[Translated with Google Translate]

Halfway point for the FIA Karting European Championship OK and OKJ: after two disputed rounds, the Circuito Internazionale Napoli hosts the third round (of the four scheduled) of the 2021 season. 62 drivers arrive at the start in the queen category of single-speed karting, while 87 are the drivers who compete in the Junior.

After free practice, Friday ends with the usual qualifications and the starting grids are then established for the qualifying heats that will take place tomorrow and continue until Sunday morning.

OK: Andrea Kimi Antonelli signs the best time

• The first European pole position arrives in this 2021 for Andrea Kimi Antonelli (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME), despite some difficulties. The Italian driver signed a record time in free practice (53.937), but struggled in qualifying group 2 (54.413) due to a set-up that remained unchanged from free practice, but which did not meet the changed track conditions: nevertheless he obtained the first place in the combined standings, albeit with a lower margin on the opponents than when shown in the previous free practice sessions.


• Arvid Lindblad (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) is Antonelli's most dangerous opponent this weekend. The British licensed driver is very close (54,496) to the time of his teammate, but this is not enough to undermine him from the top. Therefore, Lindblad is second, ahead of Artem Severiukhin (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex) and Timoteusz Kucharczyk (Birel Art Racing - RK - TM Racing), respectively third and fourth, but the fastest in their qualifying groups.


• Joseph Turney (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex), on the podium 15 days ago on the Sarno track in the WSK Euro Series, achieves a better time than Severiukhin and Kucharczyk, but having taken to the track in Antonelli's group and with the effect of the combined rankings, is fifth.


• Change of suit for Brando Badoer (Parolin Motorsport - Parolin - TM Racing), passed from KR Motorsport to Parolin Motorsport. The Italian driver starts on the right foot in the new team: sixth in the combined standings.


• Nikola Tsolov (DPK Racing - KR - IAME) returns early to the pits during qualifying and Severiukhin makes fun of him just in time. Consequently, the Bulgarian driver is seventh, ahead of Rintaro Sato (Ricky Flynn Motorsport - Kosmic - Vortex), eighth, Giovanni Trentin (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME), ninth, and Norton Andreasson (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex), tenth. Martinius Stenshorne (Leclerc by Lennox Racing - Birel Art - TM Racing) finished in 11th place.


• The leader Rafael Camara (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) does not go beyond the 16th place, wedged between Tuukka Taponen (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex), 15th, and Ugo Ugochukwu (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) , 17 °.


• Juho Valtanen (SP Motorsport - KR - TM Racing), 26th, Yannick De Brabander (Praga Racing Team - Prague - IAME), 56th, and Edoardo Ludovico Villa (Exprit Racing Team - Exprit - Vortex) also remain behind in the combined classification. , 58 °.

OKJ: first pole position of the season for James Egozi

• Solid performance by James Egozi (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex) in Sarno. The US driver, a class rookie, takes to the track in qualifying group 4 and sets the best time in 56.106, which translates into his first pole position in his career in the OKJ class.


• Egozi beats current leader Freddie Slater (Ricky Flynn Motorsport - Kosmic - Vortex) by 70 thousandths of a second, who until then had remained at the top of the provisional standings with the best time in group 1 (56.176). The British driver is satisfied with a still excellent second place, and confirms himself as a valid contender to win this round.


• Yevan David (Forza Racing - Exprit - TM Racing) pushes Slater in group 2 and finishes just 4 thousandths (56.180) of a second behind the British rival. The Sri Lankan driver is third in the combined standings, preceded by Jan Przyrowski (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex) who gets the best time (56.379) in group 3.


• Despite a better time than Przyrowski, Douwe Dedecker (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) is fifth due to the combined classification and precedes another trio of drivers with KR chassis: Matheus Ferreira (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME), sixth; Antonio Apicella (Team Driver Racing Kart - KR - IAME), seventh; Alex Powell (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME), eighth and fresh winner of round 3 of the WSK Euro Series 2 weeks ago on this circuit.


• Kai Sorensen (Forza Racing - Exprit - TM Racing) enters ninth position, ahead of two other drivers with KR chassis such as Yuanpu Cui (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME), tenth, and Coskun Irfan (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) , eleventh.


• Jimmy Helias (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex) steadily proceeds his arrival from MINI to OKJ and gets 12th place in the combined standings. Anatoly Khavalkin (Parolin Motorsport - Parolin - TM Racing) is the best Parolin Motorsport driver in the standings: 13th place for the Russian. Teammate Rashid Al Dhaheri (Parolin Motorsport - Parolin - TM Racing), 19th, ahead of Akshay Bohra (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME), 20th.


• Back in the standings also Ean Eyckmans (Kosmic Racing Department - Kosmic - Vortex), second in the championship, but only 28th today. Other occupants at the top of the points ranking also find themselves in the rear: Tomass Stolcermanis (Energy Corse - Energy Corse - TM Racing) is 38th; Kirill Kutskov (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) is 48th; Maksimilian Popov (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex) is 76th.

©Photo: Sportinphoto