The WSK Promotion karting season has kicked off with the first event of the WSK Champions Cup.

A great season opening is ahead for WSK Promotion’s karting events at the South Garda Karting circuit in Lonato for the first appointment of 2023, which immediately presents itself with a first-order show with the WSK Champions Cup. A great inaugural event that sees the presence of the most important international teams and a lineup of drivers at the highest level of competitiveness, from the most numerous and talented young drivers in the MINI category to the many champions of the higher categories. Confirming the internationality of the event, over 320 drivers took to the track for this first appointment of the year, coming from 51 countries and from all 4 continents.


Hakkinen Daniel and Ella

Hakkinen and Kumpen’s sons at the start.

Also present are several figures from the motorsport world, such as the two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen, who is in Lonato to follow the karting debut of his two very young children, Ella and Daniel. Among the children of famous drivers, Henri Kumpen is also present. He is the son of the former Belgian driver Anthony Kumpen, cousin of Sophie Kumpen, also a successful driver and mother of Max Verstappen.
 

KZ2 - Freddie Slater
 

The categories at the start of the WSK Champions Cup.

The 2023 WSK Champions Cup in Lonato is celebrating its tenth year, and in addition to the usual categories MINI Gr.3, OKJ, OK, KZ2, this year it introduced the two single-make categories X30 Junior and X30 Senior. Another novelty concerns the MINI Gr.3, which has been split to introduce the MINI Gr.3 Under 10 for the youngest drivers from 8 to 10 years old, while the MINI Gr.3 is open to drivers aged between 10 and 12 years old.
 

OK - Dmitry Matveev
 

The intense weekend has started with qualifying practice.

The qualifying practice on Friday, January 27, and the 18 qualifying heats that followed, kicked off the intense weekend of the WSK Champions Cup in Lonato.

Additional 22 heats and the first Prefinals for categories MINI Gr.3, MINI Under 10 and OKJ will follow on Saturday, January 28.

The Live Streaming of the event will be on Sunday, January 29 from 9:50. The racing action of the Prefinals of X30J, X30S, KZ2 and OK starts at 9:50. The Finals will follow from 12:10: X30J (12:10), X30S (12:40), MINI Gr.3 (13:40), MINI U10 (14:10), KZ2 (14:40), OKJ (15:10) and OK (15:40).
 

OKJ - Lewis Wherrel

The pole positions of qualifying practice.

MINI Gr.3. The pole positions of MINI Gr.3 went to the Swiss Riven Esteves (BabyRace/Parolin-Iame-Vega) in 52.925s (Session-1), to the American Keelan Harvick (BabyRace/Parolin-Iame) in 52.822s (Session-2) and to Ilia Berezkin (Team Driver/KR-Iame), who posted the best overall time in Session-3 (52.766s).

MINI Gr.3 - Ilia Berezkin

MINI Under 10. The fastest of Session-1 of MINI Under 10 was the Belgian pupil Henri Kumpen (BabyRace/Parolin-Iame-Vega) in 53.222s, while the other Belgian Antoine Sylva Venant (Kidix/KR-Iame) went fastest overall in 52.842s.

MINI Gr.3 Under 10 - Antoine Sylva Venant

OKJ. The fastest of all in OKJ was the Brit Lewis Wherrel (Forza Racing/Exprit-TM-Vega) in Session-1 in 47.501, while the Italian Filippo Sala (Sodikart/Sodi-TM) was the fastest of the second session in 47.734s.

OK. The two Sessions of OK saw the two front-men split by just 0.001s: Dmitry Matveev (KR Motorsport/KR-Iame-LeCont) posted the fastest time in Session-1 (46.541s), while the Dane David Walther (Koski Motorsport/Tony Kart-Vortex) did the same in Session-2 in 46.542s.

KZ2. In KZ2 the Brit Freddie Slater (BirelArt Racing/BirelArt-TM-Vega) was the fastest of Session-1 in 45.593s, while his teammate Cristian Bertuca, had the upper hand in Session-2 with a best lap completed after 45.723s.             

X30 Junior. The fastest of X30 Junior has been Alberto Fulgori Jr. (Fulgori/Kosmic-Iame-MG) in 50.038s, but he has been excluded from the classification due to a technical discrepancy. Fulgori has filed an appeal and the classification is therefore sub-judice.  The second time was posted by Riccardo Ferrari (Zanchi Motorsport) in 50.183s.

X30 Senior. In the first Session of X30 Senior the French Pacome Weisenburger (Martins/Red Speed/Iame-MG) went quickest in 48.274s, Cristian Comanducci (PRK/Tony Kart-Iame) topped the charts of the second one instead.
 

X30 Junior - Alberto Fulgori Jr.
 

The results of the initial qualifying heats held on Friday.

The best results in the first heats on Friday follow:
- In MINI Gr.3, the Turkish driver Iskender Zulfikari (BabyRace/Parolin-Iame-Vega) and Romania’s Bogdan Cosma Cristofor (Team Driver/KR-Iame-Vega) are equal in terms of penalties;
- In MINI Under 10 Ukraine’s  Oleksandr Legenkyi (Team Driver/KR-Iame-Vega);
- In OK-Junior the Brit Lewis Wherrel (Forza Racing/Exprit-TM-Vega);
- In OK the Hungarian Martin Molnar (Energy Corse/Energy-TM-LeCont);
- In X30 Senior Brando Pozzi (M2 Racing/Tony Kart-Iame-MG)       
 

X30 Senior - Pacome Weisenburger
 

The program of WSK Champions Cup in Lonato.

Saturday, January 28: 
Warm-up at 8:00
Qualifying heats at 9:50
Prefinals at 16:25.

Sunday, January 29: 
warm-up at 8:20;
Prefinals from 9:50 (Live Streaming)
Finals from 12:10: X30J (12:10), X30S (12:40), MINI Gr.3 (13:40), MINI U10 (14:10), KZ2 (14:40), OKJ (15:10) and OK (15:40).  (Live Streaming)