69 OK-Junior drivers on Vega tyres were present in Portimão out of the 77 registered for the first round of the European Championship. Although the sky gradually became overcast in the morning, the temperature continued to rise, reaching 18°C in the early afternoon. Less than half of the six minutes allotted per session was used. The drivers took to the track with about two minutes to go, allowing only two laps to be started.
In the first session René Lammers (Parolin/TM) was leading on the first lap ahead of Martin Molnar (Energy/TM), Maciej Gladysz and Jules Caranta (Energy/TM). Molnar was finally the fastest on the second lap with 57”555, 21 thousandths ahead of Lammers. Caranta improved to 3rd place, 8 hundredths behind Gladysz and Lucas Fluxa Cross (KR/Iame) was 5th. Guillaume Bouzar (Tony Kart/Vortex) was 13th as several fast drivers missed their target.
Several drivers only completed one flying lap in the second session, such as Nathan Tye (Sodi/TM) in 5th place. Jan Przyrowski (Tony Kart/Vortex) set the fastest time with 57”454, 6 hundredths ahead of Krill Kutskov (Birel ART/TM). Anatoly Khavalkin (Parolin/TM) was 3rd, a tenth behind, and Oleksander Bondarev (LN/Vortex) 4th. Andy Consani (Sodi/TM) was 7th after only one lap, Jimmy Helias (Tony Kart/Vortex) was 9th after his second run, Arthur Dorison (Tony Kart/Vortex) 13th and Maxens Verbrugge (Exprit/TM) 20th after only one lap.
In the third session, the two women Luna Fluxa Cross (KR/Iame) and Zoe Florescu Potolea (Birel ART/TM) entered the track two laps before the others. Dmitry Matveev (Tony Kart/Vortex) dominated his first run, followed by Andres Cardenas (Energy/TM) and Luviwe Sambulda (KR/Iame). Matveev took pole position – 57’403 – on his second run. Cardenas was 2nd at 42 thousandths, Adam Hideg (KR/Iame) 3rd at over a tenth ahead of Sambulda and Alfie Slater (LN/Vortex). Thomas Quincé (Tony Kart/TM) was 19th.
Info Kartcom with Kartlink / Photo © KSP