Kart Republic: A top five finish in the European KZ Championship, but plenty of regrets!
Danilo Albanese put up a tough fight in July in Spain to claim 2nd place with the fastest lap of the race in his high-performance KR-IAME. Motivated by the idea of retaining his FIA Karting European KZ Championship crown when he arrived at the Val Vibrata circuit for the finale of this highly-anticipated event, the Italian driver immediately demonstrated his competitiveness by taking pole position. Unfortunately, his title hopes were dashed at the first corner of the first heat! However, the team's overall result in Abruzzo means that KR Motorsport remains in contention for the team title in 2024.
A significant pole position
Danilo Albanese was smiling broadly as he collected the Dunlop trophy for his fastest lap in Qualifying, more than a tenth clear of his nearest challenger, but little did the Italian know that the first heat was about to turn into a disaster.
"Just as I was turning into the lead at the first corner, another driver climbed over my kart on re-acceleration," lamented Danilo. "I had no choice but to retire. And as the regulations dictate, I restarted in penultimate position in Heat 2. From that moment on, I knew that my chances of the title were gone, despite a very high level of performance."
Albanese on the comeback trail, Ippolito in the top three
With P2 in Heat 1, P3 in Heat 2 and P5 in the Super Heat, Paolo Ippolito had a chance of a podium finish at Val Vibrata, but retired on the first lap of the Final due to a race incident. From 26th on the grid in Heat 2 to 6th in the Final, Danilo Albanese made the best comeback of the meeting and salvaged 5th place in the final European KZ Championship standings. The points scored by the two drivers in the Kart Republic colours mean that the KR Motorsport team is P2 in the Teams' standings, very close to the leader, ahead of the last FIA Karting event of the season: the coveted World Championship at Portimao in October!
For the SP Motorsport team, Stan Pex proved to be fast, consistent and combative. Starting P10 in the Final, he was hoping to climb back into the top six in the European Championship, but a collision put an end to his hopes. In the end, he finished P10 in the standings. His brother Jorrit climbed back up to P14 in the Final.
A comment from Dino Chiesa, Head of KR Global Motorsport Company
"It's never pleasant to see one of our drivers eliminated at the start of the first round when he has every chance of fighting for the European Championship title given his competitiveness, but we can only accept it. I'd also like the FIA Karting to change its rules, because it's a shame to see Danilo Albanese start at the back of the pack in Heat 2 after having taken pole position. As a result, Qualifying is no longer as important as it used to be. Danilo kept the absolute fastest lap until the end, but that was little consolation. Finally, the KR chassis and IAME engines showed their potential on tracks as different as Alcaniz and Val Vibrata.
"I would like to congratulate the KZ2 drivers who fought well under our colours on a difficult circuit, with a special mention for those who took part in the Final. Well done also to all the teams who chose the KR chassis for this great international event and to Alessio La Martina who finished P6 with flying colours in the KZ2 Masters final, placing him P5 in the overall European Championship standings.”