Angerville Has Kept Its Promises

The second meeting of the French Karting Championship 2010 was held in the Angerville circuit, near Paris, a highly demanding track in terms of driving skills. Pierre Gasly and Anthony Abbasse consolidated their leaderships in the KF3 and KZ2 categories respectively, while new protagonists emerged in KF2: Alex Baron, Clément Bluy and most of all Michelle Gatting. The level of participants remained as high as in the first meeting, with some new foreign competitors. Despite unusually cold weather for the season, some heated duels took place.

Anthony Abbasse (Sodi/TM) left his mark in the KZ2 category, that of 125 gearbox karts bursting with horse power. In the absence of his rival Jérémy Iglesias, Abbasse could not really find an opponent capable of challenging his domination. He left Angerville with the maximum of points after winning all the pre-finals and finals. «Of course I am very satisfied with the results of this GPO», he confessed at the end of the day. «I did not have to fight hard to win, but I consider it a reward for the hard work done by my team with a view to the forthcoming European Championship. What is more, I consolidated my advantage in the general standings. Having said that, I hope that more French drivers will join the GPOs, a very exciting event organised by the FFSA that deserves more and more success». Emilien Grosso (Intrepid/TM) was the most aggressive of the drivers hot on the leader’s heels, with his 3 second places in four races and a place on the two podiums. Now he is third in the race to the title. Though not always lucky, Pierre Etienne Chaumat (Intrepid/TM) managed to score some heavy points anyway, while Yan Pesce (Energy/TM) kept his 2nd place in the standings.

Pierre Gasly (Sodi/Parilla) showed his impressive determination and only a broken engine deprived him of the big slam in KF3: «I had the right equipment and was in the ideal state of mind to win in Angerville. I managed to score some important points with a view to the title, but I when I had to give up in the final race, it was my team mate Charles Leclerc who won it. This lifts the team’s spirits», Pierre explained. The Monegasque driver Leclerc really made an impression on his first race with Sodi’s colours. Already fast on Saturday, he finished second in the pre-final on Sunday and conquered the final race: «It was a good result for me, but Pierre was the best, he should have won the final». The other emerging drivers this weekend were Rémy Deguffroy (Tony Kart/Vortex), Léo Roussel (Sodi/Parilla) as well as Nolan Mantione (Intrepid/TM), Sunday’s revelation.

Young Danish driver Michelle Gatting (CRG/Maxter) was a ray of sunlight in the KF2 category. With a double victory in the finals, she demonstrated during the meeting that she is now an all-round and talented driver. Alex Baron (Sodi/Parilla) on Saturday and Clément Bluy (Tony Kart/Vortex) on Sunday were her toughest rivals, with a victory in the pre-final and a second place in the final each. Enzo Guibbert (FA Kart/Vortex) was maybe the only driver able to oppose Gatting’s domination, but two engine breakages in the finals eliminated him prematurely from the fight. Victor Sendin (Tony Kart/Vortex) staged a brilliant performance on Saturday. Bluy managed to get back in the lead of the Championship. The last words come from the heroine of the meeting: «By coming to the French Championship, I discovered a high-level, well-organised event. It was not easy to defeat the French in their homeland and I am going to return to the GPOs as soon as possible».