2005 CIK-FIA EUROPEAN FA-ICC-SICC CHAMPIONSHIPS
ANGERVILLE (FRANCE) – MAY 13TH/14TH/15TH

BIREL HOLDS SWAY IN THE ICC AND SICC

BIREL RULED THE PODIUM IN BOTH RACE 1 AND RACE 2 THANKS TO THE VICTORIES OF LAUDATO IN THE SICC (GANDOLFI ENDED 2ND AND 3RD), AND FRENCHMAN LAVANANT IN THE ICC. IN THE FA, A FEW PROBLEMS AND SOME BAD LUCK SPOILED THE RACES OF THE BIREL TEAM.

The international circuit of Angerville, a few kilometres’ away from Paris, officially opened the international karting season. According to the new pattern of the Cik- Fia racing calendars, in force since last year, the FA, ICC and SICC classes have to compete during the same weekends. There are three appointments on schedule for the FA and ICC categories, whereas the SICC will award the title in just two rounds; the 3rd appointment is for the World Cup and will take place in Italy. On each racing weekend, there will be two races both effective for point-scoring purposes. The first points were awarded in France, and the Birel colours started off on the right foot, dominating 2 categories out of three (ICC and SICC). Francesco Laudato was sensational, seizing a double victory clearly showing the great technical potential expressed by the Birel chassis. The winner of the World Cup 2004 confirmed an excellent performance standard, too, ending up 3rd in Race 1 and right behind Laudato in Race 2. In the ICC, the podium of both Race 1 and Race 2 was actually ruled by Birel drivers, the most outstanding of which was Frenchman Lavanant, two times first. In Formula A, despite the good potential displayed by the top drivers, results were certainly below expectations, instead. Anyway, the season will be a long one, and the engineers of Birel and Tm (official engine supplier for Team Birel Motorsport) have a very clear picture of the situation. Already starting from the next appointment in Mariembourg, all the leading drivers of the Birel team will have the opportunity of making up ground against their rivals.

REPORT ON THE 125 SUPER ICC: LAUDATO’S DOUBLE WIN

Rain influenced the qualifiers of the SICC category and partially the performances of the two top Birel drivers Laudato and Gandolfi, too, who ended 8th and 11th, respectively, after the two sessions on schedule. However, the Birel colours were upheld by Dutch driver Wouters of the AVG Racing Team, who conquered the pole ahead of another leading Birel driver at the start, German Simon Solgat. The qualifying heats saw Wouters and Solgat gaining one victory each (the third heat went to Cozzaglio), thus earning a start from the first row for Race 1. The couple Laudato-Gandolfi attained excellent placings in all the heats, too, ending up in the 2nd row right behind their teammates. Cozzaglio had to spurt from the 5th position. At the start of Race 1, Francesco Laudato quickly took the lead with Gandolfi drafting in his wake. Cozzaglio managed to take the 3rd position ahead of Solgat and Wouters. Laudato succeeded in gaining some margin on his teammate Gandolfi, while the latter was trying to get rid of Cozzaglio. At the finishing line, Laudato seized victory (also posting the fastest race lap) and the first 25 points at stake, whereas Gandolfi had to give up his 2nd place to Cozzaglio, ending his race 3rd. Simon Solgat conquered an excellent 4th place ahead of his teammate Wouters: for the Lissone-based manufacturer, this meant having placed 4 drivers among the first 5 placements. Piccini was 6th, followed by Toninelli and Kievtsbosch. In Race 2, Laudato immediately took the lead, with Cozzaglio right behind him followed by Gandolfi, Wouters, Solgat and Piccini. Francesco Laudato gained some ground on his rivals right away, leaving Cozzaglio and Gandolfi struggling behind once again. But this time the result was reversed: during the 15th lap, Gandolfi took over Cozzaglio and earned the 2nd position, crowned also by the fastest lap recorded towards the very end. Wouters finished his race 4th ahead of Solgat and another Birel driver, Austrian Andreas Schrangl. For the Birel colours, the 1st round of the Super Icc ended with a very positive outcome exceeding all expectations. The technical supremacy shown by the chassis manufactured in Lissone is unquestionable and once more suggests a successful season.

100 FORMULA A: HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF BIREL’S PERFORMANCES

Since no Birel driver made it to the podium, the overall weekend result for Birel drivers racing in the FA cannot be considered positively. However, reading between the lines of what happened in Angerville, the conditions to soon fit into the top of the class seem to be there, starting from a review of the performance of young Jon Lancaster, 3rd in the qualifiers and handicapped by an accident during the heats. However, he then succeeded in easily winning the second race, recording the overall best time in the warm-up before Race 1 and making it to a point-winning finish (14th) in the race after having started from the back of the group. In Race 2, he might have aspired to much more significant placings, but a scrimmage costed him some detours and a slight drop in condition towards the end, and so he had to be happy with the 15th place. Despite his not very lucky qualifiers and an accident during the first heat, Cesetti, too, managed to get back on top with two excellent placings in the following qualifiers, showing a much greater potential than the results achieved. In Race 1, then, an accident with Forè at the start precluded any chance of victory. In Race 2, instead, he attained 12th place after having started among the last, posting a better time during his fastest lap than the very winner of the race (Ardigò). Antonucci, on the other hand, was slowed down by some technical problems during the heats, and he didn’t go beyond the 15th place in Race 1, while in Race 2 he was forced to withdraw. On the contrary, the PF International Birel Team confirmed its excellent performance standards, with Litchfield reaching 6th place in the qualifiers and within the point-winning positions in Race 1. Englishman Freddie Martin Dye ( Birel –Parilla- Bridgestone) did very well, too, ending Race 1 within a stone’s throw from the podium (4th) and Race 2 in 9th position. As a matter of fact, Race 1 was won by Frenchman Convers ahead of Waldschmidt and Alfano, whereas Ardigò ended before Kozlinski and Thonon in Race 2.

125 ICC: LAVANANT LEADS BIREL’S TRIUMPH

The first two races of the European ICC held at Angerville are emblematic of the superiority Birel has shown in this category, probably the most significant in relation to the individual National Championships in the 125cc held across the world. Frenchman Tony Lavanant proved the best in everything possible: pole, victory and fastest lap in Race 1, victory and fastest lap in Race 2. But Birel’s supremacy went far beyond the superb performance of the French driver: among the first eight drivers in the qualifiers, five belonged to the Birel team, in Race 1 the first five placings went to Birel and in Race 2, there were five Birel drivers among the first six ones. In Race 1, Lavanant prevailed over his teammates Principe (Ita), Janis (Cz), Spirgel (Fra) and Frasnelli (Ita). In Race 2, instead, the Frenchman ended up first ahead of Janis and Spirgel, still an entirely Birel-red podium, while Eric Maillard was 4th. The 5th place went still to Birel, instead, with excellent Martin Frasnelli of the MGM Team, who ended ahead of Francesco Principe.