The 118 drivers taking part this week-end in the World Championship at Zuera, Spain, a few kilometres from Zaragoza, did not expect this ! The traditional Spanish sun gave way to a cloud laden sky… which opened into a short cloud burst just before the beginning of qualifying practice !
The majority of the drivers haven’t had much opportunity to race in rainy conditions like this before the meeting, so qualifying practice therefore favoured those who had been able to make the appropriate adjustments for a wet set-up and those who could most quickly find the best line on the wet track. Faced with this little challenge, the British drivers could make the most of their experience of these conditions. So it was Luke Varley (Tony Kart-Vortex) who was fastest of all by more than a tenth of a second ahead of fellow Brit Jordon Lennox-Lamb (Birel-BMB). Less well known than the two in front of him, the young Italian Luca Ghiotto (Zanardi-Parilla) was the surprise package qualifying 3rd fastest ahead of a third British driver Chris Lock (Tony Kart-Vortex) and the Finn Jarno Hamppi (Birel-Parilla). Amongst those having avoided the « trap » of this rain affected qualifying session we find the Belgian Sébastien Bailly (Kosmic-Vortex), another Brit Lindsay Butcher (Tony Kart-Vortex), the top Spaniard Jorge Pescador (Tony Kart-Vortex), the Italian Marco Moretti (Maranello-TM) and yet another British driver Jordan King (Birel-BMB).
Behind this top 10, there was no shortage of surprises. The Dutchman Nyck De Vries (Zanardi-Parilla), only 17th nevertheless managed to limit the damage compared to other favorites like Nikolaj Moller-Madsen (Energy-TM, 29th), Jordan Chamberlain (Tony Kart-TM, 38th), Brandon Maisano (Intrepid-TM, 69th), David Da Luz (Zanardi-Parilla, 70th), Teemu Suninen (Maranello-Maranello, 76th), Yannick de Brabander (Intrepid-TM, 82th), Ben Hanley (Maranello-Maranello, 85th) and especially Simo Puhakka (PCR-TM, 110th). All these drivers will have to fight hard tomorrow during their qualifying heats to secure a place amongst Sunday’s 34 Finalists ! Without doubt there will be no shortage of spectacular action in Zuera this Saturday throughout the qualifying races !
Info CIK