The first round of the WSK Final Cup at Lonato saw the Birel ART Racing Team welcome a number of newcomers alongside some familiar faces at a well-attended meeting.

In KZ2, Cristian Bertuca underlined his recent World Cup victory with an exceptional performance. Faced with fast rivals, he scored two wins in the heats, then another in the Prefinal to take pole position in the Final. He led the race from the start and was about to cross the finish line as the winner when an opponent pushed him off the track on the last lap. Very disappointed, he nevertheless managed to finish 6th. Samuele Leopardi has put in some solid performances since his 3rd place finish. Twice 2nd and once winner in the heats, he set the fastest time in his Prefinal and started from 3rd position for the Final. Unfortunately, contacts forced him to retire, as did his teammate Laurens Van Hoepen.
 

Andy Consani made an excellent start in OK with the Lissone brand. Very fast, he was nevertheless slowed by contact and penalties. After setting the fastest lap in the Prefinal, he was again pushed around in the Final and could do no better than 21st at the finish line. Noah Wolfe, from Team VAR by Birel, was also quick to make up ground in the heats.
 

The other categories also failed to deliver, despite showing good potential. Ludovico Mazzola and Pietro Bagutti are perfect examples in OK-Junior. Marco Pozzoni managed to qualify for the Mini Gr.3 Final, while Senn Lindemann made up ground in the Mini U10s, but was eliminated at the start of the Final.
 

The work will continue for Birel ART at the second round of the WSK Final Cup, in Cremona, in a fortnight time.