From victory at the Winter Cup at the beginning of the season to successes in the WSK throughout the year, including a new European Championship, the Energy Corse brand and its official team completed a series of victorious meetings at the international level in 2019. All these trophies won by the drivers in the Energy Corse colours are the result of meticulous work to offer competitive equipment to the drivers, recognised technical knowledge and high quality racing team staff.

From Lonato to Le Mans, the Energy Corse brand has gained victories and podiums in particularly difficult and challenging events. Indeed, both the Rok Cup Superfinal and the IAME International Final each brought together entries of more than 400 drivers! This did not prevent the Energy Corse team from achieving the double in Mini Rok with Alex Powell and Dmitry Matveev in Italy or from taking a magnificent 2nd place in X30 Junior in France with Robert De Haan, also awarded the German Championship in OK-Junior a few days earlier. 

After being crowned Vice Champion last year, Freddie Slater (GBR) was out for a win and nothing else in 2019. Starting from pole position in the Final he gave himself the best possible chance at doing just that, but would have tough competition around him including Brandon Carr (GBR) who would start from second after gaining 20 places in the Pre Final.

This year saw the inception of two new classes at the IAME International Final with Minime (FFSA) / Cadet (MUK) one of them. The youngest of our warriors was made up with a 28 kart field for the final. Like all the finals it treated us with plenty of excitement and a tense last lap which would see Alex O’Grady (IRL) just hold on to take the win for Alfie Slater (GBR).

When British Touring Car driver, Ash Sutton (GBR), appeared on the the entry list in the Super Shifter class many were excited to see what he could do. A champion in the BTCC, Ash has gone on to some magnificent things since leaving Karting, but this was supposed to be a fun experience having not raced a Kart for several years.

The Pro class was a new concept for 2019 and the final alone proved it was a huge success. Featuring a huge number of some of the World’s best all in one grid meant one bad result in the heats didn’t put you completely out of contention. Dean MacDonald (GBR) is someone who can certainly vouch for that, having started his first head facing the wrong way he came back in style to take an impressive win.

The home crowd in Le Mans were treated to a French winner with Johan Renaux (FRA) holding his nerve to win in the Master category! The race was far from an easy one, after a bad Pre Final Sebastien Bielande (BEL) was on a charge through the field and closed the gap to just 0.3 seconds at the flag in a nail biting finish.

It was a last lap which showed the two completely emotions some may go through in this sport. Oliver Bearman (GBR) looked almost down and out at one stage as he fought to try and stay in the top ten, but kept his head down and was rewarded for his efforts with a win on the final lap. As for Oliver Gray (GBR), he did everything right in the race and pretty much had it in the bag before a mechanical problem with his engine saw him slow up on the final lap coming out of the first corner and he was visibly devastated as he was left at the side of track whilst Bearman celebrated his IAME International Final win.

With a hectic summer season program underway, Team Evolution is pushing hard to make every weekend count. Round 4 of the IAME Series Benelux 2019 was no exception, as the British team secured three podiums and notable results amidst the challenging weather conditions throughout the event at the Karting Genk – ‘Home of Champions’ circuit in Belgium. In the X30 Senior category, Joey van Splunteren bounced back to the top, after a less than satisfying Euro Series round recently, outperforming all his competitive rivals for victory and his invitation to the IAME International Final at Le Mans mid-October. Zach Ripley and Herolind Nuredini took a brilliant 2^nd and 3^rd respectively in X30 Juniors, with Ripley closing the gap on the series lead. 

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The 7th IAME International Final flawlessly organized in 2018 finished in a blaze of glory with breath-taking, hotly-contested races in front of more than 5000 spectators. Although changeable weather was expected it stayed fine and the track was dry throughout!

From Thursday to Saturday, no fewer than 69 qualifying heats are on the schedule of the IAME International Final 2018. To this number, the many free practice sessions, the warm-ups and the 18 races comprising the finals on Sunday must be added. This large-scale Karting event is unique in the world! It gathers drivers and teams from all over the globe, all driven by the same passion. The next stages of the competition at the Le Mans Karting International Circuit look like they will be packed with excitement.