Birel ART's momentum continued at the third round of the WSK Super Master Series in Lonato. For the Racing Team, taking part in its second event of the season, Cristian Bertuca crossed the finish line in 1st place in the KZ2 category, at the end of a gruelling Final. Unfortunately, he was demoted to 2nd place by a penalty for going off the track.
Bertuca impresses with his versatility
Leading the championship before the event, Cristian Bertuca dominated his three Qualifying Heats to secure pole position in Prefinal A. When the rain started, tyre strategy became a key factor. Forced to finish on slicks as the track dampened, Bertuca limited the damage by securing 5th place.
In a Final marked by numerous overruns, he mastered the conditions to cross the line 2.5 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Unfortunately, a penalty relegated him to 2nd place. Nonetheless, he still has every chance of winning the Championship, with only a slight gap to the leader. With bonus points from the last two rounds at Franciacorta and Viterbo, anything is still possible.
In the colours of CL Racing, Daniel Vasile once again distinguished himself with a 4th place in Qualifying and solid results in the heats (1st and 2nd) before finishing 9th in the Final. Corentin Rousseau also shone in the heats, but he, along with Pedro Hiltbrand, Jean Luyet and Samuele Leopardi, were unable to take advantage of the soggy Final.
‘The weather conditions at Lonato made the race extremely complicated, but the whole team - drivers and technicians - gave it their all,’ said Riccardo Longhi. ‘Cristian Bertuca would have deserved to keep his victory, but he can be proud of this 2nd place. Our performances in the dry were very good, with three drivers ranked in the top five after the heats.’
Mazzola shows great promise
Ludovico Mazzola made his mark in OK-Junior with a win and two 2nd places in heats after qualifying 9th. Unfortunately, he was unable to start the Prefinal after a spin on the formation lap. The bad luck continued in the Final, where he was forced to retire on the first lap.
Great potential in OK
In the OK category, Noah Wolfe, racing with VAR by Birel, made a remarkable comeback of 14 positions to fall just short of the podium. Vladimir Ivannikov, qualified 11th then 10th after the heats, unfortunately had to settle for 22th place in the Final.
Richard Mille Young Talent Academy driver Skye Parker, meanwhile, gained 20 places in the Prefinal but was unable to secure her ticket to the Final.
A stronger effort in Mini
Birel ART's new recruit in Mini, Achille Rea moved up four places to finish 16th in the Final. Felix Chang narrowly missed out on qualification for the decisive race. In the Mini U10s, Mikhail Mitrokhin made a fine 27-position recovery between Qualifying and the Final, where he finished 14th.
‘In OK-Junior, Mazzola is bound to have big regrets after his excellent results on Saturday, while Wolfe showed great fighting spirit in OK by moving up from 18th to 4th place,’ said Jordon Lennox. ‘The young talent in Mini continues to progress, which is very encouraging for the upcoming races.’
Birel ART Racing now turns its attention to the fourth round of the WSK Super Master Series, which takes place at Franciacorta from 5th-9th March.