The consolidation process within the Tinini Group continues for the Kalì Kart Racing Team, which took part in the 2nd Round of the Italian Championship with two new drivers in OKN Junior (Giulio Miranda and Francesco Montoneri), but above all always with greater ambitions. As underlined several times by the team management, the team is continuing a process of constant technical and logistical growth which, for the 2024 season, will have its complete expression during the FIAWorld Championship OK and OK-Junior which will be the most important event of this racing season, before the WSK ones in October and November. In this path, the Italian Championship has more national connotations, but at the same time, it is very useful from a technical and organizational point of view, as well as the WSK races which are held on the sidelines of the FIA Karting events.
Cristian Blandino's synergy with the Junior category continued in Lecce, where the 2nd Round of the Italian Karting Championship took place and where he shone in Qualifying Practice and in the Heats, conquering the 1st row for Race 1. Unfortunately, however, the Sicilian driver was unlucky in the two Finals: in the 1st race, he broke the water pump three laps from the end of the race, finishing in P5 and missing the podium by a whisker, while in Race 2 a technical problem slowed him down, forcing him to P6 only. Despite the lack of luck on Sunday, Cristian is 5th in the Championship and is preparing for his debut in international races in the best possible way.
The MINI drivers of the Kalì Kart Team also shone in Lecce, always among the fastest, but on Sunday they also collected less than they deserved: Ben Piscopo in the Under 10 category lost the top ten in Race 2 only on the last lap due to a contact, after a great recovery from P21 and Domenico Coco in the Gr.3 class went off the track in Race 1 when he was among the fastest on the track, close to the leaders.
Excellent step forward also for Simone Bianco in KZ2, P7 in Qualifying in his group and always in the top ten in the Heats, but unfortunately in both Finals a race contact forced him to retire.
As for the two drivers making their debut in the OKN Junior category, Giulio Miranda had been out of action for a few months and used the race above all to get back into the swing of driving and working with the team, while Francesco Montoneri had a very positive weekend, constantly improving his own performances. Both qualified for the Sunday races, despite the high number of participants and this first objective is already a positive fact on which to base the work in view of the next events. Full results of the 2nd round of the Italian Championship are available at www.acisport.it