The ROK Cup Italia stops at the Franciacorta Karting Track in Castrezzato (BS) for the seventh and penultimate round of the 2024 season.

The over 200 drivers on the track provided a unique spectacle, featured by good weather and high temperatures. At the end of the day on Sunday, the following championship leaders emerged: Alessandro Nanni (Mini ROK), Lyuboslav Ruykov (Junior ROK), Andrea Giudice (Senior ROK), Andrea Sorbello (Expert ROK), Brando Pozzi (Super ROK) and Samuele Leopardi (Shifter ROK).

Mini ROK

The penultimate round of the ROK Cup Italy attracts 52 drivers in the Mini ROK, the youngest category.

The qualifying heats opens in the sign of Blazej Kostrzewa: the Polish driver is the fastest overall and sets a time of 55.958 seconds. The French Edouard Ruget finishes second, with Danish Flora Odin third and Italian driver Davide Di Filippo, fourth. David Moscardi gains the fifth place, followed by Alessandro Nanni, sixth, and Farel Dugat Beretta, seventh. The top ten also include Huifei Xie, Jan Gardzielik and Julian Malo. The long list of names continues with Dawid Tyndel, Jean Poujol, Giulio Manzoni, Daniel Hakkinen, Vincenzo Salierno, Augustin Feligioni, Marco Verde, Kacper Kluk, Alessandro Cereda, Morgan Zammit Azzopardi, Arthur Benoit, Andrea Carbone, Simone Seveso, Julian Frasnelli, Alessio Ottaviani, Giuseppe Noviello, Nicolas Yerly, Marco Pozzoni, Shae Shield, Guido Ebergenyi, Luca Muzzolon, Leonardo Trombini, Leo Kralev, Edoardo Traina, Johannes Buchhammer, Arvid Svensson, Jamie Ehar, Lorenzo Mattia Rivadossi, Lola Mukhammadiyev, Andrea Croce Screpis, Nicholas Bertolani, Elias Boullier, Byan Filippelli, Ernest Molenda, Camilla Amarotti, Antonio Martin, Giovanni Pasini, Stanislaw Ziarko, Mattia Finadri, Tommaso Pomoni, Jessica Caleja and Miguel Spina.

The leader does not change at the end of the qualifying heats. Kostrzewa retains the lead by winning two heats out of two, but his first pursuer became Nanni, who collects a win and a third place. Ruget and Odin relegate to third and fourth place respectively, while Gardzielik, Poujol and Malo improve their placing by finishing fifth, sixth and seventh. Xie keeps the eighth place, ahead of Di Filippo, ninth, and Moscardi, tenth.

In the final, it is still Kostrzewa who leads the pack, thanks to the pole position earned with the results of the eliminatory heats. The Polish driver initially is able to manage a poker of rivals made up by Ruget, Gardzielik, Nanni and Poujol and, in just three laps, manages to bring his advantage to over a second. However, the pair formed by Nanni and Gardzielik gradually reduce the gap to the race leader, bringing him within two tenths away one lap to the end. But entering the fighting for the podium is Giuseppe Noviello and Kostrzewa who take advantage of the tussle to stretch out and cross the finish line first undisturbed. Gardzielik beats Nanni and gains the second place, with the Italian is finishing third ahead of Noviello, fourth. Di Filippo finishes fifth and takes the victory among the Under-10s.

Junior ROK

Extraordinary participation in the Junior ROK class at Franciacorta, with 55 drivers ready to fight for the final victory.

