Two Qualifying Heats remained to be run on Sunday morning in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy. The weather promised to be milder than the previous day at Val d’Argenton, with the track drying out under a few rays of sunshine.
Heat C-D: Karagiannis from start to finish
Nikolaos Karagiannis (GRC) took the lead in the first lap from Joel Taipale (FIN) and Lilian Soares (FRA), who started very well. Gilles Herman (BEL) was 4th ahead of Reean Dharmadassa (LKA) and Theodor Toobal (EST). Soares quickly moved into P2 ahead of Taipale and set off in pursuit of the leader. Taipale regained 2nd position while Zain El Hommosany (EGY) moved up to 4th followed by Dharmadassa. Herman continued to lose ground. Taipale started the penultimate lap in the wake of Karagiannis with Soares in ambush. The three drivers crossed the finish line in just over a tenth of a second, Karagiannis winning, Taipale 2nd and Soares 3rd. El Hommosany and Martim Barros Meneses (PRT), who moved up 19 places, completed the top 5. Herman finished 11th.
Heat A-B: Allemann makes up ground
Aleix Pinera Rusinol (ESP) went off the track and retired on the formation lap. Dan Allemann (CHE) got off to a perfect start and made the difference in the first lap against Lyuboslav Ruykov (BGR), Fedor Sedelnikov and Sacha van’t Pad Bosch (NLD), while Sirikhett Sirimongkolkassem (THA) crashed out in 21st place and eventually retired. Allemann quickly opened up a lead of over a second. Andrea Marsella (ITA) had moved up seven places to 7th. Ruykov and van’t Pad Bosch reduced the gap to the leader in the second half of the race. Allemann didn’t give up though, especially as van’t Pad Bosch’s pass on Ruykov gave him back some space. Allemann won 5 tenths ahead of the fast van’t Pad Bosch, with Ruykov 3rd, Casper Nissen (DNK) 4th and Kian Burnard (GBR) 5th.
Karagiannis finished first in the intermediate classification ahead of Soares and Herman. Allemann moved up to 4th ahead of Nissen. Van’t Pad Bosch was 9th ahead of Motoda and Pinera Rusinol, while Sirimongkolkassem crashed out in 34th place.
Info Kartcom with Kartlink / Photo © KSP – Arthur Saulnier-Bruneau