The races were extremely competitive during the FIA Karting Academy Trophy meeting, and the characteristics of the Rodby circuit were very conducive to this. The Final was a perfect example of this, with a hierarchy that was decided on the final lap for the podium.
Greek driver Vasileios Apostolidis started in the lead and soon found himself in 7th position, leaving several drivers to take 1st place in turn: Norwegian Marius Barry-Berg, winner of the opening race in the Czech Republic, Spaniard Hugo Marti, Dutchman Rocco Coronel, Australian Max Walton and Lithuanian Markas Silkunas. Meanwhile, Apostolidis had patiently recovered the positions he had lost at the start of the Final. It was on the 17th of the 21 laps that he regained the lead.
Coronel not only lost the lead, he also dropped back to 7th at the chequered flag, then to 15th following a sporting penalty. Walton was rewarded for his efforts by taking 2nd place ahead of Argentina’s Santino Panetta. Panetta returned to 3rd place just after the halfway mark, before dropping back to 6th and then claiming the final step of the podium. Japan’s Ryutaro Sakai and Colombian Sebastian Garzon were just behind in 4th and 5th positions.
Ranked 7th behind Switzerland’s Karel Staut, Marti was hoping for better after a long battle for the top three. Lithuania’s Markas Silkunas, Angola’s Lorenzo Campos and Poland’s Klara Kowalczyk completed the top 10. French driver Lisa Billard, who had started badly and was only 14th after the first lap, was back up to 4th with three laps to go. A final duel pushed her back to 6th, then 14th after a penalty (spoiler). Barry-Berg dropped from 10th to 16th after a sporting penalty.
Info Kartcom with Kartlink / Photos © KSP