The 180 finalists are known!

Sennan Fielding (Top Kart-Parilla)

The busiest weekend in the year for the CIK-FIA has given its verdict. Simultaneously organised in Great Britain (PF), Germany (Wackersdorf) and Denmark (Thy), the regional qualification events for the European Championship of the KF2 and KF3 categories have designated the Drivers authorised to participate in the big finals to be held at Genk (Belgium) on 8-11 July 2010.

With almost 400 entries for only 180 places available (90 per category) needless to say that competitors had to fight fiercely all the way to the final.

It was in the “Western” Region Qualifications, on the PF International circuit at Brandon, that some Drivers established the strongest rule. The British took a clear advantage of their perfect knowledge of this circuit which was hosting its maiden CIK-FIA European Championship. The quality of the organisation proved remarkable for a first edition. On their island the local Drivers showed themselves quite unrelenting. Further to the KF2 qualifying practice, there was a stranglehold of British licence-holders on the first 13 places… which says it all! And in the final added classification of this KF2 category there were again 8 of them in the first 10 classified Drivers. Chris Lock (Tony Kart-Vortex) finished first ahead of Tom Grice (Maranello-Maxter), Macaulay Walsh (RK-TM) and Jordon Lennox-Lamb (Birel-BMB). France’s Alexandre Baron (Sodi-Parilla), 5th, and Switzerland’s Michael Heche (Intrepid-TM), 7th, were the only foreigners to work their way to the Top 10. The British rule was slightly less obvious amongst the KF3 category Juniors and Sennan Fielding (Top Kart-Parilla) and Benjamin Barnicoat (Tony Kart-TM) were respectively first and second ahead of the Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Exprit-Vortex). The reliability of KF3 engines must be stressed as it has enabled the 34 starters in both races of the final phase to reach the finish!

While each of the three Qualifications had to suffer the vagaries of the weather, sometimes in practice, sometimes in the races, the most affected region was the «Central» one at Wackersdorf, so much so that the hard rain even compelled race direction to interrupt a final. Inspired in front of their public, the Germans achieved a sensational 1-2-3-4 in KF2, in the following order: Marvin Kirchhöfer (Gillard-TM), Patrick Kappis (Birel-TM), Riccardo Negro (DR-TM) and Niklas Brinkmann (Zanardi-Maxter). The first six classified Drivers all had chassis of different makes as a Gillard finished ahead of a Birel, a DR, a Zanardi, a Parolin and an RK. In KF3, the Italian Damiano Fioravanti prevailed ahead of the Austrian Lucas Auer and the Italian «Speedy». Again, there was a large variety of equipment, with three different makes of chassis and engines on the podium, with a Tony Kart-Vortex combination ahead of a Maddox-Parilla and a Top Kart-Comer.

The Nordic, Russian and Benelux Drivers competed in Denmark on the Thy circuit which inaugurated a new first corner instead of the former chicane. The starts gained fluidity and this transformed course was unanimously praised. KF3 was the framework of the most open debates of all the qualifications as no Drivers really managed to establish their domination. The ten qualifying heats thus saw nine different winners. Only 28th after qualifying practice but author of a very methodical recovery, the Finn Mikko Pakari (Maranello-Maranello) finally prevailed ahead of the Dutchmen Max Verstappen (CRG-Maxter) and Davey Koch (Tony-Kart-Vortex). Considered as one of the main favourites in KF2, Denmark’s Jakob Nortoft (FA Kart-Vortex) emerged as leader after the qualifying heats and went on to win Race 1 for good measure; he also seemed well on his way to landing Race 2 until he got caught out within two laps of the finish by gravels spread onto the track by a back marker. Although this minor setback deprived him of the final podium in Thy, it will not prevent him from being present at the great European final at Genk in July 2010. The Danes Lars Sorensen (Birel-BMB) and Nicolaj Moller-Madsen (Energy-TM), as well as the Swede Jesper Rossler (Birel-BMB) shared the top three places of this «Northern» Region KF2 Qualification.

Info CIK / © Photo KSP