A lot of new protagonists are expected in all categories at Franciacorta. The championship leaders after the first two rounds are: Bertuca (KZ2), Eyckmans (OK), Schaufler (OKJ), Cosma Cristofor (OKNJ), Calleja (MINI Gr.3), and Nellegard (MINI Gr.3 U10).
Just right after the second round of the WSK Super Master Series in Cremona, the competition continues intensively at the Franciacorta Karting Track from February 14th to 18th for the third round of the championship. This time, the entries in the MINI, OKNJ, OKJ, OK, and KZ2 categories have surpassed the significant mark of 400!
These substantial numbers are not accidental, celebrating WSK Promotion's journey over many years of continuous activity since 2006. WSK Promotion has been addressing the needs of everyone involved, including manufacturers, teams, drivers, and professionals, aiming to provide the best possible product. This involves selecting prestigious circuits, regulating sports and technical aspects, determining the race format, and organizing events.
The third round of the WSK Super Master Series holds particular importance for all classifications, which are still evolving in each category, thanks to the incremental scoring system between each round. The Franciacorta event, being the third and penultimate in the series, becomes crucial!
KZ2 - Bertuca retains the lead, but he has a lot of rivals…
In KZ2, the competition has intensified with the victory achieved in Cremona by the French driver Emilien Denner (#11 Sodikart/Sodi-TM Kart-Vega) and the second-place finish of his new teammate Giuseppe Palomba. Despite securing the third position in the second round, Cristian Bertuca (#1 BirelART Racing/BirelART-TM Kart) maintains his leadership in the overall standings. Bertuca, the winner of the first round in Lonato, faced strong competition from the two Sodikart drivers, providing significant confidence to the French team. However, at Franciacorta, the number of KZ2 drivers has literally doubled, with the arrival of many other international champions in the category, promising a more heated challenge.
KZ2 Championship standings
1st Cristian Bertuca (ITA) points 171
2nd Emilien Denner (FRA) points 97
3rd Giuseppe Palomba (ITA) points 88
4th Daniel Vasile (ROU) points 64
5th Artem Severiukhin points 63.
OK – Eyckmans is now in the lead.
At Cremona, the victory went to the Belgian Ean Eyckmans (#209 BirelART Racing/TM Kart-LeCont), who performed flawlessly throughout the final, becoming the new leader in the category. However, his advantage is slim. Now in pursuit is the dominant figure from the first round in Lonato, the Ukrainian Oleksandr Bondarev (#201 Prema Racing/KR-Iame), ready for a comeback, along with the Brazilian Gabriel Gomez (#263 CRG Racing Team/CRG-Iame), another standout from Cremona.
In Franciacorta the number of participants has increased by 50% and there are plenty of contenders ready to stand out and join the top ranks.
OK Championship standings
1st Ean Eyckmans (BEL) points 148
2nd Oleksandr Bondarev points 138
3rd Fionn MacLaughlin (IRL) points 72
4th Sebastiano Pavan (ITA) points 69
5th Gabriel Gomez (BRA) points 60
OKJ - Schaufler and Van Langendock pull away.
The OKJ category continues to be spectacular and well-attended, with a 15% increase at Franciacorta. The Austrian Niklas Schaufler (#301 DPK Racing/KR-Iame-Vega), the winner at Lonato, remained at the top of the championship as he made a comeback at Cremona to secure second place. The victory at Cremona went to the Belgian Dries Van Langendonck (#328 Forza Racing/Exprit-TM Kart), who performed exceptionally well throughout the weekend and also stood on the podium in the previous round at Lonato, positioning himself as the main rival to Schaufler. The difference between the two protagonists is only 18 points. The chasers are a bit behind but ready to make an impact, including the Italians Iacopo Martinese and Filippo Sala, the Ukrainian Lev Krutogolov and the Spaniard Christian Costoya.
OKJ Championship standings
1st Niklas Schaufler (AUT) points 172
2nd Dries Van Langendonck (BEL) points 154
3rd Iacopo Martinese (ITA) points 77
4th Filippo Sala (ITA) points 75
5th Lev Krutogolov (UKR) points 70
OKNJ - Cosma Cristofor is on top of the championship and is followed by Lovatt.
A fierce competition has been displayed in this new category, OKN Junior, which has been animated especially by drivers coming from MINI in preparation for higher categories. In Cremona, in a fiercely contested final, the Englishman Archie Lovatt (#712 Forza Racing/Exprit-TM Kart-Vega) emerged deservedly, resisting the comeback of the Romanian winner of Lonato Bogdan Cosma Cristofor (#711 Forza Racing/Exprit-TM Kart) until the finish line. Despite a penalty imposed on Cosma Cristofor, the Romanian driver lost the second position but still secured a spot on the podium with third place, behind the Slovak Alex Molota (#717 Firefly/Gillard-TM Kart), remaining at the top of the championship albeit with only an 11-point lead over Lovatt. Molota is third with 109 points, while the other protagonist, the Italian Valerio Viapiana (#702 Team Driver/KR-Iame), is fourth with 89 points.
OKNJ Championship standings
1st Bogdan Cosma Cristofor (ROU) points 137
2nd Archie Lovatt (GBR) points 126
3rd Alex Molota (SVK) points 109
4th Valerio Viapiana (ITA) points 89
5th Sara Matsui (JPN) points 48
MINI GR.3 - Calleja overtakes Blandino.
In the MINI Gr.3 category, the championship lead changed in favor of the Australian William Calleja (#516 BabyRace/Parolin-Iame-Vega), who, in the final moments at Cremona, managed to overtake the previous leader, the Italian Cristian Blandino (#550 Kalì-Kart Racing/TGroup-TM Kart), who finished second in Cremona and is now in second place in the championship. Among the top performers, the Spaniard Daniel Miron Lorente (#501 Team Driver/KR-Iame) remains strong, third in the championship but not on the podium in Cremona, where the third position was secured by the Belgian Bruno Priam (#576 Parolin Motorsport/Parolin-TM Kart). Nevertheless, the championship remains highly uncertain.
MINI Gr.3 Championship standings
1st William Calleja (AUS) points 143
2nd Cristian Blandino (ITA) points 127
3rd Daniel Miron Lorente (ESP) points 99
4th Bruno Priam (BEL) points 94
5th Daniil Kutskov points 45
MINI GR.3 U10 - Nellegard keeps the lead of the standings.
Two of the main contenders in the MINI Gr.3 Under 10 category missed out on a good result in the final at Cremona. The Swede Carl Nellegard (#553 Ward Racing/Tony Kart-TM Kart-Vega), who remains at the top of the championship thanks to his victory in Lonato and success in the Cremona Prefinal, and the Italian Niccolò Perico (#526 Energy Corse/Energy-TM Kart), who went off the track shortly after the start. The one celebrating in Cremona was the American Lucas Palacio (#575 KR Motorsport/KR-Iame), an excellent performer and winner of the final. This result propelled him to second place in the championship, just 7 points short of Nellegard. Among the standouts in Cremona was also the Polish driver Blazej Kostrzewa (#521 BabyRace/Parolin-Iame), who secured second place in Cremona, moving him into third place in the championship, and the Italian David Moscardi (#560 BirelART Racing/BirelART-TM Kart) with a third-place finish in the final and fourth place in the championship.
MINI Gr.3 U10 Championship standings
1st Carl Nellegard (USA) points 132
2nd Luca Palacio (USA) points 125
3rd Blazej Kostrzewa (POL) points 106
4th David Moscardi (ITA) points 96
5th Niccolo Perico (ITA) points 84