At last the curtain was raised also on the most anticipated area of the Rotax Max Challenge Italia 2024: 94 drivers set up in Jesolo for the first race of 2024, with some surprises and new faces that were approached at the top of the rankings.
As for the Mini Rotax, we learn to live a season of uncertainty and new balances, since all senators have now passed to the next class. The pole position is signed by Marc Andria Quessada (MKC Motorsport), heeled by the Slovenian Vito Coza and Manuel Calendi (MKC), who sided in the second row along with Gabriele Giribaldi (Irt Engines). In race-1, Quessada poleman doesn't have a big start, having to immediately surrender leadership to Coza. The race proceeds with Coza heeled by Giribaldi, who however fails to make a real attack on the leader of the race. Those who seem to be in great shape are the two colour holders of the FooDriver team, with Baroni and Davoli climbing away the group until they take to second and third position, but the laps that are lacking at the end do not allow Baroni to approach Coza sufficiently, which thus wins the race on Baroni and Davoli. But the scene hit arrives shortly after the end of the race, with Coza who is penalized by 3" for anticipating the departure. In race-2 the scene is all for the little Alex Baroni, that despite being a rookie in the category, you invent a masterpiece race leading the race from beginning to end, rejecting every attack of Giribaldi before and Quessada then. He then wins Baroni in front of Quessada and Giribaldi.
In the Rotax Junior is the MKC Motorsport armored to be a mistress, since from the free practice they will have 4 drivers in the top-6, with Matteo Natino taking pole, in front of the rookie Paolo De Grandi (Irt Engines). In the race, however, it is the experience of Lorenzo Giaquinto to pay. The Bolzantine will immediately take the first position and will not release it any more, with De Grandi who will also pass the Natino in the middle of the race. These 3 drivers will complete the race-1 podium. In race-2, Giaquinto's strategy is always the same: impeccable driving to escape and not get caught by anyone. On the seventh lap, De Grandi overtakes Natino and leads to the pursuit of Giaquinto, while Natino also loses position from an excellent Lorenzo Sammartano. The De Grandi pass is excellent, but it is not enough to reach Giaquindo, who once again wins on De Grandi and Sammartano, who takes the first podium in Junior.
The Rotax Max is always the most numerous category of the trophy, numbers that have imposed the organizers the need to resort to the system of the heats. The absolute pole position is in favour of Andrea Perduca (LKA Racing Team), ahead of Nik Trobec (FD Motors) and rookie in the category Kiko Fracassi (Infinity). Only seventh is the defending champion Elia Pappacena (Mkc Motorsport). In the heats, Perduca and Marchioro (Infinity), who win a heat at the head, while Nik Trobec wins the third heat. The pole position (and therefore, as a regulation, victory of race-1) is at the dock of Marchioro, in front of Perduca and Pappacena. The top-5 Nik Trobec and Tommaso Greco (LKA Racing). At the start of race-2, Pappacena manages to take immediately to the head, while Marchioro comes out for a contact with Trobec. Pietro Pons (LKA Racing) joins the top positions, which after an unfortunate heat, passes first Trobec, then the team mate Perduca. However, the slight advantage acquired by Pappacena is sufficient to keep the LKA duo at bay, while to report also the remonta of Kiko Fracassi, which, starting from the rear, ends the race in P5, behind an excellent Davide Lombardo (Ktre Race). He then wins Elia Pappacena, in front of Pietro Pons and Andrea Perduca.
Immediately stage hit in the DD2, where poleman Michael Rosina (BS Motorsport) is excluded from qualifying and will have to start from the bottom of the grid, in fact giving Pole to Leonardo Baccaglini. Rosina, however, is a fury, and after 4 laps she takes again close to the first, with Cristian Trolese who in the meantime is forced to retire giving way to Daniel Giliberti (Infinity). On lap 16, the masterpiece of Rosina, which surpasses both Mauro Simoni (Ktre Race) and Giliberti to win the race. In race-2, Rosina's first laps are not super, which is forced to defend itself against the attacks of opponents. Simoni attempts a detachment in turn-4 to take command, but the result is that Baccaglini takes advantage of the scaramuccia between the two to take to the head, taking a slight margin. Rosina tries to close the gap in the final laps, but the pace of the Drake Motorsport driver is slightly higher, allowing him to win, on Rosina and Simoni. Fourth Trolese after a set of 10 positions. Alessandro Tosi (MKC Motorsport) is the author of a crushing double in the ranking reserved for masters, with Marco Griguol and Gabriele Nardi who split the square of honor between race-1 and race-2. Assent in the race for personal reasons Federico Rossi, who had obtained the best time in test.
Now, for the northern part, a long month break before round#2 in Castelletto di Branduzzo, which marks the beginning of a long series of races in sequence.