth Luviwe Sambudla (KR Motorsport – KR – IAME), less incisive than in qualifying although he proves to have excellent speed. Some mistakes of youth pull back Enzo Tarnvanichkul (Prema Racing – KR – IAME) from second position to 11th.


• Luigi Coluccio (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex), 12th, and Anatoly Khavalkin (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM), 13th, improve their ranking. Followed by Nicolò Cuman (Forza Racing – Exprit – TM), 14th, James Egozi Coluccio (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex), 15th, and David Walther (Koski Motorsport – Tony Kart – Vortex), 16th : the Swede was quite unlucky, forced to retire in heat C-E (while he was first) due to an engine problem.


• Kean Nakamura Berta (Prema Racing – KR – IAME) would be ninth in the standings if it weren't for a disqualification received in the last heat (A-F) for repeatedly failing to respect the track limits. Consequently, the Japanese is even 18th at the end of the day on Saturday.


• Matheus Morgatto (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM) is still in trouble, despite the Brazilian moving up from 55th position to 42nd. Obstacle course also for Emanuele Olivieri (IPK Official Racing Team – IPK – TM), 52nd.

OKJ: Elliot Kaczynski ousts Taym Saleh

• Four victories and a second position are the booty of Elliot Kaczynski (Ward Racing – Tony Kart – Vortex) in the qualifying heats. The Swede, already among the fastest at the "COTF", loses the direct clash against Taym Saleh (Sauber Academy – KR – IAME), but still gains the lead in the intermediate classification.


• Saleh, as mentioned, beats Kaczynski in the heat that sees them on track, after which the German signs two more victories and achieves two further Top 3s. As a result, the Sauber Academy standard-bearer is second.


• Three victories in the safe also for Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing – KR – IAME), now third in the standings. The Belgian, winner of the first stage of the Champions of the Future right here in Valencia, precedes Oleksandr Bondarev (KR Motorsport – KR – IAME), fourth with one victory, Zac Drummond (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM), fifth, and Niklas Schaufler (DPK Racing – KR – IAME), sixth and also with one success to his credit.


• Iacopo Martinese (KR Motorsport – KR – IAME) remains on a permanent basis in seventh position, while Lewis Wherrell (Forza Racing – Exprit – TM) is pawing behind him: the British wins a race, sets three fastest laps and recovers 7 positions are worth the eighth place.


• Davide Bottaro (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex) and Salim Hanna (Ricky Flynn Motorsport – LN – Vortex) complete the Top 10. Remarkable climb by Kian Fardin (KR Motorsport – KR – IAME), from 23rd to 12th, while Christian Costoya (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM) drops to 12th also due to a retirement in the heats.


• The classification continues with Dries Van Langendonck (Energy Corse – Energy Corse – TM), 13th, the outsider Marius Barry-Berg (Martin Barry-Berg – Kosmic – Vortex), 14th, and Ethan Lennon (Forza Racing – Exprit – TM), 15th. Instead, Stepan Antonov (KR Motorsport – KR – IAME) climbs up 59 positions in the standings after being disqualified from qualifying yesterday due to an intervention by his mechanic in the pre-grid: he is now 24th.

©Photo: Sportinphoto