Sunday's opening round of the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - OK & Junior in Valencia lived up to all its promises, with spectacular and intense races rewarding some excellent drivers. The winners Gabriel Gomez (ITA) in OK and Dries van Langendonck (BEL) in Junior also lead the provisional standings in their respective categories.
After the good impression it left in 2023, the Kartódromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero de Valencia confirmed its position as one of the top international circuits thanks to its selectivity and the sporting quality of the races it hosts. The presentation of the Drivers and the fireworks display as the first crossed the finish line were much appreciated.
The weather worked in the favour of the sport and the public with dry conditions throughout the weekend. The sunshine of the first few days was masked on Sunday by thick cloud cover, without detracting from the sporting interest of the Spanish competition.
For their first appearance in an FIA Karting Championship, Maxxis tyres fulfilled their mission at a high level.
Junior: Van Langendonck confirms his maturity
The Super Heats rewarded two drivers in top form, Niklas Schaufler (AUT-KR/IAME/Maxxis) and Dries van Langendonck (BEL-Exprit/TM Kart/Maxxis) against Christian Costoya (ESP-Parolin/TM Kart/Maxxis), Sebastian Minns (GBR-LN/TM Kart/Maxxis) and Sebastian Lehtimaki (FIN-Tony Kart/Vortex/Maxxis).
Schaufler dominated the Final until lap 14, when he lost pace and eventually retired after a collision. Van Langendonck took the first position he had been chasing since the start and was on his way to victory. Minns finished second at 8 tenths, while Bosco Arias (ESP-KR/IAME/Maxxis) was third at 6 tenths. Costoya fought hard for the top three before finishing fourth, a tenth behind Bosco. Filippo Sala (ITA-LN/TM Kart/Maxxis) had made up eight places to finish fifth ahead of Noah Baglin (GBR-KR/IAME/Maxxis). Scott Kin Lindblom (SWE-Tony Kart/Vortex/Maxxis) made one of the biggest gains, moving up 15 places to 10th. In 13th place, Dean Hoogendoorn (NLD-KR/IAME/Maxxis) set the fastest lap of the race.
Provisional standings for the 2024 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - Junior after Competition 1 :
1- Dries van Langendonck (BEL) - 94 points
2- Sebastian Minns (GBR) - 72 points
3- Christian Costoya (ESP) - 72 points
4- Bosco Arias (ESP) - 60 points
5- Niklas Schaufler (AUT) - 50 points
OK-Junior team standings after Valencia
1- Ricky Flynn Motorsport (GBR) - 124 points
2- DPK Racing (ESP) - 110 points
3- Forza Racing (GBR) - 104 points
4- KR Motorsport (ITA) - 73 points
5- Parolin Motorsport (ITA) - 72 points
Gomez secures OK victory
The Super Heats of the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - OK on Sunday morning confirmed the supremacy of Gabriel Gomez (ITA-CRG/IAME/Maxxis), the undisputed leader since the start of the event. For his part, Joe Turney (GBR-KR/IAME/Maxxis) showed his ambitions by winning Super Heat B. Sebastiano Pavan (ITA-Tony Kart/Vortex/Maxxis) was third in the final intermediate classification ahead of Lewis Wherrell (GBR-Exprit/TM Kart/Maxxis) and Ean Eyckmans (BEL-Birel ART/TM Kart/Maxxis).
No doubt remembering his disappointment of last year, Gomez kept full concentration from start to finish in the Final. In just a few laps, he built up a lead of over two seconds and wisely managed the end of the race as the clear winner. After Pavan's retirement, Louis Iglesias (FRA-CRG/IAME/Maxxis) confidently took second place to give his team a one-two finish and set the fastest lap of the race. Wherrell took third place on the podium after getting the better of Turney. Following the same pattern as in the Super Heat, Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL-KR/IAME/Maxxis) came back strongly at the end of the race to take fifth place after moving up nine places. Luna Fluxa Cross (ESP-KR/IAME/Maxxis) made up 10 places to finish 11th and top female.
Provisional standings for the 2024 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - OK after Competition 1:
1- Gabriel Gomez (ITA) - 100 points
2- Joe Turney (GBR) - 78 points
3- Lewis Wherrell (GBR) - 70 points
4- Louis Iglesias (FRA) - 63 points
5- Matheus Morgatto (BRA) - 43 points
OK team standings after Valencia
1- CRG (ITA) - 167 points
2- Parolin Motorsport (ITA) - 84 points
3- KR Motorsport (ITA) - 84 points
4- Forza Racing (GBR) - 70 points
5- CL Racing Team (ITA) - 43 points
Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - OK & Junior calendar
Competition 2: 25 to 28 April 2024, Val d'Argenton, France
Competition 3: 20 to 23 June 2024, Slovak Karting Center, Slovakia
Competition 4: 1 to 4 August 2024, Kristianstad, Sweden
The results for Valencia can be found on the official FIA Karting Championship app for mobile devices and on the website www.fiakarting.com.
Follow the evolution of the International Karting Ranking (IKR) after the Valencia Competition.