KF3 : Aaro Vainio in Senior style

Finally, this meeting, one of the busiest of the season for the CIK-FIA, the international Karting federation, also included the European KF3 Championship final. In this category reserved for Juniors (13-15 years old), the best 70 European drivers got together again after having obtained their ticket at the Regional Qualifications.

Demonstrating uncommon skills, the young Finn Aaaro Vainio (Maranello-Maxter) did not steal his new European crown. Now dreaming of following in the footsteps of Sebastian Vettel, the 2001 European Junior Champion, he initially won all his qualifying heats and the pre-final. But it was mainly in the final that Vainio proved impressive. Behind his fellow countryman and team-mate Joni Wiman (Maranello-Maxter), Aaro kept his head and launched a decisive attack within two laps of the finish. While Joni Wiman and Danil Kvyat (FA Kart-TM), a Russian racing with an Italian licence, stayed close behind they could not do anything to take the title from Aaro Vainio.

Relegated to a few lengths of the leaders because of a collision in front of him, Belgium’s Clemente Alessio Picariello (CRG-Maxter) was catching up with the first three little by little… But he just missed the podium. Sweden’s Mans Grenhagen (Energy-TM) finished 5th, ahead of Tanguy Carel (Sodi-XTR), first Frenchman. However, he will remember that he took the chequered flag before a Carlos Sainz Junior (FA Kart-Vortex), son of the former Spanish twice World Rally Champion. The Swiss Michael Heche (Intrepid-VKR), the Dane Nikolaj Moller Madsen (Tony Kart-Vortex), who had achieved the fastest lap time of the Friday practice, and the Norwegian Marius Johann Nakken (Tony Kart-TM) completed the top 10.

Varennes-sur-Allier was the opportunity for the CIK-FIA to introduce a new control method for the engines clutches of these KF karts without gearboxes, in order to put an end to the twisted use that some competitors made thereof so as to increase the performance of their equipment. Thanks to an on-board data logging system, the international federation will henceforth be able to detect – and punish – any excessive clutch spins. 218 controls were carried out throughout the meeting. This weekend, the sporting aspects well and truly got the upper hand again! A good omen for the World KF1 Championship (scheduled for 19-21 September, at Muro Leccese in Italy) which promises to be more exciting than ever!

Info CIK / © Photo KSP