OPEN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP- 4th TRIAL – VAL VIBRATA (TE) July 2nd/3rd, 2005

LAUDATO LEADING THE 125 ICC AGAIN

The penultimate round of the Italian Open Championship confirmed the favourable moment of Francesco Laudato and the Birel-Tm match; after having conquered the European title in France just a week ago in the SICC, they are back leading also the provisional results in the 125 ICC after the event promoted by the Italian Karting Federation. The Birel team gains the lead in the overall results also in the Junior class thanks to the excellent performance of Charles Pic, who finished 2nd, thus climbing to the top of the results list with 56 points (14 points ahead of Albert Costa). The victory in the 100 Junior went to Englishman Will Stevens. In the 100 Ica (won by Mancinelli), Risitano had to be content with a 7th place owing to a problem at the start of the Final, which forced him to the rear, while in FA Cesetti’s race had an unbelievable epilogue: during the first lap, the Marches-born driver collided with the kart of Michele Lenzo, which was running away without its driver. This was really a shame, because Cesetti had started 4th and the race seemed cut and dried for him, thus still having some chances in the championship. The victory went to Swiss Mortara.

THE RACES

100 JUNIOR
Will Stevens prevailed over the Frenchman of the Birel Team, Charles Pic, who is now at the top of the Championship’s results thanks to the 20 points scored. In the results, Pic surpasses Costa forced to withdraw just a few laps from the finish. The 3rd step on the podium went to Spaniard Alcatraz, who arrived ahead of Peter Antolfeld. The German of the Birel Team, for the first time running with Parilla engines, could finally run a race as a leader, which gives us hope in view of the imminent selection for the European Championship of the category. Antolfeld could even have won the race, but owing to a scrimmage during the first laps, which forced him to move up from the 8th position, he had to be satisfied with coming close to the podium, however still recording the fastest race lap. Another good performance of Birel’s is that of Arthur Pic (brother of Charles), who ended 11th.

100 ICA.
Nicolas Risitano had to attack in order to contrast the leading position of Portuguese Parente in the Championship. And the Latium-born driver did a very good job during the heats, gaining a good placing for the start of the Final. However, right at the start, the whole job done over the weekend was compromised by a contact among several drivers, Englishman Calado being one of them. Risitano finished the first lap behind the 15th position, then starting a long recovery that took him up to the overall 7th position, a result that in any case takes him further away from the results’ leader Parente (who ended the race 3rd), and Daniel Mancinelli, who won the race thus earning the 2nd place in the Championship. In the results, Parente is now leading with 68 points, followed by Mancinelli with 47 points and Risitano with 45. However, anything can still happen during the last race scheduled in Ugento on July 31st. Among Birel drivers, Oakes (13th) and Selander (15th) won some points, too.

100 FA
In the qualifiers, Cesetti gained a very good position for the Final, ready to run an attacking race, being in high spirits thanks to his recent success at the European Championship of Angerville. Lancaster, instead, had to start from further backwards owing to a problem during a heat. A truly unique episode occurred at the start: Cesetti started 4th, but before finishing his first lap, he collided with the kart of Michele Lenzo, still running after having lost its driver. An unbelievable epilogue for the Marches-born driver. Unfortunately, after an accident at the start Lenzo tried to restart his kart, which he lost control upon after having set it going; the kart stopped crashing into that of the Birel driver. So, the Motorsport colours had to be defended by Lancaster and Antonucci. The English driver, who had spurted from the back, managed to gain ground recovering as much as the 9th place, while his team-mate ended right behind him. The race was won by Mortara ahead of Ardigò. Both drivers employed Vega tyres, which once more displayed a brilliant performance and proved to be better than Bridgestone, which supplies all the Birel drivers. The third step on the podium went to Convers, while the Championship is led by Ardigò with 80 points.

125 ICC
New European Champion Laudato gets back on the track only 7 days after having conquered the title, to earn another leadership, in the Open Championship this time. Dirks leads the results ahead of him, whereas Piccini and Sferrella seem to be his most formidable rivals in the race. The victory goes to the driver of the Tony kart, who ends ahead of Laudato and Sferrella. Anyway, the excellent result achieved enables Laudato to recover the leadership in the results of the Championship with 60 points. Piccini climbs to the 2nd position with 50 points, while Kievitbosh (8th at the finish) is 3rd with 47 points. Dirks was forced to withdraw and is therefore knocked out of the Championship. Still at Birel’s, the excellent race run by Roberto Profico has to be underlined, who crosses the finishing line 4th.