Danilo Albanese (KR/Iame) and Viktor Gustafsson (CRG/TM) shared the front row of the grid in the Final of the FIA Karting European Championship – KZ ahead of Francesco Celenta (Parolin/TM) and Paolo Ippolito (KR/Iame), then Jérémy Iglesias (CRG/TM) and Pedro Hiltbrand (Birel ART/TM). Iglesias now had a 2-point lead over Albanese in the Championship, Senna van Walstijn (Sodi/TM) was 3rd with a 12-point deficit, while the next four were tied at over 50 points. The sun was relentless over Sarno and the thermometer reached 36°.
Gustafsson dived into the lead at the first bend ahead of Albanese, Ippolito, Hiltbrand, Iglesias and Arthur Carbonnel (CRG/TM) in 6th place. Ippolito was already defending his 3rd place against Hiltbrand and Iglesias, while Albanese reduced the gap to Gustafsson. Van Walstijn took advantage of a mistake by Stan Pex (KR/TM) to move up to 8th. For several laps, the positions changed little, as if the drivers were taking it easy on their tyres. Celenta gave up midway through the race after making contact with Arthur Carbonnel (CRG/TM). Van Walstijn, who was very fast, overtook Iglesias on lap 15, while Hiltbrand was forced to retire after a tyre problem. Albanese closed on the leader in the last two laps, but Gustafsson increased the lead to 6 tenths. Albanese’s 2nd place gave him the European crown. Ippolito finished 3rd, van Walstin 4th (+ 5 places) with the fastest lap. In 5th position, Iglesias secured 2nd place in the Championship ahead of van Walstijn. Pex was up to 6th (+7 places), Guiseppe Palomba (Birel ART/TM) 7th, Lorenzo Travisanutto (Parolin/TM) 8th, Riccardo Longhi (Birel ART/TM) 9th and Matteo Vigano (Birel ART/TM) 10th (+8 places). Adrien Renaudin (DR/Modena) was 12th (+7 places) and Tom Leuillet (Tony Kart/Vortex) 13th. Emilien Denner (Sodi/TM) had made up 9 places to 11th, but a spoiler penalty put him 16th.
Info Kartcom with Kartlink / Photo © KSP