Toninelli and Intrepid on the podium

The title of European Champion remains, now more than ever, the objective of Intrepid Team, especially in KZ1, a category in which Intrepid pilots have always been among the leaders: Roberto Toninelli conquered the podium of this European debut in France and Norman Nato can be legitimately considered the revelation of the 1st of May weekend, while Manuel Cozzaglio scored important points in the two races. Performances were up to expectations in KF1 too: Yannick De Brabander dominated race 1 and Jérémy Iglesias played an important role in the leading group.

Intrepid Team certainly has the technical potential to keep the title of European KZ1 Champion, conquered in 2007. Pilots offered proof of that at Angerville. On this very technical circuit, where many pilots found it hard to find the right set-up, Intrepid pilots made it to the top of the ranking, beginning from free and timed practice. Qualifying heats saw once again the presence of numerous Intrepid pilots at the lead of the race, so much so that there were three Intrepid chassis in the first three rows of the grid, at the start of race 1! Led by a locomotive called Toninelli, the Intrepid train composed by Nato and Cozzaglio (EGP) kept going… In the end, the three pilots reached superb 3rd, 4th and 5th positions respectively.

“A podium is perfect for the Championship” Roberto rejoiced. “Pity I was forced to withdraw from race 2: I had the means to fight for victory. I hope I can take my revenge in Mariembourg, in June”. However, the flame of Intrepid did not go out, since Nato and Cozzaglio brilliantly defended it. “I lacked a bit of experience, otherwise I could have won a podium”, said the French pilot. “I was third, but I left some space to my pursuer and he rushed, just like Cozzaglio, who finished 4th just ahead of me”. Nato also made the second best time in Sunday’s warm up.

In KF1, things started pretty well, with the fourth time by EGP pilot Yannick De Brabander, who later won a heat on his Intrepid Cruiser chassis. After a superb start from his third position in the grid, he quickly took the lead of race 1, but a technical problem left him with no winning chances. A withdrawal from race 2 marked the end of his remarkable performance. Jérémy Iglesias paid a high price for a penalty applied during a heat, in the start procedure, after a slight collision with other karts in the group. Suddenly, instead of starting from the third row, after the two top 5 conquered during qualifying rounds, the French-Spanish pilot had to start from 12th position. On a circuit where overtaking is difficult, he managed to reach the top 10. “But our equipment deserves better” said Jérémy…

Comments by Mirko Sguerzoni, in charge of Intrepid

“I am very pleased to see that Intrepid chassis were very competitive at Angerville. Manuel Cozzaglio, who races for EGP Team, was as fast as our two official pilots, Roberto Toninelli and Norman Nato, and this confirms our willingness to provide chassis that perform well in every condition. In race 1, for example, Toninelli set the fastest lap of all Intrepid pilots, with 48″932, but Nato and Cozzaglio raced in 48″952 and 48″957 respectively. They were all in the same tenth of a second! This is an unmistakable sign”.