[Translated with Google]

After the first appointment two weeks ago in Lonato, WSK Promotion is back on track at the Franciacorta Karting Track in Castrezzato (Italy) for the second round of the WSK Super Master Series. The weekend kicks off with a good turnout of drivers in all four international categories: 73 in MINI Gr.3, 105 in OKJ, 71 in OK and 63 in KZ2. Finally, 49 competitors participate in the MINI Gr.3 U10.

The usual qualifications took place on Friday, and then continued with the first qualifying heats, which will continue throughout the day on Saturday.

KZ2: ex aequo for Tom Leuillet and Kean Nakamura Berta

• Incredible but true, in qualifying for the premier class of shifter karts, two drivers recorded the same absolute best time. We are talking about Kean Nakamura Berta (Prema Racing – KR – Iame), in his second race in KZ2, and Tom Leuillet (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex), reigning KZ2 European runner-up.


• Nakamura Berta finishes first in group 1, while Leuillet leads in group 2. However, pole position must be assigned and, based on the second best time recorded, this goes to the Frenchman. The Tony Kart Racing Team driver will thus start from the front in all the heats. For Nakamura Berta it is in any case a precious result, above all because Prema Racing, regularly involved in the single-seater championships, is making its debut in karting.


• In his second year of activity in KZ2, Samuele Leopardi (Zanchi Motorsport – CRG – TM Racing) surprises everyone with the third position overall, the only one together with Nakamura Berta and Leuillet to fall below the 46 second barrier (45.950).


• He hadn't managed to take the victory in the first round in Lonato, but Emilien Denner (Sodikart – Sodikart – TM Racing) is certainly one of the possible protagonists of the championship. The Frenchman finished qualifying in fourth position, followed by Maksim Orlov (Modena Kart - Parolin - TM Racing) in fifth position.


• After the double results in Lonato on the occasion of the WSK Champions Cup and the first round of the WSK Super Master Series, Cristian Bertuca (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing) remains in the top positions also in Franciacorta with sixth place at the end of timed trials.


• Riccardo Longhi (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing), team manager of Birel Art Racing, returns to wearing overalls and helmet. The Italian finished eighth, behind Thomas Imbourg (CPB Sport – Sodikart – TM Racing), seventh. Marek Skrivan (Sumako IPK Racing – IPK – TM Racing) and Norton Andreasson (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex) are respectively ninth and tenth.


• Good start also for Alex Maragliano (Maranello SRP Factory Team – Maranello – TM Racing), 11th, as well as for Giuseppe Palomba (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing), 12th. The two precede Jannik Julius Bernhart (Dorr Motorsport – KR – Iame), 13th, and Alex Powell (Prema Racing – KR – Iame), 14th.


• The classification continues with Yevan David (CPB Sport – Sodikart – TM Racing), 15th, Alessio Piccini (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing), 16th, Matteo Zanchi (Zanchi Motorsport – CRG – TM Racing), 17th , Senna Van Walstijn (Sodikart – Sodikart – TM Racing), 18th, and Freddie Slater (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing), 19th.


• Further behind Pedro Hiltbrand (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing), 22nd, Daniel Vasile (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing), 23rd, and Matteo Viganò (Leclerc by Lennox Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing ), 24th. Back Lorenzo Travisanutto (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM Racing), 44th.

OK: David Walther chasing revenge

• He had been quite unlucky in the first round of Lonato and, in Franciacorta, David Walther (Koski Motorsport – Tony Kart – Vortex) certainly wants to reiterate things as they really are. For now, the Dane takes pole position in qualifying with a best time of 46.314 seconds.


• He has been missing on the podium since the first race of the WSK Euro Series last year and René Lammers (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM Racing) aims to return as soon as possible. The Dutchman is fastest in the other grouping with a time of 46.385, which translates into a second place in the combined standings.


• In the second overall race in the Senior class, Enzo Tarnvanichkul (Prema Racing – KR – Iame) shines with an overall third place in qualifying. The reigning OKJ world champion precedes Kirill Kutskov (Birel Art Racing – Birel Art – TM Racing), fourth, Louis Iglesias (CRG Racing Team – CRG – Iame), fifth, and Kiano Blum (DPK Racing – KR - Iame), sixth.


• Seventh position for Emanuele Olivieri (IPK Official Racing Team – IPK – TM Racing), followed by Jimmy Helias (Ward Racing – Tony Kart – Vortex), on the lowest step of the podium in the first round of Lonato. In ninth position we find Guillaume Bouzar (Koski Motorsport – Tony Kart – Vortex), while in tenth position is Joseph Turney (KR Motorsport – KR – Iame), reigning champion of the WSK Super Master Series).


• The winner of Lonato and championship leader James Egozi (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex) finished qualifying 13th. Ahead of him are Thomas Strauven (Ricky Flynn Motorsport – LN – Vortex), 11th, and Dinu-Sabin Stroescu (KR Motorsport – KR – Iame), 12th.


• The combined classification sees Gabriel Gomez (CRG Racing Team – CRG – IAME) 17th, Luigi Coluccio (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex) 18th, Gustaw Wiśniewski (Forza Racing – Exprit – TM Racing) 19th, Simone Bianco (CRG Racing Team – CRG – IAME) 20th and Tomass Stolcermanis (Energy Corse – Energy Corse – TM Racing) 24th. Anatoly Khavalkin (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM) is 29th.

