The first verdicts arrive from the Adria Karting Raceway: this is how the finals of the first round of the WSK Open Cup went.

KZ2: Danilo Albanese wins from the front row

• Senna Van Walstijn (CPB Sport - Sodikart - TM Racing) lasted for 15 laps, starting from the pole of the final valid for the first round. The Dutchman in fact crossed the finish line in third place behind the winner Danilo Albanese (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) and Stan Pex (KR Motorsport - KR -TM Racing).


• Things also seemed to get bad initially for Albanese, who on lap four, lost second position following a contact with Viktor Gustavsson (Leclerc By Lennox Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing). Between the two, however, it is the Swede who paid the highest price, finishing in last position, while Albanese sliped to third place behind Pex, who thanks to a perfect start from eighth place that immediately jumped onto the sharp end of the field. Albanese overtakes Pex in the eighth lap and in 7 laps closes the gap of one second with Van Walstijn.


• In fourth position, less than a tenth behind the Dutch, we find Juho Valtanen (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME), who makes up 3 positions and  also posts the fastest lap. Laurens Van Hoepen (Leclerc By Lennox Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing) gained 4 positions to finish seventh ahead of Gustavsson, recovering after the contact with Albanese.

OK: Taylor Barnard breaks away to score a commanding win

• Taylor Barnard (Rosberg Racing Academy - KR - IAME) also conquers the Final of the first round, immediately taking advantage of a bad start by Andrey Zhivnov (Team Komarov - Tony Kart - TM Racing), who started from the second box, and breaking away and putting three seconds between him and his opponents at the finish.


• Good first part of the race for NIkolas Pirttilahti (Forza Racing - Exprit - TM Racing), who held the second position for 10 laps before being overtaken by Marcus Amand (VDK Racing - KR - IAME). The Frenchman climbs on the second step of the podium, followed by Norton Andreasson (Ward Racing - Tony Kart - Vortex) who precedes Pirttilahti.


• Levente Revesz (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME), fifth, precedes five drivers who improve their starting position: Nikola Tsolov (DPK Racing - KR - IAME), sixth with the best lap of the race, gains six positions, Lorenzo Travisanutto (Parolin Racing Kart - Parolin - TM Racing) earns 3, Brando Badoer (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) five as Charlie Wurz (Exprit Racing Team - Exprit - Vortex), while Bruno del Pino (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex) recovers teplaces.


• Alfio Spina (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex) closes 12th after lifting himself up to fifth position, while the names of Tuukka Taponen (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex), Andrey Zhivnov and Cristian Bertuca (Birel ART Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing)

OKJ: Freddie Slater prevails at the end of a very tight battle

• In the OKJ final, poleman Karol Pasiewicz (Birel ART Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing) fails to get the most from the first position on the grid and at the start he is immediately taken by team mate Tymoteusz Kucharczyk and World Champion Freddie Slater (Ricky Flynn Motorsport - Kosmic - Vortex).


• The race, however, will prove to be really close: Slater, Kucharczyk and Pasiewicz will repeatedly take the lead. The fight allows Arvid Lindblad (KR Motorsport - KR - IAME) to return to the top three and also lead the race from the tenth to the fourteenth lap.


• All the drivers want to stay in front and no one seems to be able to break away. But with two laps to go, Slater takes the lead, finally managing to cross the line firstahead of Kucharczyk and Pasiewicz.


• Lindblad finished off the podium while his two teammates Yuanpu Cui and Sebastiano Pavan came together with two laps to go while they were in third and fourth position.


• Great race for Harley Keeble (Tony Kart Racing Team - Tony Kart - Vortex), starting thirtieth and ninth at the finish. Good comebacks also by Maxwell Dodds (Energy Corse - Energy Corse - TM Racing) who gains 14 positions and Ugo Ugochukwu (Sauber Karting Team - KR - IAME) who gains 17.

MINI: Maciej Gladysz wins after the penalty for Gerasim Skulanov

• Another great race for Gerasim Skulanov (Formula K Serafini ASD - IPK - TM Racing), started from the seventh box and first under the checkered flag in front of Maciej Gladysz (Parolin Racing Kart - Parolin - TM Racing) and René Lammers (Baby Race Driver Academy - Parolin - TM Racing) However, the victory was awarded to Gladysz after Skulanov's front nose was found out of position in the post-race checks and the Russian was relegated to tenth position.


• With Lammers second, Tiziano Monza (Sauber Karting Team - KR - IAME) climbs on the third step of the podium, after having also led in the race. Emanuele Olivieri (Formula K Serafini ASD - IPK - TM Racing), second on the grid, finished fourth in front of Davide Bottaro (Baby Race Driver Academy - Parolin - TM Racing). Eighth Kean Nakamura Berta (Team Driver Racing Kart - KR - IAME), after a three second penalty, ahead of Marcus Saeter (Revolution Motorsport ASD - Energy - TM Racing). Mark Kastelic (Team Driver Racing Kart - KR - IAME), 11th, recovered 10 positions and precedes Dries Van Langendonck (Leclerc By Lennox Racing - Birel ART - TM Racing), who scored pole on Wednesday.

©Photo: Sportinphoto