On the overheated Sarno circuit, the third and final round of the WSK Euro Series proved to be a complex one for the Ricky Flynn Motorsport team. Dion Gowda and Maxim Rehm were fast and well placed at the start of the event, but did not see the Final finish line. Maxens Verbrugge made a spectacular comeback from 44th to 6th position, while Freddie Slater managed to finish 3rd in the Championship despite several unforeseen events.
From 25th to 27th June, the field of this third WSK event was back to its usual consistency in preparation for the European competition to be held in Sarno two weeks later. With 85 Junior drivers on Vega tyres, Qualifying was a tricky exercise to manage. In RFM, only Dion Gowda did well with his 4th position, while Maxim Rehm managed to take 18th place. The heats were very competitive, but also punctuated by more or less damaging contacts.
Slater in the top three of the Championship
Freddie Slater did not have an easy time in Sarno, starting with a 35th place in the Timed Qualifying session and a retirement in the first heat. He had made up 12 positions on Saturday evening after the heats and was 8th in his Prefinal before losing ground in the fight shortly before the finish. Freddie went on the attack again in the Final and crossed the finish line in 13th position, thanks to a remarkable 21 place improvement. A penalty for a loose spoiler dropped him to 20th place, but he still finished on the Championship podium.
Strong progression for Verbrugge
Maxens Verbrugge started from a distant 44th place in the Timed Qualifying session, but he didn’t hesitate to make up for his initial delay. 34th at the end of the heats, the young Frenchman qualified in 9th position in his Prefinal. He continued his effort in the Final to make up another 11 places and reach 6th position.
Dion Gowda had made an excellent start to the meeting, starting with his 4th position in Qualifying. He was 5th in the heats thanks to a win and a fastest lap in the race. 4th in his Prefinal, the Singaporean driver was pushed around at the start of the Final and had to retire after two laps. Another RFM hopeful from the first part of the weekend, Germany’s Maxim Rehm returned to the top 10 of the heats thanks to a nine-place improvement. He qualified in 2nd place in his Prefinal, but could not defend his chances in the Final.
The competition in Sarno was difficult for the other Junior drivers of the British team. Far from the mark in Qualifying, they encountered too many setbacks during the heats to continue to the Final.
Against a larger field, Rintaro Sato obtained convincing results, starting with his 7th position in Timed Qualifying. The Japanese driver had two good heats and remained in the top 10 on Saturday evening. He lost several places in the last lap of his Prefinal, but maintained his 18th place in the Final.
Info Kartcom / Photo © KSP