Birel ART's improved competitiveness in OK this season was confirmed at the first round of the Champions of the Future - Euro Series in Valencia. Despite changing grip conditions during the Final stages and a number of penalties, the improvement was clear for Ean Eyckmans, 5th in the Final after gaining 11 places, as well as for Noah Wolfe (VAR by Birel) 7th after moving up 14 places and also for Martti Ritonen who was able to gain 19 places.

"The challenge of this preparatory race for the European OK Championship was to adapt to the new Maxxis tyres," said Jordon Lennox, OK Team Manager for Birel ART Racing. "Thanks to the hard work of the whole team, we were quickly able to put in an excellent performance on these tyres. The Kartodromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero was not without its ups and downs, particularly on Saturday when the weather was variable and we had to alternate between rain tyres and slicks on a greasy track. The versatility of the TM Kart-powered Birel ART chassis enabled us to come out of the event with our heads held high, with some impressive comebacks in the Final. We're now going to draw lessons from the weekend to maximise our chances of doing well at the first round of the European Championship in less than two weeks' time.”

Highlights from Valencia (ESP).

Ean Eyckmans: 5th out of 81 in Qualifying, 3rd, 2nd and 5th in the heats, one retirement, 10'' penalty in the Final, 11 places recovered and a superb P5.

Noah Wolfe - VAR by Birel: 11th in Qualifying, 2nd with the fastest time, 4th, 5th and 6th in the heats, retirement in the Super Heat, P7 in the Final +14 places despite an incorrectly positioned front fairing penalty.

Martti Ritonen: 61st in Qualifying, 18 places better in the heats, +9 places in the Super Heat and P16 in the Final +19 places despite an incorrectly positioned front fairing penalty.