Lando Norris leading the way in KFJ (Pic: Press.net Images)
Summer-like weather at the Motorland Aragòn in Alcaniz, Spanish town in the province of Teruel. The facility hosts, this weekend, the first out of two rounds of the CIK-FIA European championship of karting for the KF and KFJ categories. The temperature has reached 30 celsius degrees today, but despite that the operations carried out by the 150 drivers haven’t been slowed down, and it is all ready for tomorrow’s final phase. Today there were 20 heats on schedule to establish the starting grid of the Prefinals. Tomorrow both the categories will run to get the best positions in each Final. Only after these two last races the first points at stake will be given.
Barnicoat and Convers are the two polemen in KF.
Ben Barnicoat (ART GP-TM-Vega) did all well and achieved victory in all the four heats he took part in today. The Englishman clinched the pole position in Prefinal 1. Next to him, the Canadian Lance Stroll (Zanardi-Parilla-Vega). In Prefinal 2, the pole was achieved by the French Armand Convers who, together with his teammate the Danish Nicklas Nielsen, brought the Kosmic-Vortex team in the front row. They are both the favorites after winning a heat each. The Dutch Max Verstappen (CRG-TM-Vega), on the other hand, was a bit unlucky: he won in two heats but finished the third heat in the last positions after a contact at the start. He will start from the back rows of the grid. Moreover, Verstappen will be preceded by two tough rivals such as the Croatian Martin Kodric (FA Kart-Vortex-Vega) and the French Dorian Boccolacci (Energy-TM-Vega), both in second row. The other two winners of the qualifying heats are the Polish Karol Basz (Tony Kart-Vortex-Vega) and the Italian Andrea Russo (Kosmic-Vortex-Vega), even though they got slowed down by some troubles they had during the other races. Basz was a bit luckier and will start from the second row of Prefinal 2. Next to him the Danish Christian Sorensen (Tony Kart-Vortex-Vega). Russo will start from the fourth row.
Norris and Raspatelli in pole in the KF Junior category.
The English Lando Norris’s (FA Kart-Vortex-Le Cont) winning streak continues. After the best time he set in qualifying, today he won all the five heats he took part in. The Londoner will start from the pole in Prefinal 1. Next to him the German David Beckmann (Zanardi-BMB-Le Cont), who occupies the front row thanks to a victory and three second places. In Prefinal 2, the pole position was clinched by the Belgian Matteo Raspatelli (Tony Kart-Parilla-LeCont), who won three heats. Next to him the Russian Nikita Mazepin (Tony Kart-Vortex-LeCont), winner in one of the races. The other victories went to the American Logan Sargeant (Tony Kart-Vortex-Le Cont), Sasakorn Chaimongkol (Kosmic-TM-Le Cont) – from Thailand but holder of a British licence – , the Finnish Niko Kari (FA Kart-Vortex-LeCont), the Dutch Martijn van Leeuwen (Zanardi-TM-LeCont) and the Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara (ART GP-TM-LeCont).