The two qualifying groups awarded the pole position to Ioan Tudor Jercan, the fastest overall in 49.608 seconds. Riccardo Brangero comes second in the combined classification, ahead of his compatriots Ettore Sanesi, third, Guido Bruno Bidoli, fourth, and Francesco Koci, fifth. Liam Secall is in sixth place, with Filippo Pola and Sofia Povazhnaia in the next positions. Mateusz Wal and Riccardo Repetto also finish in the Top-10, ninth and tenth respectively. They are followed by Lucas Bonhomme, Zackarias Ringstrom, Antonio Reginaldo Pizzonia Neto, Federico Sbardellati, Angelo Pecoraro, Franciszek Bal, Marlon Di Salvo, Emilio Tedesco, Anh Tu Ranghetti, Stefano Zamponi, Mia Cindy Oger, Francesca Pietrini, Oskar Hildebranski, Lyuboslav Ruykov, Olek Mrozik, Borys Blaszczyk, Sebastian Frigolet, Victoria Farfus, Andrea Savoldelli, Alberto Masotto, Michal Zajac, Ettore Di Domenico, Maxim Becker, Enrico Pietro Villa, Mateo Malo, Benjamin Borg Irimia, Andrea Thej, Antonio Campo, Pietro Chesini, Thomas Pan, Sebastian Riedel, Carlo Pongratz, Giulio Mazzolini, Michal Czyzewicz, Julia Angelard, Lena Pichler, Nicolò Carrara, Sacha Shamal, Valerio Viapiana, Jules Castro, Selina Baum, Lucas Pasquinetti, Mattia Vigotti, Aaron Trapletti and Emma Boschetto.

Even at the end of the qualifying heats, Jercan is the leader: the Romanian driver, in fact, collects two wins and a second place, against the two wins and the third place of his teammate Brangero, behind him in the ranking. With one first and two second places, Bonhomme moves up from eleventh to third, while Koci, Pola, Sanesi, Bidoli and Wal are immediately behind the Frenchman. Quite delayed in the qualifyings, Ruykov and Hildebranski gain the ninth and tenth places respectively.

The main protagonist of the final is, once again, Jercan. The poleman jumps with a good start and holds the first position, while Bonhomme jumps to second place, although he is soon overtaken by Brangero. Behind them are Pola, Ruykov, Bidoli and Repetto, ready to fight for the podium. Despite the pressure generated by so many opponents, Jercan begin to increase his lead to over six seconds on the first of the followers. With the Romanian driver now unreachable, it is Brangero, Pola and Ruykov who are vying for the place of honour, while Bonhomme has to abandon the race prematurely. The race ends with a clear success for Jercan, ahead of Pola, second, and Brangero, third. Ruykov 'settles' for fourth place, while Sanesi celebrates a positive fifth place. Only 20th is one of the main drivers of the category, Mazzolini, who started in 33rd place.

Senior ROK

Two exciting and uncertain races down to the last beat in the Senior ROK class.

After gaining the pole position in the third round at Franciacorta, Giuseppe Gaglianò beats the competition again in the qualifyings, on the very same track. The Italian, with a time of 48.285 seconds, precedes Andrea Giudice, second, and Riccardo Ferrari, third. Polish Kacper Turoboyski finishes fourth, followed by Samuele Di Filippo, fifth, and Alex Laghezza, sixth. The top-10 also see Lorenzo Bedetti, seventh, Giovanni Polato, eighth, Kaloyan Varbitzaliev, ninth, and Riccardo Salemi, tenth. They are followed, in order by: Federico Zanetti, Piotr Protasiewicz, Franciszek Lassota, Edoardo Prioglio, Franciszek Czapla, Riccardo Chiodo, Ghazi Motlekar, Matteo Lazzarotto, Miled Fernando El Khoury, Andrea Barbieri, Rikardo Bakaj, Daniele Guenzi, Jannik Roth, Luis Moser and Davide Pretosi.

In Race 1, Gaglianò takes full advantage of his pole position and remains in the lead after the start, with Ferrari able to steal the second place from Giudice. However, the latter manages to recover his position just before the end of the opening lap and launches himself in pursuit of the race leader. Keeping concentrated and without making any mistakes is Gaglianò who keeps Giudice at bay throughout the race and triumphs under the chequered flag. Contending for the last step of the podium we find Bedetti, author of a brilliant start in the early stages then third at the finish line, and Ferrari, fourth. Di Filippo finishes fifth, after defending himself from Turoboyski, sixth.

