PRESS RELEASE - ZANARDI STRAKKA RACING - A victory, a podium finish, and great satisfactions for Zanardi Strakka Racing at the first round of the Master Series, under the rain

In round one of the 2014 Master Series heavy rainfall had a great impact on race conditions. Yet, instead of being caught off guard, the Zanardi Strakka Racing team reaps its share of satisfaction, beginning with Ticktum’s great victory in KFJ and Ilott’s podium finish in KF.

KFJ

Daniel Ticktum
In his pre-final (A) he starts from 3rd place and duels it out with Benjamin Lessennes, but by mid-race he is in the lead and never lets go until the end. In the final, the Brit loses the top spot he had on grid and ends up behind Leonardo Lorandi. He does an excellent job of staying put and trailing behind the Italian to study his moves. After just 5 laps Ticktum knows what to do and pounces ahead. He is first across the line when the checkered flag waves. With this great victory the driver confirms he is in great shape and proves he made the right choice staying in KFJ,  rather than rushing to the KF. With Zanardi Strakka Racing, of course.

Marta Garcia Lopez
Marta Garcia is not so brilliant throughout the heats (7- 19 -21 - 22) and the position she gains for the start of the pre-final (23rd on grid, group B) turns out to be tough to manage, especially given the adverse weather conditions: the track is wet and a contact sends her further down the field. Marta is determined, however, and attempts a rebound that brings her up one spot to 22nd place, just a breath short of qualifying for the final.

Lucas Legeret
Despite an arm injury from the WSK Champions Cup, the young Swiss driver gives it all he has in the first round of the Master Series. He obtains alternating results in the heats (18 – 12 – 20 – 15) that place him 21st for the start of his pre-final (B). Here he makes a little miracle happen, rising 7 positions and closing 14th. In the final he then sets off on an up-hill climb, but gets stuck in rear field traffic and ends 29th. Lucas’ performance was definitely positive and he knows he can do even better.

KF

Tom Joyner
In the first half of the weekend, the defending World Champion  doesn’t seem to be finding the right set-up to deliver his usual performance  standards. He collects decent heat results, but he’s lacking in speed. Then, come Sunday, he is back to being the great driver we all know him as. In his prefinal (A) he climbs up seven positions and grabs the lead of the field. In the final he starts from P2, but in lap 1 he gets a harsh shove from behind and drops all the way to the rear, with a silent engine. From here he then sets off on a mad ascent and, lap after lap, slices his way up to 13th.

Callum Ilott
The English driver is competitive all weekend long, on top of the charts in each phase. After great heat results (3 – 2 – 3), he starts his pre-final (A) from P2 and ends 3rd. In the final he is 6th on grid, but after two laps he is already running 2nd  and proves he has what it takes to stay there until the finish-line.  Callum has given ample proof of his skills and speed. He is one of the three drivers who in the final drove under 1'28”. And in critical race conditions under the heavy rain, he focused on the championship as a whole, avoiding useless risks and managing his runner-up position very well.

KZ2

Rick Dreezen
After the heats (2nd and twice 3rd), the Belgian is 5th overall. In his pre-final (B) he starts from 2nd place, then leads from lap 1 to lap 7 and is again 2nd when the flag waves. In the final he starts from P4, in the initial traffic jam he gets bumped and slides back to 13th and from here he does a great job of rising back up all the way to 6th. It’s just too bad he didn’t make the podium: he had the speed and the skills to be there.