The 2016 vintage of the CIK-FIA World Junior Championship was particularly intense and full of adventures. The end result however distinguished one of the great revelations of the season, Victor Martins, joined on the podium by two other promising young talents, David Vidales Ajenjo and Theo Pourchaire.
The tone was set in all four Qualifying Practice sessions. The 97 young Junior Drivers aged 13 to 15 used complex and sometimes risky strategies to try to take advantage of the good slipstream. The struggle that had just started was a tough one. The framework of the CIK-FIA World Championship lent itself perfectly to this fierce struggle for the world title. Fast, hilly, technical, the Bahrain International Kart Circuit used its ultra-powerful lighting to make the many Night Races exciting and safe. High-quality organisation and strong involvement from the Bahraini authorities complemented the very positive results of the first CIK-FIA World Championship in the new OK-Junior category.
Martins distances his rivals in the Final
The Danish Driver Noah Watt (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega) was lagging behind in Qualifying Practice and the Spaniard David Vidales Ajenjo (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega) started a course to victory with Pole Position. Not too lucky during the Qualifying Heats, the Frenchman Victor Martins (Kosmic / Parilla / Vega) took 2nd position behind Vidales Ajenjo at the end of these. The Swede Hampus Eriksson (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega), Australian Oscar Piastri (FA Kart / Vortex) and Brazilian Gianluca De Castro Petecof (CRG / Parilla / Vega) were at the forefront.
Vidales Ajenjo and Martins followed each other after winning their Prefinals, while European Champion Finlay Kenneally (FA Kart / Vortex / Vega) entered the top five. But the final duel was only between Vidales and Martins. De Castro Petecof and Kenneally took advantage of the intense battle to take the lead for a short time. Then Vidales Ajenjo took control until Martins finally settled in the lead at the halfway point. Vidales Ajenjo fought in the chasing pack to regain his 2nd place against Petecof and the Frenchman Théo Pourchaire (Kosmic / Vortex / Vega). Martins won an indisputable victory and the World Junior crown ahead of Vidales Ajenjo and Pourchaire.
Info CIK-FIA / © Photo KSP