As a long-time partner of FIA Karting, LeCont made a major contribution to the success of the first of the three events of the OK and OK-Junior European Championships. The Italian brand had the difficult task of supplying the tyres for these two very demanding categories, with two types of rubber: "Prime" and "Option". At Zuera in Spain, the intensity of the races and the satisfaction of drivers and teams alike once again highlighted the LeCont products.
The FIA Karting Championships started in a special infection-control situation. When the first event in Zuera concluded, all the participants were in agreement about the success of the international competition. It was a great show, thanks to the uniquely long and fast Spanish track, which offers multiple overtaking opportunities and incessant sporting challenge!
Cutting-edge technology
"This winter, when we heard the results of the tenders, we were very pleased to see that the FIA Karting had reiterated its confidence in us by entrusting us with the supply of the two European Championships for OK and Junior, which was a first for our brand," said Paolo Bombara, Marketing Manager at LeCont. "But since then, the Coronavirus has been around. Production stopped for several weeks and we had to completely revise our planning and logistics. Nevertheless, we managed to cope with this difficult situation."
All in all, the feedback from drivers and teams was excellent, both at the opening of the WSK Euro Series in Sarno and the two successive events in Zuera, in the Champions of the Future series and at the OK and OK-Junior European Championships. "In both Italy and Spain, our tyres were put to the test: intense heat with asphalt temperatures in excess of 50°C, fast corners, powerful braking and a large number of races. In the end, there were no problems that disrupted the racing, which was our priority."
Ensuring sporting fairness
Of course, responding to a call for tenders is always significant, and it is true that, about eight months ago, no one imagined that they would be living through the current crisis, with all the economic difficulties that have resulted: event cancellations, a drop in the number of entrants due to the difficulties of moving from one country to another, or even savings sometimes made by certain teams in terms of the volume of tyre purchases in order to reduce costs. In this difficult context, LeCont was keen to stay the course and continue to offer the best possible service to competitors competing in the various karting events in 2020.
"The most important thing is that the competitions have restarted and the karting world has pulled together so that almost all the races scheduled for this season can take place, in strict compliance with health regulations of course. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the new regulations put in place at the end of the 2019 season are completely satisfactory. From now on, the finalists will all be starting with a new set of tyres in the Final, which guarantees greater fairness both in this important race and in the closing heats. I also note that the lower tyre consumption demonstrates the quality of our production, proof of the efficiency of our products in terms of performance and longevity."
Antonelli and Taponen win!
No less than 15 Qualifying Heats were scheduled in OK-Junior, before the 25 km Final, while OK had 10 heats and a 30 km Final. In both cases, the LeCont "Option" and "Prime" tyres performed perfectly on the demanding Zuera track. In the younger category, Tuukka Taponen won by a distance, while Ugo Ugochukwu narrowly overtook Brando Badoer for 2nd place.
In OK, Kimi Antonelli spared no effort to win the Final in front of Taylor Barnard and Nikita Bedrin. Each time, during the Finals, the drivers managed to improve on the times set 15 days earlier in the Champions of Future series. Ugo Ugochukwu averaged 1'01"820 in OK-Junior, while Kimi Antonelli was timed at 1'00"082! And when the mercury reached 42.4° C in the shade on Friday, Taylor Barnard achieved pole position in under a minute, with 59"939, an average speed of over 102 km/h!
Recognised for its high-tech and innovative products, omnipresent at the international and national level, more than ever LeCont wishes to continue its investment in karting and ensure the satisfaction of its competitors.