Proud to represent his country in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy, Luxembourg hopeful Maxime Furon Castelain fulfilled his mission perfectly at the opening event on the Italian circuit of Adria. Very fast, but also extremely consistent, combative but calm, Maxime concluded his faultless run on the second step of the Final podium. His 2nd position in the provisional Trophy ranking opens up great prospects for him.

"I'm very happy with my weekend," explained Maxime as he dismounted the podium. "When we arrived in Adria, the aim was to be at least in the top three. The goal was achieved, and my 2nd place is a great start to the Trophy. The conditions were tough because of the high ambient temperature and humidity. 20 laps in the feature race is a long time with temperatures like that. I am proud to represent my country, Luxembourg, in this international competition. I would like to thank ACL Sport and my team Forza Racing with Dean and Callum."

A unique competition, the FIA Academy Karting Trophy pits young talents from all over the world at the wheel of strictly identical karts, Exprit/Vortex/Vega. The tuning possibilities are reduced and the engines are regularly swapped to ensure the greatest possible fairness. In the Academy, it is the driver who counts and all the credit goes to them.

The analysis of Maxime's performance shows his incredible speed. He set the fastest time in each of his Qualifying Heats and confirmed in the Final with the second fastest time on the grid. All this with four different engines! He remained the fastest driver of the meeting until the end.

Maxime had to deal with a starting position on the outside line in each of his races. This is a significant disadvantage on a track like Adria: "It's not easy to get back on the right line at the start, you often lose positions at the start of the race. In the Final for example, when I started from the front row, I found myself in 5th position. I had to avoid the clashes that are always possible in this situation and then try to move back up each time while remaining calm. It's not easy to manage, but it's very instructive for overtaking in the leading group. In the end, the satisfaction is all the greater."

A podium at this level is a confidence-inspiring result. Next week, Maxime will continue with the second round of the European Championship on the Sarno circuit, another important race where he will have even greater ambitions.