The 144 finalists are known!

The verdict of the CIK-FIA’s busiest weekend in the year has been brought in. Simultaneously organised in France (Essay), Belgium (Genk) and the Czech Republic (Sosnova), the regional qualifying events for the European Championship of the KF2 and KF3 categories have designated the drivers authorised to participate in the finals which will be held at Salbris (F) on 4 and 5 August 2007 for KF2 and at Sarno-Napoli (I) on 1 and 2 September 2007 for KF3 Juniors. And with 377 drivers entered for only 144 places available (72 per category), needless to say there were grim fights to climb the rungs to the final.

Dreaded and fearsome for the drivers, these regional Qualifications were also the ultimate test for the new engine type of the KF generation. One only needs to read the results to see that the reliability aimed at by the new regulations has been amply reached: in the 12 races held on Sunday afternoon across Europe, the average rate of drivers who covered the first lap and went on to cross the finishing line was 94%, and the prize went to the KF3 Race 1 in Sosnova, from which no one retired out of the 34 drivers who took the start. In this very race, the gap between the driver who achieved the fastest lap and the one with the slowest lap time did not exceed 6 tenths of a second! In each event, the gaps between drivers were indeed always minor, which had the beneficial effect of providing closely fought and exciting races that the public therefore enjoyed.

By and large, British drivers made a strong impression in the Western Region Qualification organised at Essay: already winner of the Asia-Pacific Championship a few weeks ago in Japan, Will Stevens emerged as the winner in KF2 while his young fellow countrymen Jack Harvey, Tom Grice and Oliver Rowland had a stranglehold on the podium in KF3. Taking advantage of their knowledge of the track, the Belgians were seen in a favourable light in the Northern Region Qualification held at Genk: Yannick De Brabander, Laurens Vanthoor and Michael Ryall made a clean sweep of the top three places in KF2, and Clément Picariello prevailed in KF3. Finally, at Sosnova, in the Central Region Qualification, the Italian drivers were unsurprisingly the ruling powers, led by Felice Tiene in KF2 and Matteo Beretta in KF3.

List of the qualified Drivers for the European Championship finals :

KF2 (North) : Y. De Brabander (B), L. Vanthoor (B), M. Ryall (B), J. Kristensen (N), A. Fasberg (DK), J. Te Braak (NL), M. Kunranta (FIN), J. Rossler (S), J. Wernersson (S), V. Miilumäki (FIN), J. Johansson (S), R. Frijns (B), D. Aho (FIN), K. Kleveros (S), Laura Koivuluoma (FIN), K. Vermeylen (B), J.C. Rousseau (B), D. Dupont (B), G. Debrauwere (B), S. Mosebo (DK), D. Lindholm (FIN), T. Heikkinen (FIN), E. Lappi (FIN), R. Bastkjaer (DK), K. Munkholm (DK), Veera Virtanen (FIN).

KF2 (West) : W. Stevens (GB), J. Tarancon (E), C. Lacaze (F), Chr. Brown (GB), L. Reguillon (F), S. Jenkins (GB), J. Dixon (GB), G. Harper (GB), N. Nato (F), M. Otegui (E), Y. Godinez (CH), F. Da Costa (P), R. Foster-Jones (GB), C. Bluy (F), S. Lesca (F), M. Pialat (F), B. Nascimento (P), M. Monras (E), J.D. Simon (E), C. Breen (IRL), R. Bradley (GB), J. Deschamps (F), K. Bole Besançon (F), G. Barbarin (F).

KF2 (Centre) : F. Tiene (I), P. De Conto (I), A. Dale (I), L. Toman (CZ), F. Camponeschi (I), Lucie Panackova (CZ), A. Smarrazzo (I), P. Antonfeld (D), Z. Groman (CZ), K. Basz (PL), M. Zanchetta (I), A. Di Braccio (I), M. Turchetto (I), P. Fontner (A), R. Cvoernjek (A), T. Pivoda (CZ), J. Josting (D), K. Habulin (HR), M. Schwabe (D), P. Schranner (D), B. Maring (D), G. Patrono (I).

KF3 (North) : C. Picariello (B), P. Suvanto (FIN), J. Pex (NL), D. Davies (NL), S. Bailly (B), T.M. Petjoi (FIN), Chantal Van Haandel (NL), Michelle Gatting (DK), M. Zimin (RUS), V. Öberg (S), T. Suninen (FIN), N. Moller Madsen (DK), B. Sorensen (DK), L. Sorensen (DK), H. Rajala (FIN), K. Kulmanen (FIN), Ayla Agren (N), K. Magnussen (DK), F.E. Rismyhr (N), Johanna Ohlsson (S), G. De Ridder (B).

KF3 (West) : J. Harvey (GB), T. Grice (GB), O. Rowland (GB), B. Maisano (F), M. Otero (E), J. Lennox-Lamb (GB), L. Derani (CH), L.M. Villalba (E), Y. Von Aesch (CH), N.S. Müller (CH), K. Mourey (F), J. Thorp (GB), G. Thompson (IRL), R. Tebbs (GB), V.P. Oriola (E), A. Del Rio (E), J. Forman (GB), B. Arnaut (P), J. Antunes (CH), M. Hale (GB), R. Danzey (GB), D. Rambeau (P), C.A. Munoz (E), A. Lynn (GB), J. Cunill (E).

KF3 (Centre) : M. Beretta (I), L. Camplese (I), K. Illgen (D), A. Vita Kouzkin (I), A. Costantini (I), N. Ejem (CZ), R. Binder (A), K. Ceccon (I), S. Müller (D), M.A. Coleselli (A), R. Brutschin (D), I. D’Agosto (I), M. Farnbacher (D), «Giaguaronero» (I), A.M. Giovinazzi (I), A. Francescon (I), J. Midrla (CZ), J. Eisenreich (D), D. Baumann (A), M. Fousek (CZ), S. Favaro (I), M. Torsellini (I), «Ricky» (I), R. Agostini (I), P. Meister (D), A. Cavalieri (I).