Rok Cup International Final at Lonato

The Rok Cup International Final has gone with the umpteenth success. Vortex set up a great party to celebrate his monobrand engine and on the South Garda Karting track from the 13th to 16th of October the Rok week went on.

Figures are once more spectacular and clear. 279 is the number of drivers registered coming from 33 Countries and four continents, over the four Rok categories. Taking the title home were the American Logan Sargeant (Mini Rok) and the Italian Andrea Russo (Junior Rok, Alessio Costantini (Rok) and Christopher Zani (Super Rok).

In this Rok-week other than the fantastic winners, also the four pole men Franchetto, Mini category, and once more Russo and Costantini got the podium. But the most brilliant, both in terms of beauty and fastness, the Swiss Jasmin Preisig, pole woman of the Super Rok category. The French Picot, the Czech Kocka, the Slovenian Popovic and the Italian Antonioli got a prize in the side-competitions, i.e. Sparco (Super category), Dell’Orto (Rok category), Bridgestone (Junior category) and TKart (Mini category).
 
MINI ROK. Lorenzo Franchetto (Ita) during the qualifying heats gives his visiting card with an excellent 49.684. Mazzotti is right behind with 005, only. Sargeant (USA), De Francesco (USA) Squaranti (Ita), Linquist (Slo) and the rest of the big Mini Rok drivers  group is not so far, in about a few tenths.
The rounds put the light on the promising south African Keagan Masters, which with his double success and a second position conquers the chance to go straight to the very Final. At the starting grid’s first lines is also aligned Sargeant Logan, first amongst many of the American drivers. All the others, Manthei and Herta, lead the second line.

The Final is then defined during the first round. Sargeant at the run, overtakes Masters and Herta is now third, while Manthei has been passed by his chasers. To the central “S” of the circuit, the race is then defined, a collision knocks out Masters and Sergeant is then free to lead the race undisturbed. The American driver soon gains a good gap over his chasers, which leader is Herta. If on one hand the leader runs a monotonous race, the bagarre for the podium is quite lively. The strong Thai driver Chaimongkol, with warmed up tires, has no difficulties in catching Herta and overtakes him without hesitation, confirming his second position in a good timing.

From the back arrive Franchetto and Castelli (Ita), the two Italian drivers go on in a parallel competition and from the twenty-second and the twenty-sixth position arrive at the podium. Third position in the Swiss Michael Müller, who waits for the right moment to attack Squaranti (Ita) and Manthei. Müller, Franchetto, with the best-lap, and Castelli gain, deservedly, the entry to the final stage concerning the Rok Talent Award.
 
JUNIOR ROK. Zanchi (Ita) in the rounds prove to be very strong, wins over anything and soon takes the pole. Close to the champion are Luca Corberi (Ita), just come back from the stage in the Ferrari Driver Academy, Andrea Russo (Ita) and the surprising Japanese  Toshiki Oyu.

At the start, Zanchi and Russo sprang forward, right after Corberi, Oyu, Gaglianò (Ita) and the South African driver Nathan Parkins. Zanchi and Russo go along fast rounds and it is manifest that the success will be an hard fight between them.  Behind the two leader is Corberi which is submitted for a few rounds by the spirited Japanese Oyu. The Italian Rok Champion does not give up and rapidly conquers the podium. Fukuzumi is the prove of the validity of all Japanese drivers during this Rok Cup Final and makes attempts to Gaglianò for the fourth position until the chequered flag.

Very good performances in the whole weekend for the Macao driver Chang Wing, able to take a position in the top-ten and always fast in the bagarre. Rognoni (Ita) wins the prize for the highest number of overtakes, he started in 34th position and soon arrives the 12th position with not less than 22 overtakes.
The last moments are quite peculiar. Zanchi, two laps far from the arrival, seems to be close to the double success, but unfortunately he has a technical problem. Russo is grateful and has this way the chance to recover from his latest defeat in 2010, when he was disqualified for an overtaking in yellow flags, after arriving first in the Mini Rok category.  

The knock-out of Zanchi allows Gaglianò to enter in the very final of the Rok Talent Project, together with Corberi and Oyu.

SUPER ROK. Cristopher Zani (Ita) shows off perfect performances since the qualifying rounds, conquers the pole, wins all the rounds becoming the most favourite in the Final. The Swiss Martin Hubler is lined up first, behind him the two expert Italian drivers, the two-times International champion Vantini and Caponi.
In the first round Zani and Caponi get rid of Hubler and go straight to the lead, while Vantini fights against the Swiss, at their shoulders the very fast Victor Radsted (Denmark) and Simon Moss (South Africa) arrive.

The first rounds see coming out like warriors in a battle the young drivers Gianmarco Ercoli (Ita) and Ryota Kiyohara (Jap). In this mess some collisions arrive, so that Young (South Africa) gets rid of Sasaki (Jap). Round after round the youngest Rokkers are stronger than the more expert drivers and leaders of the race are Ercoli, Kiyohara, Radsted and Moss, authors of a race more and more hard fought between them. The last rounds offer a superlative show. Zani and Caponi, far one tenth from each other, give a spectacular show, with a fair comparison, made up of continuous overtakes.

Finally, Zani wins over his rival with a final spring which worths the title for 4 hundredth. Caponi is once more vice-champion, after the second position at the International Final 2009. Ercoli takes the second consecutive step on the podium after a combative race at the International Final (in 2010 he arrived 2nd) and thus enters the Rok Talent, together with the winner and the Japanese Kiyohara.
 
ROK. Daniele Basiliotti (Ita) with three success out of three in the rounds, is preceding Bensi (Ita), two times winner. With a double victory and many opportunities to win are also Mazzantini (Ita), Bär (Swi)and Moriondo (Ita).

At the start the race is defining. Basiliotti and Costantini gain a good margin on other drivers, Bar goes forward by overtaking Moriondo and Bensi. At the seventh round Costantini with a spectacular and unique overtaking takes Basiliotti, signing the best-lap in race and runs over the title of very Champion.
At the eleventh round Bensi stops for a default clearing the way for Moriondo. Bär tries to force until the end but Basiliotti signs interesting timings, so he remains second, gaining the Rok Talent final, too.
Bensi and Andersen (Dan) are the last drivers adding to the Rok Talent Award project.

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