RGMMC organised the first round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series on the last weekend of March in Portugal. Its scheduling two weeks before the start of the FIA Karting European Championship - OK and OK-Junior made it a must-attend event. Birel ART Racing took the opportunity to gather as much data as possible for the upcoming European confrontation. Thanks to Bertuca and Pasiewicz in OK and the tireless fighting spirit of Kutskov in OK-Junior, the weekend was very fruitful for the work of the whole team.
The 1531m long Portimão circuit has some interesting features that need to be mastered before anyone can play a major role in the European Championship. The Champions of the Future Euro Series was the first trip outside Italy for the official Birel ART Racing team this season and it was a very interesting meeting, with a lot of work to do.
Riccardo Longhi Team Manager Birel ART Racing:
"Our aim was to get our bearings on a circuit that we didn't visit last year and which is still little used. It's a change from the Italian races at the start of the season, especially as the tyres used in OK are produced by the manufacturer MG. So it was a very educational weekend. From this point of view, we recorded a lot of information to prepare for the FIA Karting season which is approaching. The performances obtained by Kirill Kutskov in OK-Junior were very useful for us. He came close to the top 10 with a lot of energy, which is a very encouraging point for the future. He was a good role model for Reno Francot and our new recruit Jindrich Pesl, a recent transfer from the Mini category. In the top category, the challenge was high. Cristian Bertuca did his best to climb up the rankings, while Karol Pasiewicz made his mark by gaining 10 positions in the Final. Yevan David showed great competitiveness in his heats. We will now process all this information to adapt our material for the next event."
Kirill Kutskov, best performer of the team in Portimão
Kirill Kutskov climbed up to 2nd position (+8 pl) with the fastest lap in his last heat, then he finished in the top five in his Super Heat and was close to the top 10 in the OK-Junior category.
Reno Francot progressively climbed up to the top 10 during his heats. A retirement in his Super Heat prevented him from continuing.
Jindrich Pesl discovered the OK-Junior category in difficult conditions without doing badly.
A comeback in OK
After a complicated Qualifying session, the Birel ART Racing drivers made up some ground. Cristian Bertuca had regained 20 places by the end of the Super Heats, Karol Pasiewicz gained another 10 positions in the Final. Yevan David confirmed his speed with his 5th place and eight-place gain in Heat 4.
Several penalties did not help Harvey Keeble's situation, and he was not able to make a comeback this time.
The commitment of the two women from Birel ART Racing deserves to be praised. Not yet experienced enough to complete good Qualifying sessions, Ella Stevens in OK and Zoe Florescu Potolea in Junior have to fight regularly in the lively field. Both of them fulfilled this difficult task with great courage and very few mistakes.