Matveev (OK), Iliffe (OKJ, Calleja (MINI Gr.3), Legenkyi (MINI Gr.3 U10), Apicella (OK-N), and Hoogendoorn (OKNJ) claimed the pole positions of the second round of the WSK Euro Series.
The second round of the WSK Euro Series at the International Circuit Napoli in Sarno began with a rainy eve, but when it was time to get serious in the Friday afternoon's qualifying sessions, the sun returned, and the track dried up. With the asphalt finally dry, everyone could fully showcase their competitiveness.
The titles of the WSK Euro Series are up for grabs in the MINI, OKJ, OK, OK-N, and OK-NJ categories this weekend in Sarno. The outcome is highly uncertain, partly due to the allocation of points, which is significantly higher than the first event held in Franciacorta on September 3rd, with a total of 153 points available for the first-place finisher across heats, pre-finals, and finals.
Qualifying practice.
OK – Matveev in pole position.
In OK, the most powerful class, the fastest lap was set by Dmitry Matveev (#205 KR Motorsport/KR-Iame-LeCont) with a time of 53.790s, a mere 0.065s ahead of the Colombian driver Salim Hanna (#288 Prema Racing/KR-Iame). The third-best time was recorded by the Scottish driver Zac Drummond (#285 Parolin Motorsport/Parolin-TM Kart), trailing by 0.101s. Kirill Kutskov (#256 DPK Racing/KR-Iame) claimed the fourth-best time with a gap of 0.164s, and Anatoly Khavalkin (#203 Parolin Motorsport/Parolin-TM Kart) secured the fifth-best time, 0.341s behind.
OK-Junior – Iliffe is the fastest.
In OK-Junior, the fastest lap was set by the American driver Jack Iliffe (#350 Parolin Motorsport/Parolin-TM Kart-Vega) with a time of 55.499s, closely followed by the Swedish driver Oliver Kinnmark (#321 Koski Motorsport/Tony Kart-Iame) with a mere 0.011s gap. In the third position, the Italian driver Iacopo Martinese (#302 KR Motorsport/KR-Iame) was 0.045s behind, while the Japanese driver Kosei Oguma (#365 AKM Motorsport/KR-Iame) secured the fourth-best time, just 0.05s adrift. The current championship leader, the German driver Taym Saleh (#314 Sauber Academy/KR-Iame), recorded the 14th-best time with a gap of 0.538s.
In the second session, the Austrian driver Niklas Schaufler (#354 DPK Racing/KR-Iame) was the quickest with a time of 55.864s, followed by the Italian driver Filippo Sala (#324 Ricky Flynn/LN-TM Kart), just 0.025s behind. The British driver Lewis Wherrell (#328 Forza Racing/Exprit-TM Kart) secured the third-best time with a gap of 0.162s and Klara Kowalczyk (#338 Ricky Flynn/LN-TM Kart) claimed the fourth position with a gap of 0.195s.
MINI Gr.3 – Calleja in pole by just 0.001s.
In MINI Gr.3, the Australian driver William Calleja (#522 Babyrace/Parolin-Iame-Vega) set the fastest lap time at 1:02.552s. However, to emphasize the competitive nature of this category among these young talents, his teammate, the American driver Devin Walz, was just one millisecond behind. Following closely are two more drivers from BabyRace: the Monegasque driver Andrea Manni, trailing by 0.079s, and the Peruvian driver Mariano Lopez, with a gap of 0.120s. The Italian driver Michele Orlando (#580 DR/DR-TM Kart) was not far behind at 0.149s. The current classification leader, the Romanian driver Bogdan Cosma Cristofor (#501 Team Driver/KR-Iame), secured the 16th position with a gap of 0.475s.
MINI Gr.3 Under 10 – Legenkyi is the fastest among the youngest drivers.
In the first session among the youngest drivers in the MINI Gr.3 Under 10 category, the fastest time was set by the Italian driver Achille Rea (#548 Tony Kart Racing Team/Tony Kart-Vortex-Vega) at 1:03.663s. The battle was incredibly close also in this category, with just a 4-millisecond lead over the Portuguese driver Xavier Lazaro (#560 DR-TM Kart). Slightly further behind was another Italian, Gabriele Iacomelli (#586 Drago Corse/EKS-Tm Kart), with the third-fastest time at 0.486s. In fourth place was the German driver Sophie Guth (#541 Kidix/Alonso Kart-Iame) with a gap of 0.803s, followed by the American Colton Schniegenberg (#602 Ward Racing/Tony Kart-TM Kart) at 0.853s. The current classification leader, the Spanish driver Daniel Miron Lorente (#507 Team Driver/KR-Iame), finished 14th at 1.553.
In the second session, the Ukrainian driver Oleksandr Legenkyi (#502 Team Driver/KR-Iame) secured the fastest overall time in 1:02.600s. The second-fastest time, trailing by 0.470s was set by the Italian driver Julian Frasnelli (#581 AVRacing/Parolin-Iame), and the Swedish driver Elton Hedfors (#608 Monster K/Intrepid-TM Kart) was in third place with a gap of 0.519s. The Belgian driver Antoine Venant (#540 Kidix/KR-Iame) achieved the fourth-fastest time at 0.739s, while the Swiss driver Albert Tamm (#528 BabyRace/Parolin-Iame) came in fifth, trailing by 0.751s.
OKN and OKNJ – Apicella in the lead of OK-N and Hoogendoorn of OK-NJ.
In the OK-N category, the battle is between the Italian driver Antonio Apicella (#808 Team Driver/KR-Iame-Vega), who recorded the fastest time at 55.818s, and the points leader, the Turkish driver Bati Ege Yildirim (#802 Modena Kart/Parolin-TM Kart), trailing by just 64 milliseconds. The third-fastest time in the category was achieved by the Swedish driver Leon Hedfors (#813 DR/DR-Modena Engines) at 56.098s, with the Estonian Robin Sarg (#812 Novalux/Lenzokart-LKE) following at 56.328s.
In the OK-N Junior category, the fastest time was set by the Dutch driver Dean Hoogendoorn (#701 AKM Motorsport/KR-Iame) at 55.960s. The Italian driver Giacomo Giusto (#712 Modena Kart/Parolin-TM Kart) had the second-best time at 56.424s, while the Spanish driver Bosco Arias Chavarri (#729 Team Driver/KR-Iame) secured the third-best time at 56.584s. The leader in the Junior category, the English driver Jesse Phillips (#719 Kidix/KR-Iame), achieved the sixth-fastest time in 56.635s.
Qualifying heats will be on Saturday, November 4th, while on Sunday, November 5th, the Prefinals and Finals will be broadcast live on TV streaming platforms.
The program of the WSK Euro Series, Round 2, Sarno:
Saturday, November 4th: 8:30 warm-up; qualifying heats 10:00.
Sunday, November 5th: 8:45 warm-up; Prefinals from 10:50 and Finals from 13:30 with Live TV and Live Streaming coverage: 13:30 MINI U10, 14:00 MINI GR.3, 14:30 OKN-OKNJ; 15:00 OKJ, 15:30 OK.