OKJ: Lewis Wherrell returns to the fray

• He had missed the first round in Lonato due to a rib injury sustained in free practice prior to the race weekend, but now Lewis Wherrell (Forza Racing – Exprit – TM Racing) wants to reaffirm his strength after winning the WSK Champions Cup. The Briton imposes himself with the best time of 47.645 seconds achieved in group 2.


• The fastest in group 3 is Niklas Schaufler (DPK Racing – KR – IAME), looking for another important result after the win at the Winter Cup and the second place at the WSK Champions Cup. With a time reference of 47.797 seconds, the Austrian is right behind Wherrell. Jack Iliffe (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM Racing) is first in group 1 with a time of 48.129 seconds, consequently he is third in the combined standings.


• For almost a tenth of a second, Davide Bottaro (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex) does not beat Wherrell and is positioned second, in fact a fourth place at the end of all qualifying sessions. Fifth position for Christian Costoya (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM Racing), sixth instead for Dries Van Langendonck (Energy Corse – Energy Corse – TM Racing), in pole position at the first round of the championship.


• After being one of the protagonists of the Lonato weekend but without conquering the final podium, Oleksandr Bondarev (KR Motorsport – KR – IAME) also showed up in Franciacorta with seventh place in qualifying. Sebastian Lehtimaki (Koski Motorsport – Tony Kart – Vortex), second in Lonato after leading the intermediate standings, is eighth.


• Among the top ten we also find Salim Hanna (Ricky Flynn Motorsport – LN – Vortex), third two weeks ago after an incredible comeback from the back, and Zac Drummond (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM Racing), respectively ninth and tenth. The classification continues with Arjen Kraling (KR Motorsport – KR – Iame), 11th, Luna Fluxá (Prema Racing – KR – Iame), 12th, Elliot Kaczynski (Ward Racing – Tony Kart – Vortex), 13th, Filippo Sala (Sodikart – Sodikart – TM Racing) 14th, and Iacopo Martinese (KR Motorsport – KR – Iame).


• The winner of the first round Alp Hasan Aksoy (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex) opens his weekend with the 23rd place in qualifying.

MINI Gr.3: Iskender Zulfikari unstoppable

• He has been the undisputed ruler of the category since the last few months of 2022, having won the WSK Open Cup, the WSK Final Cup, the Winter Cup and the WSK Champions Cup. Success is not enough for Iskender Zulfikari (Babyrace Driver Academy – Parolin – IAME) of the first round to quench his thirst for victories and, in fact, conquers the pole position in qualifying, with the best time of 53.376 seconds obtained in group 3


• After the Top 10 in Lonato, Shen Zeyu (AVracing – Parolin – TM Racing) grows and reaches the second position in the combined classification, setting a time of 53.714 seconds in group 2. Instead, Bruno Blanco (CRG Racing Team – CRG – TM Racing ) finishes first in group 1 thanks to a lap in 53.789 seconds and is classified third.


• Despite a better time (53.661 seconds) than the pair Zeyu-Bruno and due to the effect of the combined classification, Manuel Miguez (Renda Motorsport – Energy Corse – Iame) is fourth at the end of timed qualifying. Behind him we find Emilio Bernd (Kidix Driver Performance – Alonso Kart – Iame), fifth, Pietro Bagutti (AVracing – Parolin – TM Racing), sixth and Ludovico Mazzola (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex), seventh.


• Also finishing in the top ten are Lorenzo D'Amico (IPK Official Racing Team – IPK – TM), eighth, Bosco Arias Chavarri (Team Driver Racing Kart – KR - Iame), ninth, and Cristian Blandino (CRG Racing Team – CRG – TM Racing), tenth.


• After coming close to the podium in the first round, Dean Hoogendoorn (Kidix Driver Performance – KR – IAME) starts this weekend with 16th place in qualifying. Further back who conquered the Top 3 in Lonato: Bogdan Cosma Cristofor (Team Driver Racing Kart – KR – IAME) is 22nd, Vladimir Ivannikov (Gamoto – EKS – TM Racing) is 28th.

MINI Gr.3 U10: shines Sebastian Eskandari Marandi

• The first pole position of the year arrives for Sebastian Eskandari Marandi (Tony Kart Racing Team – Tony Kart – Vortex), the fastest ever in qualifying with a time of 53.736 seconds. The Australian beat Albert Tamm (Babyrace Driver Academy – Parolin – IAME) by just under a tenth of a second, first in the other group (53.815 seconds).


• Maximus Unt (Ward Racing – Tony Kart – TM Racing) closes about 30 thousandths of a second behind Eskandari Marandi and is positioned third in the combined standings. Present on the lowest step of the podium in Lonato, David Moscardi (AVracing – Parolin – TM Racing) conquers the fourth position, ahead of the WSK Champions Cup champion Oleksandr Legenkyi (Team Driver Racing Kart – KR – IAME), fifth, and Rea Achille (CRG Racing Team – CRG – TM), sixth.


• The Top 10 is completed by Niccolò Perico (Energy Corse – Energy Corse – TM Racing), seventh, Daniil Kutskov (Babyrace Driver Academy – Parolin – IAME), eighth, Michele Orlando (IPK Official Racing Team – IPK – TM), ninth, and Henri Kumpen (Babyrace Driver Academy – Parolin – IAME), tenth.


• More detached Alessandro Truchot (Parolin Motorsport – Parolin – TM Racing), in pole position in Lonato, and Antoine Venant (Kidix Driver Performance – KR – Iame), winner of the first round. The two are respectively 16th and 17th.

©Photo: Sportinphoto