Kart Republic: Perfect technical choices and new victories in Lonato
The KR chassis are already enjoying a string of successes at the start of the season. Oleksandr Bondarev (Prema Racing) in OK and Niklas Schaufler (DPK Racing) in OK-Junior won the WSK Champions Cup on 21st January and repeated the feat a week later, again on the Lonato circuit. However, the competition was even tougher at the opening round of the WSK Super Master Series 2024! But the most important thing to note was that many other drivers in the colours of KR Global Motorsport Company put in solid performances.
Another fine showing in all categories
No fewer than 79 drivers equipped with KR chassis took part in the event at South Garda Karting, representing almost a quarter of the field. Although the thermometer was a few degrees warmer than the previous week, the atmosphere remained chilly throughout the event, as did the tarmac of the Italian track. So the technical side of things had to react accordingly, and the choice of using the KR1 chassis fitted with a ø32mm tube proved to be the right compromise for the conditions.
Barely down and already back on top of the podium
At the wheel of their KR-IAME karts, Oleksandr Bondarev (Prema Racing) and Niklas Schaufler (DPK Racing) have managed to rack up two wins in the space of a week! With their confidence soaring, the two drivers seem to have taken their place on the podium in Lonato. In OK, Bondarev drove the perfect race: pole position, victory in all three heats, in the Prefinal and in the Final. Salim Hanna was just behind his team-mate for a long time before finally finishing P4. David Cosma Cristofor (Cetilar Racing) was also very competitive, finishing in P6. Gerasim Skulanov (DPK Racing) battled his way to the front in the Qualifying Heats, before falling back on Sunday.
Apart from Schaufler, who was dominant on Sunday, other drivers were in with a chance of a podium finish in the OK-Junior class... Arjen Kraeling (KR Motorsport), Rocco Coronel (Victory Lane), and Iacopo Martinese (Cetilar Racing) were in the top six on Saturday evening after the heats. Martinese and Kraeling had the opportunity to lead the proceedings in their Prefinal and finished P4 and P6 respectively in the Final.
Japan's Sara Matsui reveals herself
Consistently at the front in Lonato in OK-N Junior, Sara Matsui (KR Motorsport) gave nothing away to climb to 2nd place on the podium, just ahead of Valerio Viapana (Team Driver Racing Kart). In KZ2, Daniel Stell (Dörr Motorsport) was 4th after the Qualifying Heats. His retirement in the Prefinal prevented him from achieving a better result. In Mini U10, Lucas Palacio (KR Motorsport) came close to a podium finish, but a penalty sent him back to 10th place.
In the Mini class, every other driver in the top 10 was equipped with a KR-IAME: Daniel Miron Lorente finished P2, Daniil Kutskov P4, Zdenek Babicek P6, Oleksandr Legenkyi P7 and Antoine Venant P10. Well done to the Driver Racing Kart, AKM Motorsport, and Kidix teams for this brilliant overall result.
Comments from Dino Chiesa, Head of KR Global Motorsport Company
"It's always very satisfying to confirm our victories, as it proves that we're working with continuity. Many of our drivers have shown great competitiveness and I can only encourage them to continue along this path. Hard work, speed, discipline, and determination are always rewarded in the end.
This series of winter races at Lonato is coming to an end. We're looking forward to continuing our development work at other circuits and to winning more races. Finally, I have a special thought for Luca De Donno and I send him all my condolences for the death of his mother which occurred during the meeting.”