A welcome change of atmosphere on Sunday morning at Val d’Argenton with the return of the sun for the Super Heats of the FIA Karting European OK Championship.
Super Heat A: Turney keeps up with Gomez
Joe Turney (KR/Iame) and Matheus Morgatto (Birel ART/TM) were neck and neck after the lights went out with Gabriel Gomez (CRG/Iame) 3rd and Sebastiano Pavan (OTK/Vortex) 4th, followed by Lewis Wherrell (Exprit/TM) 5th, Ean Eyckmans (Birel ART/TM) 6th and Louis Iglesias (CRG/Iame) 7th. A group collision cleared the pack and the slow procedure was launched to clear the track. The race resumed on the fourth lap. Davide Bottaro (CRG/Iame) had made up 14 places to 7th. Thibaut Ramaekers (KR/Iame) joined the long list of retirements on lap 7. Gomez had closed in on Morgatto for P2 midway through the race, while Turney held on to 1st place. Very fast, Zac Drummond (Parolin/TM) then moved into the top five and passed Bottaro. Iglesias was back in 6th place ahead of Bottaro. Gomez gradually closed on Turney towards the end of the race, but Turney remained in front and won by 0.366″. Morgatto finished 3rd, Wherrell 4th and Drummond 5th ahead of Iglesias. Jean Karras (LN/Iame) finished 19th (+16 places), Philippe Karras (LN/Iame) 24th (+6 places), Thomas Quincé (OTK/Vortex) having retired in the incident on the first lap.
Super Heat B: Hanna ahead of Walther
David Walther (OTK/Vortex) led the first lap ahead of Fionn Mclaughlin (KR/Iame), while Salim Hanna (KR/Iame) snuck into 3rd ahead of Andy Consani (Sodi/TM) and Oleksandr Bondarev (KR/Iame). Consani recovered his P3 by attacking Hanna on the second lap. The Frenchman then overtook Mclaughlin to take 2nd position, but the reaction was not long in coming. Walther took off in front, Hanna followed at 1.6”, then Consani didn’t let up in 3rd ahead of Mclaughlin and Aaron Garcia (KR/Iame). Walther let slip part of his lead in the last five laps. David Cosma Cristofor (KR/Iame) and Xavier Avramides (OTK/Vortex) retired. Hanna was beginning to close in on Walther, while Mclaughlin was closing on Consani. Hanna went on the attack with three laps to go and took the lead without any resistance from Walther, who was safe in the final intermediate classification. Hanna won by 5 tenths from Walther, Consani took a superb 3rd place from Mclaughlin and Mark Dubnitski (CRG/Iame) finished 5th. Bondarev finished 7th behind Garcia. In 15th, Luna Fluxa Cross (KR/Iame) had made up 17 places.
Provisional results pending publication of the final rankings.
Info Kartcom with Kartlink / Photo © KSP – Arthur Saulnier-Bruneau