With six drivers entered in OK-Junior and four in Mini U10, the Energy Corse line-up was in fine form for the first major international event of the season: the WSK Champions Cup, held from 19th to 21st January at the South Garda Karting circuit in Lonato. But quantity wasn't the only highlight of the meeting, as the quality of the drivers and the performance of the equipment were also on display. Young Italian Niccolo Perico took a masterful victory in the Mini U10 class, while the other drivers in the Energy Corse team also showed great potential, with TM Kart engines playing an important role in the final result.
The off-season was short, but that didn't stop Energy Corse from preparing perfectly for the 2024 season, so the Italian team was immediately able to show off its skills at this event, which attracted more than 300 drivers. Under the large structure bearing the famous blue-red-white colours, there was plenty of work for the technical staff, who were able to make the right choices despite the sometimes changeable and often cold weather conditions.
Niccolo Perico P1 in Mini U10
The Energy Corse chassis remains an undisputed benchmark in the Mini categories, and Italy's Niccolo Perico proved this once again at Lonato: P3 in Qualifying, P1 after the heats with three wins out of four, P1 in the Prefinal and P1 in the Final. Well done Niccolo!
Mark Loomets and Danil Verba showed themselves capable of finishing regularly in the top five in the Qualifying Heats, often very close to the leaders. Loomets held on perfectly to his place in the top 20, while Verba deserved better as his 8th place in the Prefinal showed. Australian Petta Hudson fought hard to reach the Final.
Top eight for Henry Domain in OK-Junior
Renowned for the quality of its training, the Energy Corse team supported six drivers in OK-Junior at Lake Garda. Henry Domain was impressive. He set the fastest lap of the race in his first heat, and went on to take 2nd and 3rd places on Saturday. Another brilliant 2nd in the Prefinal, again with the best lap in the race, but the young Brit unfortunately had a difficult start to the Final before coming back brilliantly in P8.
Vladimir Ivannikov also scored a convincing result with 12th place, given that he was still in Mini a year earlier. Aloïs Girardet turned a corner during the meeting, managing to finish P4 in his final heat and P7 in the Prefinal, running on par with the fastest times. A difficult start in the Final forced him to settle for 19th place.
In this category with 63 entries, Makar Savelev secured his place in the Final thanks to an excellent Prefinal. He then got off to an excellent start, but a race incident put an end to his comeback. Matvei Dergunov, a newcomer from the Mini category, made great progress during this WSK Champions Cup. Georgiy Zasov showed himself to be faster and faster and should quickly climb the rankings this season.
Energy Corse win in Dubai!
A long way from Italy, in the United Arab Emirates, Jenson Chalk and the Xcel Motorsport Energy Dubai Team dominated the O Plate event in Rotax Mini Max. Energy Corse congratulates them on their performance and wishes the best to all the teams representing the Italian brand around the world.