The quickest drivers in qualifying kicked off WSK Champions cup: at the Adria Karting Raceway Barnard (GB – KR-IAME OK), Wharton (AUS FA-VORTEX OKJ) and Orlov (RUS – PAROLIN-TM 60MINI) to the fore. On friday the first heats were held. On saturday the heats will continue the programm, Prefinals and finals on sunday.
The new karting season is on the move: in Adria for WSK Champions Cup.
Lap times started to be important from today on at the Adria Karting Raceway: the short winter break has finally given way to the first competitive weekend of the year and WSK Promotion’s calendar has WSK Champions Cup in the menu. This one-race event is currently underway in Adria (RO). The first competitive day took place today with qualifying and the initial qualifying heats. This is the official start to the season for 160 drivers that yesterday completed scrutineering and run free practice for the three entitled categories. These drivers will challenge each other in 60 Mini, OK Junior and OK for the whole weekend. They come from 38 different countries representing 4 continents.
Green lights on qualifying.
The first verdicts show 60 Mini quite lively: the Russian Maksim Orlov had the upper hand this time posting a 55”103s that was 0.018s quicker than his nearest rival from Arab Emirates Rashid Al Dhaheri (both on Parolin-TM-Vega). In OK Junior, the Australian James Wharton (FA Kart-Vortex-Vega) confirmed to be on top of the charts, as he was the quickest in 49”993s. Chasing him was another promising driver, the Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli (KR-Iame), who was second and 0.105s shy of the top. Category OK opened with the fight between the British driver Taylor Barnard and the Scot Dexter Patterson (both on KR-Iame-Bridgestone): the first posted the quickest time in 48”735s, while his teammate was only 0.027s shy of him.
Performance check in the first qualifying heats.
The first competitive day of the weekend reached its conclusion with qualifying heats that kicked off a program that will continue until tomorrow evening for a total of 28 races. Regarding the three races run today in 60 Mini (above, the start of one of the heats), the British driver Coskun Irfan, had the best of Matteo De Palo (both on Parolin-TM), the Jamaican Alex Powell (Energy-TM) won from Al Dhaheri and the Russian Dmitriy Matveev (Energy-TM) led the Slovakian driver Lukas Malek (Parolin-TM). The first winner of OK Junior (on center, one of the two races of today) was the Irish Alex Dunne (Exprit-TM), who led the Dutch Laurens van Hoepen (FA Kart-Vortex). Antonelli bounced back straight away winning the following heat, as the Dutch Thomas Ten Brinke (FA Kart-Vortex) was second. In OK (in the photo on top), Barnard won the first heat leading the Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto (KR-Iame).
