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In Lonato, the dances for the 2022 season of international karting begin. The WSK Champions Cup is the inaugural race of the new year and, two months after the last WSK round, it starts again with a good turnout of drivers in all four categories: 92 in the MINI, 34 in the OKJ, 16 in the OK and 29 in the KZ2, for a total of 171 participants.

The usual qualifying sessions took place on Friday, before continuing with the first qualifying heats, which will end on Saturday afternoon.

KZ2: Pole and track record for Senna Van Walstijn

• Senna Van Walstijn (Sodikart - Sodikart - TM Racing) starts the 2022 season in the best possible way, conquering pole position thanks to a 45.022, the fastest lap ever recorded in an official qualification on the South Garda Karting circuit in Lonato. The Dutch driver thus presents the potential of the new Sodikart-TM package and reaffirms his driving skills.


• Just over half a tenth from the Sodikart team rider, David Trefilov (Maranello SRP Factory Team - Maranello - TM Racing) is also confirmed as extremely competitive, second and ready to relaunch the challenge to Van Walstijn starting from the first heat.


• On his return to the Sodikart family, with whom he won the International Super Cup in Lonato in 2019, Emilien Denner (Sodikart - Sodikart - TM Racing) sets the third best time and immediately applies to the role of great protagonist.


• The fourth place is the prerogative of Arthur Carbonnel (CPB Sport - Sodikart - TM Racing), who thus places a third Sodikart among the first four positions. The French rider is followed by an excellent Daniel Stell (NB Motorsport - Lenzokart - TM Racing), who precedes Matteo Zanchi (Zanchi Motorsport - Birel ART - TM Racing), author of a good performance, by just one thousandth.


• Markus Kajak (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex), seventh, and Alex Maragliano (Renda Motorsport - Birel ART - TM Racing), eighth are also at the top of the standings following a positive qualifying session.


• Celian Gallasin (CRG Racing Team - CRG - TM Racing) and Thomas Imbourg (CPB Sport - Sodikart - TM Racing) complete the top ten.


• After setting the tenth best time, Jannik Julius Bernhart (NB Motorsport - Lenzokart - TM Racing) gets relegated to the last place by a penalty of twenty places.

OK: Impressive debut for Sebastiano Pavan

• A debut with all the trimmings for Sebastiano Pavan (Team Driver Racing Kart - KR - IAME) in the queen category of single-speed karting: the driver of the Team Driver Racing Kart scores a 46.001 and thus obtains the pole position, proving his ability to adapt.


• Just over a tenth from the rookie is his teammate Danny Carenini (Team Driver Racing Kart - KR - IAME), author of an excellent performance at his first appearance with Team Driver Racing Kart.


• A more than positive debut also for Maksimilian Popov (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex), who immediately proved fast with the third best time.


• Coskun Irfan (Shamick Europe - Parolin - IAME) is another very competitive rookie and makes him fourth. The standard bearer of the Shamick Europe team precedes an excellent Nicola Lacorte (Team Driver Racing Kart - KR - IAME), who returns to racing after last year’s accident.


• Good performances also for Francesco Marenghi (DPK Racing - KR - IAME), sixth, and rookie Darius Lucian Babaioana (Transkart Racing Club - KR - TM Racing), seventh.


• The top ten is closed by the three KRs of Maksimilyan Obst (DPK Racing - KR - IAME), Felix Arnold (CV Performance Group - KR - IAME) and Filip Niewiadomski (Alonso Kart by Kidix - KR - IAME).

OKJ: Dmitry Matveev starts in front of everyone

• Dmitry Matveev (Koski Motorsport - Tony Kart - Vortex) immediately wanted to reaffirm his speed, taking home the first pole position of the season with a 47.133.


• Emanuele Olivieri (IPK Official Racing Team - IPK - TM Racing) is astonishing at his debut in OKJ, setting the second best time just 85 thousandths behind the Koski Motorsport team driver.


• Nathan Tye's (Sodikart - Sodikart - TM Racing) is excellent too, as he gains the third position. Confirming the strength of the Sodikart-TM package also in OKJ is Andy Consani (Sodikart - Sodikart - TM Racing), who finds himself, on his debut in OKJ, just behind his teammate.


