Kalì Kart Racing Team: Mixed feelings after Round 3 of the Italian Karting Championship
There are many reasons for the Kalì Kart Racing Team to be disappointed and many to be happy after the 3rd round of the Italian Karting Championship. In the OK-N Junior category, after the pole position in the Qualifying Practice on Friday and 2 Heat wins on Saturday, Cristian Blandino finished Race 1 in P6 and Race 2 just a whisker away from the podium, in P4. In both Finals, some setup problems between the chassis and engine did not allow him to conquer a podium which was certainly within his reach, but the speed demonstrated throughout the entire weekend and the useful points obtained for the Championship are certainly positive aspects for the team, especially in view of the next 2 events scheduled on tracks where the Sicilian driver feels very comfortable with: Sarno in July and Lonato in September.
Sam Woolley also didn't get the result he deserved, finishing Race 1 in P12 and even having to retire due to a technical problem in Race 2, but he was also very fast in Qualifying Practice and in the first Heat on Saturday and has made a 100% recovery after breaking his arm in April.
In the Junior category, the constant growth of Francesco Montoneri is also very positive, as he can now look towards the top ten after qualifying for the Final and having had a pace very close to the best in both races. Similar speech also for Giulio Miranda, who despite having encountered some difficulties in finding the best setup, confirmed his high potential and will soon be able to place himself among the best in the category.
Talking about disappointments, the biggest for the team came from the KZ2 class, where Simone Bianco, once again, was very unlucky. The driver from Lombardy, after an exceptional Qualifying ahead of many big names in the international KZ category, lost two heats and therefore missed out on qualifying for the Final: in the 2nd Heat he retired due to a clutch problem and in the 3rd one due to a race contact at the 1st lap.
Finally, bittersweet also in Mini Kart where Ben Piscopo was always very fast, but lost the top ten in both races due to some race contacts, while Domenico Coco had a technical engine problem in Qualifying Practice which then compromised his entire weekend.
As regards the Italian Championship, the team will get back to the track in Sarno on July 21st, but already this week the Junior drivers Cristian Blandino and Sam Woolley will be among the OKJ big names at the WSK Euro Series in Franciacorta. Ben Piscopo will also be competing in Franciacorta, but the Maltese driver will only join the team on Friday, as he will have to take school exams this week.