FIA Karting World Championship, Campillos: OK Final - A masterful Tuukka Taponen wins the world title

[translated with Google]

After running the morning heats in dry conditions, the final is run on a wet track.

Tires: MG Tires

In his debut season in OK, Tuukka Taponen (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex) showed his speed several times and scored several podiums, but a world success was hardly imaginable. The Finnish driver, however, surprised everyone, even himself, and he is the new world champion. Having started fifth, the Tony Kart Racing Team standard bearer is already third at the end of the first lap and takes the lead during the fifth lap thanks to a manual maneuver. The young rookie sets an unrivaled pace for all his opponents and flies towards triumph complete with a fast lap, giving Tony Kart the second world title of the season after the one won in Kristianstad by Noah Milell in KZ just over a month ago.

Just like in Kristianstad, the OTK group scores a double thanks to the second place of Luigi Coluccio (Kosmic Racing Department - Kosmic - Vortex). Started eighth, the Kosmic Racing Department rider recovered to third place in just eleven laps and made no mistakes, then taking advantage of the penalty inflicted on Arvid Lindblad (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) to become world runner-up.

Second at the finish is Lindblad, who gains four places from the start. The talent of the Red Bull Junior Team tries to recover Taponen, but he can do nothing against the Finn's pace and even receives a five-second penalty due to the nose in the incorrect position, which makes him relegate to the third step of the podium. The KR Motorsport standard bearer is thus the only driver to finish all five FIA races of the season on the podium, in his first year in the category.

After starting from pole position, McLaren talent Ugo Ugochukwu (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) has to settle for fourth place at the end of a long challenge for the podium.

Nikola Tsolov (DPK Racing - KR - IAME) is confirmed at the top with the fifth position, preceding Artem Severiukhin (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex) and Joseph Turney (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex), who both recover eight positions from the start. Turney is sixth at the finish, but is relegated to seventh by a five-second penalty due to the nose being in the wrong position.

Excellent comeback for Ruben Lopez Moya (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) who gains 22 positions from the start to close in eighth place a weekend that began with 34th place in qualifying. Juho Valtanen (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex) and Pedro Hiltbrand (Leclerc by Lennox Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing) also make a comeback, completing the top ten and thus ending a weekend in continuous growth. The fresh European KZ vice-champion ends the race just ahead of Oscar Pedersen (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex), who started second and slipped 11th.

Rafael Camara (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) starts fourth, but at the end of an amazing first lap he is already leading the race. The Brazilian driver has to abandon his dreams of glory due to a puncture that forces him to retire.

Disappointing final also for Friday's poleman Gabriel Gomez (CRG Racing Team – CRG – IAME), who lost positions following a contact on the first lap and finished 24th.

Bitter final for Cristian Bertuca (Birel Art Racing - Birel Art - TM Racing) who, starting 22nd, recovered up to eighth position, but was then penalized by 10 seconds and finished 18th.

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