• The two standard bearers of the DPK Racing team Tiziano Monza (DPK Racing - KR - IAME) and Miguel Costa (DPK Racing - KR - IAME) are competitive at the start of the new season, fifth and sixth respectively.


• Andres Cardenas (Energy Corse - Energy Corse - TM Racing) is also the author of an excellent performance, occupying seventh place and preceding a protagonist of the category such as Kirill Dzitiev (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex).


• Dinu-Sabin Stroescu (Gulstar Racing - KR - TM Racing) and Griffin Peebles (Koski Motorsport - Tony Kart - Vortex) complete the top ten, just ahead of Martin Molnar (Team Driver Racing Kart - KR - IAME) .


• Unlucky qualifying for the rookie Aleksandar Bogunovic (DPK Racing - KR - IAME), who manages to complete only two laps and therefore finds himself last in the standings after having shown good speed in free practice. Another OKJ rookie set the 19th fastest time: Kian Fardin (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex).

MINI: Jindrich Pesl is the fastest driver, the only one under the 52-second barrier

• Jindrich Pesl (Babyrace Driver Academy - Parolin - IAME) had already shown his potential and especially his feeling with the Lonato circuit last year, but in these first qualifying in 2022 he wanted to be even clearer. The Babyrace Driver Academy driver is the only one to go under the 52-second barrier and, with an amazing 51.919 in group 4, takes absolute pole position by force. The young Czech got the better of his direct rival Luka Fedorenko (Gamoto - EKS - TM Racing) by more than three tenths, a very large gap that is rarely seen. The Gamoto team rider is still fifth in the overall standings thanks to a good performance and beats Filippo Pancotti (AVracing - Parolin - TM Racing) by just 59 thousandths, third in the group and ninth overall.


• After having experienced a 2021 as an absolute protagonist, Christian Costoya (Parolin Motorsport - Parolin - TM Racing) wants to immediately set the record straight also in this new season. The reigning champion of the WSK Euro Series prints a 52.147 in group 3 and thus conquers the second overall position. The standard bearer of the Parolin Motorsport team is the author of an excellent performance and almost two tenths of a second to the direct pursuer Juliusz Ociepa (IPK Official Racing Team - IPK - TM Racing), who proves his growth with the sixth place overall. Also among the best is the reigning WSK Final Cup champion David Cosma-Cristofor (Gulstar Racing - KR - IAME), third in the group and tenth in the overall standings.


• A surprising William Calleja (Parolin Motorsport - Parolin - TM Racing) won in group 2 thanks to a 52.339, still expressing the excellent speed shown in the final of last season and thus obtaining the third position overall. The young Australian is 85 thousandths ahead of the reigning WSK Open Cup champion Niklas Schaufler (Emme Racing Team - EKS - TM Racing), who reaffirms his role at the top of the standings with seventh place overall. Third in the group and 11th in the general classification is another great protagonist of the category, Iacopo Martinese (Babyrace Driver Academy - Parolin - IAME).


• Dries Van Langendonck (Parolin Motorsport - Parolin - TM Racing) remains extremely competitive in the first qualifying of the season, setting the best time in group 1 in 52.380 and thus earning the fourth position overall. Two other well-known faces in the category follow him: Filippo Sala (Team Driver Racing Kart - KR - IAME), trailing by just 13 thousandths and eighths total, and Dean Hoogendoorn (Alonso Kart by Kidix - Alonso Kart - IAME), who misses out on group pole by only 25 thousandths and therefore finds himself 12th in the general classification.


• The top 15 is closed by Jack Iliffe (Parolin Motorsport - Parolin - TM Racing), Danil Nepliuev (Energy Corse - Energy Corse - TM Racing) and Davide Bottaro (AVracing - Parolin - TM Racing).


• Great bitterness for the two color-bearers of the LA Motorsport team Qarrar Firhand (LA Motorsport - Intrepid - TM Racing) and Pietro Bagutti (LA Motorsport - Intrepid - TM Racing), respectively second and fifth in group 4, who was deprived of the time in due to a penalty.


• Qualifying slightly below expectations, however, for Cristian Tonalini (MLG Racing - Parolin - TM Racing), 32nd overall.

©Photo: Sportinphoto