CIK-FIA Le Mans: Rosso takes the Junior pole

Low clouds, cool wind and intermittent fine rain were the conditions that reduced the grip of the Le Mans track for the qualifying runs of the Junior European Championship. Some teams had prepared a second slick chassis, but the rain tyres were still de rigueur.

After a scramble to get back on the dummy grid at the last moment, the first session finally joined the track. Hadrien David (Zanardi / Parilla) shared the top spot with Isak Hadjar (Tony Kart / Vortex), Zak O’Sullivan (FA Kart / Vortex) and Elie Goldtein (Kosmic / Parilla). But Seppänen clocked the fastest time with 1’05”564 at the end of the session almost 3 tenths ahead of David and Hadjar, then O’neill Muth (Zanardi / Parilla) and O’Sullivan.

Andrea Rosso (Tony Kart / Vortex) immediately gave the impression that the second session would be faster than the previous one, improving by 4 tenths. He then took the controls a second faster against Jack Doohan (FA Kart / Vortex) and Kas Haverkort (CRG / Parilla). The situation stabilized with Harry Thompson (FA Kart / Vortex) in 3rd position behind Haverkort while regroupings were taking place on the track for the search for the best slipstream. The positions did not evolve any more and Rosso kept the best time of 1’04”166. Mattia Michelotto (Zanardi / Parilla) took 5th place ahead of Genis Civico (FA Kart / Parilla) and Gillian Henrion (Tony Kart / Vortex). Jules Mettetal (Kosmic / Parilla) finished 14th and Christopher Lulham (Tony Kart / Parilla) 17th by almost two seconds.

The rain was getting stronger at the start of the third session. Jonny Edgar (Exprit / TM) had a big lead over Ilya Morozov (Tony Kart / Vortex). The rain intensified as the laps went on and the times were inexorably increasing. Edgar remained on 1’06”630, more than 6 tenths ahead of Morozov and Leandro Anderrüti (Birel ART / TM). Leonardo Marseglia (Zanardi / Parilla) was 4th, and Sebastian Montoya (Birel ART / TM) 5th. Loris Cabirou (Sodi / TM) finished 7th in front of Gabriel Bortoleto (CRG / Parilla) 14th and Roman Stanek (Kosmic / Vortex), finished last.

With three sessions and three different track conditions, and almost 2.5 seconds between the leaders of each one, the ranking of Qualifying therefore mixed the positions for fairness. Behind Rosso, Seppänen and Edgar, David was 5th, Hadjar 8th, Henrion 19th, Cabirou 21st, Mallet 29th and De Gerus 31st.

Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP