The second round of IAME Euro Series produced unpredictable results and dramatic action as the changing weather had teams and drivers scratching their heads on the right setups and driving lines.
The fast but twisty circuit of Mariembourg in Belgium, hosted the second round of the IAME Euro Series amid mostly rainy weather conditions, with dry sessions being only a few in between the thunderstorms. The event saw 194 drivers from all over the world competing in three categories, X30 Junior, X30 Mini, and X30 Senior, with 56 in X30 Mini, 45 drivers in X30 Junior, and 93 in X30 Senior.
X30 Mini
In the X30 Mini category, Friday’s qualifying practice saw Zdenek Babicek of TEPZ Racing Team, Maxim Bobreshov of GGM Motorsport, and Kanishk Rao of Oliver Rowland Motorsport securing the top three positions. Saturday’s qualifying heats were dominated by VDK Racing’s Gilles Herman, ahead of Dan Allemann of Spirit-Racing.ch, and Max Endacott of GGM Motorsport, while the SuperHeats saw Dan Allemann get ahead of Herman as Kanishk Rao got to third. It was a complete change in the final however that saw Archie Lovatt of Oliver Rowland Motorsport take the win ahead of Jesse Phillips of Fusion Motorsport with Benjamin Manach-Klisowski completing the podium.
X30 Junior
Thomas Quince of Jana Racing, Sacha Van’T Pad Bosch of Victorylane Karting, and Freddie Lloyd of Fusion Motorsport secured the top three spots in Friday's qualifying for the X30 Junior. It was the local Alexi Constant who got ahead of the weather on Saturday to top the classification, with Lloyd, and AD Motorsport’s Vilmer Svahn behind, while it was a swap after the super heats with Lloyd ahead and Constand second, with the other local, Thibaut Ramaekers of VDK Racing finishing third overall. In the final, it was Thibaut Ramaekers who took a dominant win in the difficult conditions ahead of Constant and Lloyd. However, he was later disqualified due to a technical non-conformity which is currently under appeal, leaving the results pending until further notice.
X30 Senior
The X30 Senior category saw Energy Corse Benelux’ Danny Carenini take the overall pole position ahead of Ethan Pharamond of Dream Racing and Edoardo Ludovico Villa of TB Kart Racing Team. On Saturday however, Ean Eyckmans of EGP Racing and Evan Giltaire of PB Kart made their way through to first and second while Villa maintained third. The duo in front maintained their positions after the super heats for the start of the final, while Villa lost several places leaving third place to Danny Carenini. Setup gambles for the changing weather in the final left Eyckmans dropping to fourth while a flying Khali Atkins (Croc Promotions) made 13 positions to take the win, ahead of Henkie Kalteren (RSD Racing) and Elie Goldstein (TB Kart Racing Team) who also made 9 and 21 positions respectively to complete the podium!
RGMMC's commitment to the series continued with advancements, with the new TV broadcast and race control truck making its second appearance, offering another state-of-the-art streaming and live replays from the track action, while multiple commentators offered simultaneous race coverage and backstage live interviews.
Championship Standings After Round 2
X30 Mini
1- Archie Lovatt (GBR) 62 Points
2- Jesse Phillips (GBR) 55 Points
3- Kanishk Rao (GBR) 42 Points
4- Benjamin Manach Klisowski (ESP) 33 Points
5- Max Endacott (GBR) 22 Points
X30 Junior (Under Appeal)
1- Freddie Lloyd (GBR) 53 Points
2- Alexi Constant (BEL) 36 Points
3- Thomas Quince (FRA) 32 Points
4- Sandro Perez (ESP) 31 Points
5- Cathal Clark (GBR) 29 Points
X30 Senior
1- Edoardo Ludovico Villa (ITA) 44 Points
2- Khali Atkins (GBR) 36 Points
3- Ruben Moya (ESP) 36 Points
4- Sam Shaw (GBR) 35 Points
5- Sam Balota (BEL) 31 Points
Rendez-vous at Franciacorta
The second round of the IAME Euro Series witnessed dramatic and unpredictable results, leaving the championship wide open at the halfway point of the season. The scene is now set at the halfway point of the championship with two rounds remaining, firstly at Franciacorta in July and the curtain closing at Genk in August.