Kutskov wins a dramatic OK World Championship

The temperature had climbed to 28 degrees with sunny weather at Franciacorta for the Final of the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship – OK.

Kean Nakamura-Berta (KR/IAME) and Rene Lammers (Parolin/TM) made up an incredibly competitive front row ahead of Fionn Mac Laughlin (KR/IAME) and Gabriel Gomez (CRG/IAME). Sebastiano Pavan (Tony Kart/Vortex), Kai Rillaerts (Tony Kart/Vortex) and David Walther (Tony Kart/Vortex) went off at the first corner and Lammers dropped back to 9th.

Nakamura-Berta held the lead while Mac Laughlin took 2nd with Joe Turney (KR/IAME) up to 3rd. Turney passed both drivers for the lead on the second lap then Gomez took Nakamura-Berta for 3rd. Gomez was flying and took 2nd, 7 tenths behind Turney and started reducing his lead. Alex Powell (KR/IAME) came through to 3rd from 15th, but then disaster struck for the Jamaican who retired on the next lap after contact with Mac Laughlin. Gomez took the lead briefly before a coming together with Turney dramatically ended their World Championship plans and left Kirill Kutskov (KR/IAME) in the lead from Nakamura-Berta and Lammers after gaining 12 places.

When trying to restart Turney was hit by another kart and injured, causing a race neutralisation then a red flag with 14 laps left to run. The karts restarted in single file with Kutskov retaining the lead ahead of Nakamura-Berta and then Lammers took 2nd. He was now fastest and half a second behind Kutskov. Mac Laughlin retired with a mechanical failure, leaving only half the field still running. Enzo Tarnvanichkul (KR/IAME) was up to 4th ahead of Arthur Poulain (KR/IAME) and Ean Eyckmans (Birel ART/TM).

On the last lap Lammers was just too far behind to challenge Kutskov, which meant the World Championship for Kutskov, the second in a row for the DPK Racing team. Lammers finished 0.184s behind, followed by Nakamura-Berta, Tarnvanichkul, Poulain and Mattia Colnaghi (CRG/IAME). Only 14 drivers finished, including Frenchmen Poulain 5th, Louis Iglesias (CRG/IAME) in 8th (+23pl) and Maxens Verbrugge (CRG/IAME) in 14th (+18pl). Jules Caranta (Tony Kart/Vortex) was classified 16th, Jimmy Helias (Tony Kart/TM) 18th and Andrea Dupe (KR/IAME) 23rd.

Provisional results pending publication of the final rankings.

Info Kartcom / Photo © KSP