Maïsano takes the lead

Efforts made by Intrepid pilots and thorough work carried out by the technicians of the Italian team have not always been rewarded for what they are worth in the second WSK meeting. When pilots were leading the ranking, rain (and snow!) transformed the race into a lottery… Thanks to a nicer weather, the solidity of Intrepid-Maïsano duo emerged once again in KF3 final. The French pilot is now leading the overall ranking.

On April 5-6, on the French circuit of Angerville, not far from Paris, the second round of Winning Series Karting began under the best auspices for Intrepid make. In all categories, Intrepid pilots monopolized the top positions in timed qualifying. With a remarkable lap in 51″223, Brandon Maïsano won the pole in KF3. His compatriot, Norman Nato, did almost equally well in KZ2, climbing to 2nd place, only six hundredths of a second away from the best time. “It’s great to have such an excellent ranking after only my fourth race in 125cc gearbox! Now I fully understand why this chassis became Champion of Europe in 2007”, added Norman. 4th and 8th respectively, Roberto Toninelli and Manuel Cozzaglio joined the brilliant Intrepid group in the top 10 ranking.

In KF1, two Intrepid pilots, Jérémy Iglesias and Yannick De Brabander (EGP Team) gained access to “Super Pole”, a round where the ranking of the 10 fastest pilots is determined in one single lap. Since he was one of the four pilots to remain below the 50 second threshold, Iglesias obtained 3rd best performance, three positions ahead of other Intrepid pilot De Brabander, who also qualified for “Super Pole”. “When you have just one single lap, you really have to trust your chassis to push it to its limit. I must say that Intrepid Cruiser 2008 suits my needs perfectly. It’s a real pleasure to drive it”, added Jérémy.

Qualifying heats confirmed the reliability of Intrepid chassis as top performer, with Toninelli’s third ranking in KZ2, Iglesias’ forth position in KF1 and Maïsano’s constant presence among the best pilots in KF3. However, suddenly the sky became darker, just as the mood of Intrepid pilots. In the pre-final as well as in the final, there were several troubles inside the group, so much so that the ranking changed significantly. Pilots like Iglesias or Nato suffered the worst consequences. In KF1, Jamie Croxford reached 10th position after a remarkable progression, while Toninelli used all his experience to finish 4th in the pre-final and then 9th in the KZ2 final. KF3 pilots from LM Karting team, which manages Intrepid France race service, kept focused and had excellent performances. In his first experience in WSK, Jonathan Helias conquered a good 6th position after a perfect race, while Brandon Maïsano climbed from 14th to 4th position after a series of mishaps in the pre-final. With his Intrepid-TM, the French pilot has now taken the lead of WSK.

Comments by Mirko Sguerzoni (Intrepid)

“After free practice and qualifying rounds, we were very satisfied with the work done as well as with our pilots’ results. We had good winning chances in all three categories. Unfortunately, the weather was very bad on Sunday and racetrack conditions kept changing. There were several accidents during the race and our pilots often suffered heavy consequences. Having said that, one month away from the start of the European Championship, on this same circuit of Angerville, this second WSK meeting has confirmed that we can be very competitive in 2008”.