In Race 2, Laghezza leads the group in the early corners, but it is Turoboyski who emerges in the lead at the end of the opening lap. However, thanks to an excellent start, Giudice jumps from seventh to second place. It is the two of them who are the main protagonists of the race: the Polish driver maintains his lead over his rival and ends the race with almost a second and a half gap over his rival. The battle for the lowest step of the podium, occupied once again by Bedetti, is truly exciting. Fourth place for Ferrari, fifth for Gaglianò and sixth for Laghezza.

Expert ROK

The Expert ROK representatives show off in a breathtaking race over the entire weekend.

Alessandro Viganò leads again in the qualifyings. After the pole position obtained in the second round at Jesolo, the Italian driver is first at Franciacorta with the best time of 49.477 seconds, 37 thousandths of a second faster than Andrea Moretti, second. Championship leader Andrea Sorbello gains third position, ahead of Marco Massironi, fourth, and Filippo Repetto, fifth. Michele Zampieri, in sixth, ahead of Paolo Baselli, seventh, and Daniel Zajac, eighth, behind him. Marco Nannavecchia and Marco Beretta complete the top-10, followed by Marco Congiù, Lucio Maria Fibbiani, Gianluca Rubiolini, Marzio Cavini, Fabio Cretti, Thomas Walti and Luca Davì.

In Race 1, the starting grid sees Viganò in the lead after the first few metres, ahead of Sorbello and Moretti. However, the poleman makes a mistake in the middle sector and favouring Moretti, able to take the lead. Behind them, however, Zampieri and Baselli slip into the last positions. The victory soon becomes a five-way affair between Moretti, Viganò, Sorbello, Repetto and Massironi, but in the second half of the race Moretti increases his pace and only Viganò tries to stay close to him, while Sorbello concentrates his forces on Repetto. At the end of the 16 laps scheduled, Moretti is able to triumph undisturbed at the finish line, but the joy is short-lived because, post-race, he receives a five-second penalty for having recovered his position before the start beyond the permitted limit. So winner is Viganò, ahead of Sorbello, Repetto, Massironi and Moretti, who slips to fifth.

In Race 2, Cretti starts ahead of everyone thanks to the inversion of the first eight of Race 1. The Italian driver immediately takes the lead, ahead of Nannavecchia, Massironi, Zajac, Sorbello and Moretti. Cretti is unable to run away the chasing pack and soon has to give way to Moretti and Sorbello who, in the meantime, have moved up to second and third, respectively. With the track clear, the Moretti-Sorbello pair begins their breakaway. The two finish first and second position. Behind, Zajac and Repetto fight for the lowest step of the podium: thanks to a decisive overtaking move on the third-to-last lap, the Italian precedes the Polish driver in the standings. Viganò, Massironi, Nannavecchia and Beretta complete the top-eight, while Cretti is forced to retire in the middle of the race.

Super ROK

Two different winners and many twists and turns in Super ROK, a category among the big protagonists of the Franciacorta weekend.

Fourth pole position of the season for Alex Desario, author of the best time of 47.528 seconds in the qualifyings. The Italian driver manages to impose himself ahead of the Monegasque Gaia Cardinali, second, the Polish Bartosz Grzywacz, third, and the Slovenian Aleksandar Bogunovic, fourth. Omar Matteo Mosca gains the fifth place, followed by Brando Pozzi, sixth, Zachary Taylor, seventh, and Luca Magnussen, eighth. Alessandro Zini and Thomas Carnovali are ninth and tenth respectively. The ranking goes on with Christian Canonica, Nicolò Coppotelli, Massimiliano Alosa, Chiara Bolognini, Manuel Gritti, Matteo Favero, Mattia Gafforelli, Lorenzo Poletti, Liberiano Guerra, Domenico Cicognini and Renius Jejdling. In Race 1, Desario fight for defending his first position well from Grzywacz, who starts alongside him, while Bogunovic and Mosca overtakes Cardinali at the start. The first two laps see Desario firmly in the lead. The Italian driver, however, is forced to retire at the start of the third lap due to a technical problem. Grzywacz inherites the baton from the Italian, but finds himself pressed by Bogunovic, Cardinali and Pozzi. Mosca, meanwhile, slips to seventh, also behind Zini. On lap 11 another twist arrives: in a heated tussle for the top positions, Bogunovic runs off the track and drops back to 12th. Three laps later, Mosca and Canonica come into collision at the first bend and retire. Finally, on the last lap, Cicognini - at that moment up in fourth place - hits Pozzi and both lose ground and positions in the standings. The excited final ends with Grzywacz winning, ahead of a solid Cardinali, second, and a surprising Magnussen, third. However, the classification changes with the five-second penalty given to Cardinali for the front spoiler in the wrong position: Magnussen and Coppotelli take the podium, with Taylor, Bogunovic, Bolognini and Cardinali behind.

