Tony Kart takes victory in France
At Val d'Argenton, the venue for the second round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series season, the Tony Kart Racing Team secured victory in the OKJ category final, thanks to their official driver Joel Pohjola.
The Tony Kart Racing Team claimed a decisive victory in the Champions of the Future Euro Series 2024. In France, at the Val d'Argenton circuit, their Tony Kart Racer 401 RR crossed the finish line first in the OKJ category final, powered by the VTJ engine from Vortex, the "engine division" of OTK Kart Group. The 'Racer' also competed in the OK, equipped as always with the Vortex VTS.
In the OKJ category, Joel Pohjola showcased his talent throughout the weekend: the Finn secured victory in heat A-F on Saturday and set two fastest laps. With his subsequent third-place finish in Super Heat B on Sunday morning, he made an impressive comeback of 28 positions in the overall standings compared to his qualifying position. In the final, Pohjola took the spotlight from the beginning: gaining four positions in the opening laps, he quickly seized the lead within six laps. From then on, Pohjola dominated the race, extending his lead to over four seconds ahead of his closest rival and clinching victory, his first in the international junior field.
Also competing in the final was Scott Marsh, who had a strong performance in the qualifying heats (achieving two Top 5 finishes) and secured a Top 10 position in his super heat. Unfortunately, Marsh was involved in an unavoidable accident at the first corner and was forced to retire from the race. Augustus Toniolo made his second official appearance for their team but narrowly missed reaching the final. Maria Germano Neto faced challenges due to a retirement in the heats, while rookie Ilie Tristan Crisan achieved a Top 10 finish in the qualifying heat.
In the OK category, Xavier Avramides performed admirably during the qualifying heats, securing four top-ten finishes out of five races. Despite a promising start, the Australian's final race ended prematurely. Tiziano Monza achieved two fourth-place finishes in the qualifying heats and crossed the finish line comfortably in the final. Xiaoyu Sun, after steadily improving his performance between Friday and Saturday, qualified for the weekend's final race..
Sebastiano Pavan is diligently preparing with their team for the upcoming round of the FIA Karting European Championship, scheduled in a fortnight at Val d'Argenton. Pavan, who was in contention for victory in the opening round of the European Championship in Valencia, has been putting in considerable effort. Following his debut in KZ2 the previous week at Franciacorta, David Walther returned to action among the "Seniors" in France. Meanwhile, Thomas Quincé and Nash Blake continue their preparation.
The Tony Kart Racing Team is taking a two-week break before returning to the track at Val d'Argenton for the second round of the FIA Karting European Championship, featuring the OK and OKJ categories (25 - 28 April).