It was a weekend of high competition at the South Garda Karting in Lonato, for the 3rd round Rotax Max Challenge Italy of North Area. A race that has seen the challenge of more than 100 drivers, coming from different nations: in fact, on this track will be held, in September, the test of the Rotax Euro Trophy, and many drivers have taken the opportunity to test the track in view of the European. In addition to the famous faces of the championship, there are many foreigners who have come to that of Lonato, adding an international taste to the race.
In Mini Rotax the qualifications are solved with just 18 thousandths to separate the first 3! Marc Andria Quessada (MKC Motosport) manages to get behind the morningrs of the category, Alex Baroni and David Davoli (Foo Drivers), with Gabriele Giribaldi (IRT) who closes the second row slightly more detached.
Race-1 is from anthology, with Davoli and Quessada who exchange several times leadrship, with Baroni who remains third to wait for the good time to fit into the fight for victory. At the last lap, Davoli turns off the attack on the curve of the "coltello", and, a curve later, Baroni also slips into Quessada with a formidable intersection. The two teammates arrive on the fly, with Baroni that so much the last attack and the two who arrive at the finish line detached only 15 thousandths! For the third step of the podium, Vic Vancampenhout has the best on Quessada, author of a last little lucky lap.
Quessada's revenge is still served shortly after in race-2. After the first laps in which the quartet Davoli-Quessada-Pistore-Baroni animates the race, the highlight of the race takes place at 3 laps from the term: Quessada surpasses Davoli to the comb, while Baroni and Pistore hire a duel that loses ground to both. The fight for the third place adds Vancampenhout, and this is where the twist takes place: Baroni, leader of the classification, is forced to retire, as well as Vancampenhout, for a contact to the "being". Vince Quessada flies with Davoli, while the P3 is for an excellent and concrete Giovanni Pistore (Drake Motorsport).
Very interesting also the race of Rotax Junior, with a first row decided right at the last lap of qualifying, with Matteo Natino (MKC Motorsport) who gets pole ahead of an amazing Mattia Padoan (FD Motors). In the second row Naim bretag (Infinity), ahead of the Dutch Van Wijk (Bouvin Power).
In race-1 it does not start well Natino who is surprised by the excellent point of Bretag. On the third lap, Natino is again taking over the leadership, which will not last long, as Van Wijk is taking the lead of the race on the next lap. Head of the race that the Dutch will never give up, going to win with authority. The fight moves to the third position between Bretag, Vanderveken and Padoan. The German of the Infinity team will unfortunately be forced to retire for a mechanical failure, while joining the podium fight adds the champion mini 2023 Nik Brecelj (LKA Racing Team), taken from the sixth row and engaged in a great comeback. On the finish line, Van Wijk is shortly ahead of Natino, Vanderveken and Brecelj, with Padoan closing the top-5.
In race-2, the two team mate Bouvin Power immediately took the lead and stretched immediately onto the group, as well as Natino's bad start, which slips out of top-5. It is not bad, however, the departure of Lorenzo Giquinto (MKC Motorsport), who, starting seventh after a difficult weekend, is in third position after the first round. The fight for the third place between Giaquinto, Padoan, Brecelj and Natino benefits the pair of head that digs an important gap, while a contact between Giaquinto and Brecelj benefits a coriacean Natino, which takes back the podium. Behind the first 3, Brecelj manages to stretch to save the fourth place, while the twist takes place a few positions later, with Andrea Remy and Lorenzo Giaquinto both forced to retire for a contact that will stir up positions at the top. Van Wijk wins, ahead of Vancampenhout and Natino, with the top-5 closed by Nik Brecelj and Dragos Avasilcutei (MKC Motorsport).
As regards the Rotax Max, we can call it a race from international events to all effects, even just looking at the list of participants. In the qualifying session, Elia Pappacena (MKC Motorsport) took pole in group A, ahead of Beau Lowette (Daems) and Giacomo Marchioro (Infinity), while in group B is Oliver Jonkers (Daems) ahead of Tino Sidler (54SC) and Andrea Perduca (LKA Racing Team) for only 13 thousandths! In the course of the Heat, the result of which allocates the valid points for race-1, is Pappacena to master it, with 2 wins, in front of Jayden Thein who gets a win and Pietro Pons (LKA), who with two seconds gets the absolute P3.
At the start of the final, Pappacena does what he always managed on the weekend: impeccable start and solo management of the race. Behind him, Thein manages to have the best on Pons and stretch on the group, ensuring the square of honor. The fight is then lit for the third place, between Stevens, Pons and Marchioro. Pons has the best on Stevens, but in the final laps the Belgian driver comes back, and, with a big surprise to the knife, he takes the podium position. At 2 laps from the end, a contact between Pons and Marchioro leads both drivers to lose ground: it has the worst titan driver, who will be forced to leave the top-10, while Pons will lose three positions to the advantage of Armand Hamilton, Beau Luwette and Sebastian Kokh. Pappacena wins in solo on Thein and Stevens, recovering several points and taking second place, only 3 points from Pons.
The DD, class queen of the monobrand, offers one of the most spectacular races of the weekend. Nicola Felappi gets a stratospheric pole position, seeing himself flanked in the front row by Cristian Trolese (NC Racing). In the second row we find the Infinity Racing Team Daniel Giliberti and the leader Leo Baccaglini (Drake Motorsport).
In race-1, Trolese has the highest point, which starts at the top followed by Felappi and Baccaglini. To these, there is also an excellent Federico Rossi (54Sc), first among the masters but clearly at ease also among the young of the DD2 "normal". The eleventh round is perhaps the most spectacular of the entire race weekend: Baccaglini surpasses Trolese for the P1, but at the end of the straight are be 3 side-by-side drivers!! Felappi tries a double overtaking for the leadership of the race, but then comes along and favours the intersection of Trolese. The whole thing is not finished: at the next detachment, Felappi is still taking the inside of Trolese, with Baccaglini who, finding himself outside of 3 drivers, can do nothing but go into the grass. In all this, Rossi is third, ahead of Giliberti, fourth, with the victory that goes to a great Nicola Felappi.
Gara-2 è nettamente più tranquilla, con Felappi che mantiene la prima posizione e non ha problemi ad imporre il suo ritmo, favorito anche dal ritiro di Trolese per problemi tecnici. In rimonta, il terzo posto è per Leonardo Baccaglini, che sorpassa nel finale Mauro Simoni (Ktre), mentre, ad ottenere la piazza d’onore, è un buon Daniel Giliberti, veloce e costante ma non sufficientemente per insiediare Felappi, autore di un weekend monstre. La prima posizione dei Masters è ancora per Federico Rossi, saldamente in top-5 anche nella “assoluta”.
Prossimo appuntamento per la zona Nord, ma non solo, al Circuito di Pomposa tra meno di 2 settimane, con la gara che avrà anche valenza nazionale.