In Race 2, taking advantage of a start in the pole position, Poletti is in the lead from the very first laps. Bogunovic is the author of a sprint start and climbs to second place, ahead of Bolognini and Grzywacz. Poletti lasts little as leader because, already on the second lap, Bogunovic wins with 1.400 seconds of gap over Grzywacz, second position. Behind them, it is Pozzi running in third position for long, but during the final stages he is overtaken by a strong Luca Magnussen, once more on the podium. Canonica, Taylor, Desario and Bolognini enter the first eight positions. Ninth for Poletti. Cardinali retired for an accident.

Shifter ROK

Also on stage, of course, is the Shifter ROK, the shifter category of the ROK Cup Italy.

Current championship leader is Samuele Leopardi who jumps well in the qualifyings and, thanks to a time of 46.980 seconds, takes his fourth consecutive pole position. Boris Cutaia and Roberto Manduchi are second and third respectively, both just a few thousandths of a second behind then poleman Leopardi. Marco Chiarello places fourth, followed by Riccardo Rigodanza, fifth, Marco Acquarella, sixth, Filippo Fiorentino, seventh and Lorenzo Ripamonti, eighth. Federico Diana and Davide Cordera take the last two places available in the top-10. Also running in the category are Andrea Zemin, Mattia Rossetti, Pietro Fioravanti, Paolo Fracasso, Adrian Labuda, Giacomo Maman, Federico Squaranti, Riccardo Franciosi, Cristian Lovi, Philippe Ehrensberger, Pietro Gobbi, Lorenzo Rubes, Kevin Ceccarelli, Enzo Pirovano, Leonardo Saba, Leonardo Boccardi, Lorenzo Paganini, Alessandro Tagliacollo, Ivan Siletskiy, Alessandro Risi and Massimiliano Pezzucchi.

In Race 1, Leopardi burns everyone at the start and immediately takes the lead, with Cutaia, Chiarello and Rigodanza in the role of first pursuers. However, a series of incidents at the back force the race director to impose the 'slow' procedure and the drivers momentarily stop any fight. At the restart, Leopardi maintains his lead, but over the course of the following laps he has to watch his back from a menacing Cutaia who attempts to attack several times, but without success. The chequered flag sanctions Leopardi's victory and Cutaia's second place, but the latter receives a five-second penalty for having his front spoiler in the wrong position. Thus, it is Chiarello, second, and Rigodanza, third, who take the remaining steps of the podium, ahead of Acquarella, fourth, and Cutaia, relegated to fifth position.

In Race 2, the inversion of the first eight finishers of Race 1 favours Rossetti who, from pole position, is in the lead from the moment the lights go out. On the contrary, Fiorentino does not start well from the front row and immediately slips to the back. After a few corners, it is Diana who takes the reins of the race, followed closely by Leopardi. Rossetti, on the other hand, is forced to give way to Cutaia and Rigodanza.

Initially, it is Leopardi who tries to stay close to Diana, after which the role of first pursuer passes to Cutaia who, however, is unable to close the gap on the leader. Diana crosses the finish line first, while Cutaia is disqualified from the race for attempting to remount the front spoiler. The place of honour goes into the hands of Leopardi while Rigodanza climbs on the third step of the podium. Rossetti and Fracasso finish fourth and fifth, respectively.

 Press Release © OTK Kart Group