FIA Karting European Championship rd 2, Cremona: KZ2 Final – More magic by Tom Leuillet, crowned European champion

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Tyres: LeCont

As if he still hadn't surprised enough, Tom Leuillet (Leclerc by Lennox Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing) completes his feat in an extraordinary way. The driver of the Leclerc by Lennox Racing team loses a position at the start and finds himself fourth, but keeps a cool head and, after having resisted with extreme coldness the pressure of Daniel Vasile (DR - DR - Modena Engines) during the first laps, gives life to a triumphal ride. The French driver overtakes all the three standard-bearers of the Birel ART Racing team that precede him and takes the lead on lap 16, then takes off towards victory with a fast lap and crosses the finish line with more than a second and a half advantage. on the direct pursuer. Leuillet is the only rider capable of breaking down the wall of 46 seconds on the flying lap and seems to be driving in another dimension, completing a series of maneuvers that are a perfect combination of enthusiasm and calm. Although a fourth place is more than enough to win the European championship, the young Frenchman is incredibly determined and repeats Genk's success to put the icing on the cake and secure a well-deserved title. The new European champion gives yet another show of strength after passing a long rehabilitation process following a frightening accident in a race in Lonato in April last year. Chapeau.

Cristian Bertuca (Birel ART Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing) deserves great applause, second under the checkered flag. The driver of the Birel ART Racing team parades second at the start thanks to an excellent shot, but is overtaken by Leuillet on the fifth lap. The rookie expresses his clarity and, when the French driver slips Alessio Piccini (Birel ART Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing) for the first position, he is shrewd in taking advantage of it to regain second place. Bertuca thus gains an amazing first podium in KZ2, in his second race with a shifter kart, and makes him fourth in the championship.

Third at the finish is an excellent Alessio Piccini, who completes a podium signed by all Birel ART and grabs the bronze medal in the championship. The Italian bishop starts off strong from second place on the grid and takes the reins of the race, but is forced to give them up when attacked by an indomitable Leuillet. The driver of the Birel ART Racing team accuses a drop in grip in the final phase of the race and suffers especially with the rear tires, but is still satisfied with the result.

Thomas Imbourg (CPB Sport - Sodi - Tm Racing) closes a remarkable final in fourth position, the only driver capable of undermining the Birel ART domain. Starting sixth, the CPB Sport team rider climbs to fifth place on lap six and finds himself more than a second behind Moritz Ebner (Birel ART Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing), but manages to mend the gap and overtake the standard bearer of the Birel ART Racing team on the last lap. Imbourg thus hits the top five in the league.

Ebner concludes the final in fifth place. The Italian driver seems to have a strong start from pole, but slows down in the second phase of the sprint and slips third, behind his two team mates, only to be attacked by Leuillet on lap three. The standard bearer of the Birel ART Racing team loses the fourth position just a few meters from the checkered flag after accidentally bumping into Piccini, who goes on the defensive and, tightening his trajectories, comes out slower from the fourth to last corner. Ebner expressed his disappointment at the end of the race, but ended a weekend of the highest level.

Daniel Vasile (DR - DR - Modena Engines), sixth, Jean Luyet (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex), seventh, Michael Barbaro Paparo (IPK Official Racing Team - IPK) completed a positive weekend and recovered positions compared to the start. - TM Racing), eighth, Oscar Targett (Birel ART Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing), eighth at the finish line but relegated to ninth by a penalty, and David Trefilov (Maranello SRP Factory Team - Maranello - TM Racing), tenth. The top ten is enough for the standard bearer of the Maranello SRP Factory Team to be crowned European vice-champion. The German driver admits that he has never found an excellent feeling with the Cremona circuit and is satisfied with the silver medal.

The top 15 closed thanks to convincing performances by Luigi di Lorenzo (Modena Kart - Birel ART - TM Racing), 11th, Michael Rosina (TBkart Racing Team - TB Kart - TM Racing), 12th, Alessio Baldi (CRG Racing Team - CRG - TM Racing), 13th, Giorgio Emiliano Carrara (Novalux - Lenzokart - LKE), 14th, and Jorge Pescador (CRG Racing Team - CRG - TM Racing), 12th at the finish but relegated to 15th place by a penalty of five seconds causes nose to be in incorrect position.

A protagonist of the weekend retires, such as Tim Gerhards (CPB Sport - Sodi - Tm Racing). The CPB Sport team bishop accuses a difficult start and slows down two other protagonists such as Paavo Tonteri (CRG Racing Team - CRG - TM Racing) and Giuseppe Palomba (Birel ART Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing), who find themselves at the bottom of the group and then finish in 16th and 21st place respectively.

Friday's poleman Arvid Lindblad (SP Motorsport - KR - TM Racing) is also a complicated start. The Red Bull Junior Team rider even turns off the engine and is therefore forced to restart it, before crossing the finish line in 29th place. It is a bitter final even for Arthur Carbonnel (CPB Sport - Sodi - Tm Racing), who leaves the scene while occupying the sixth position.

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