Fantastic battles in Rødby and Championships back in play

Almost two months after the Viterbo event, the Champions of the Future Euro Series headed to the Rødby Karting Ring in Denmark. From the flawless organisation overseen by RGMMC to the incredible spectacle provided by the 175 drivers, the event lived up to all expectations on a track that remained dry throughout all the races. Kenzo Craigie (GBR) scored a very important victory in OK, allowing him to take the lead in the series at the expense of Christian Costoya (ESP). In OK-Junior, Michael McGaughy (USA) made the difference in the Final, while William Calleja (AUS) remains the overall leader. The suspense remains intact ahead of the last round, which will take place in early September in Kristianstad, Sweden…

OK: Kenzo Craigie the winner and new leader

The only driver to break the 50-second barrier, Roman Kamyab (RFM) secured a magnificent pole position, but two drivers overtook him at the end of the Qualifying Heats: Thomas Pradier (Tony Kart Racing Team) and Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing). Between them, they won two-thirds of the heats: four for Craigie, three for Pradier and Kamyab. Jindrich Pesl (Tony Kart Racing Team), Zac Drummond (Fusion Motorsport), Jacob Micallef (KR Motorsport), Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing) and Lev Krutoholov (Energy Corse) each won one as well. The intense battles continued in the two Super Heats, dominated by the British drivers Kamyab and Craigie.The Final went Craigie’s way, who took advantage of his pole position to take the lead in the first corner, before fending off an attack from one of his rivals. 4th on the first lap, Pradier quickly overtook Ramaekers and then Kamyab to set off in pursuit of Craigie, but was unable to get close enough to mount an attack. Behind the leading duo, Daniel Kelleher (KR Motorsport) took advantage of the battle between Kamyab and Ramaekers to overtake them simultaneously with seven laps to go and complete the podium.Only 47th in Qualifying, Christian Costoya (Parolin Motorsport) then made several superb comebacks before getting caught up in the collision at the start of the Final. He therefore lost his series lead, which is now held by Kenzo Craigie.

OK series standings after the Rødby event (4/5)
1- Kenzo Craigie (GBR) KR / IAME 264 pts
2- Christian Costoya (ESP) Parolin / TM Kart 230 pts
3- Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL) KR / IAME 207 pts
4- Iacopo Martinese (ITA) KR / IAME 193 pts
5- Joe Turney (GBR) KR / IAME 185 pts
6- Daniel Kelleher (IRL) KR / IAME 163 pts
7- Thomas Pradier (FRA) Tony Kart / Vortex 154 pts
8- Lewis Francis (AUS) KR / IAME 99 pts
9- Roman Kamyab (GBR) LN / TM Kart 90 pts
10- Noah Wolfe (GBR) Birelart / TM Kart 77 pts

The Americans rule the roost in OK-Junior

Bosco Arias (RFM) started the competition at a very fast pace, with pole position in Qualifying confirmed by five wins out of five in the Qualifying Heats. The other wins went to Ilie Crisan (Tony Kart Racing Team), Noah Baglin (Prema Racing), William Calleja (Forza Racing), Valerio Viapana (Koski Motorsport) and Turner Brown (RFM). Arias remained very strong in Super Heat A, with Crisan winning Super Heat B. The Final was incredibly competitive. It was impossible to count all the overtakes and describe the moves that led to the ultimate hierarchy, as there were so many.Dominant since Thursday, Arias got off to the best start, but quickly found himself under pressure from his rivals. First, his team-mate Brown took the lead, followed by Michael McGaughy (Koski Motorsport). As the laps went by, two drivers managed to break away from a very lively pack: Viapana and Dean Hoogendoorn (Prema Racing). The positions eventually settled at the front. McGaughy took his first Euro Series win, ahead of Brown, Viapana and Hoogendoorn. Arias won the sprint for 5th place. Despite dropping back to 9th place, Calleja remains the overall leader ahead of Crisan (P8) and Baglin, who made good progress by moving up from 12th to 6th place.

OK-Junior series standings after the Rødby event (4/5)
1- William Calleja (AUS) Exprit / TM Kart 271 pts
2- Ilie Tristan Crisan (CAN) Tony Kart / Vortex 259 pts
3- Noah Baglin (GBR) KR / IAME 240 pts
4- Henry Domain (GBR) Exprit / TM Kart 199 pts
5- Dean Hoogendoorn (NED) KR / IAME 156 pts
6- Iskender Zulfikari (TUR) Exprit / TM Kart 136 pts
7- Dan Allemann (SUI) Tony Kart / TM Kart 105 pts
8- Will Green (GBR) KR / IAME 99 pts
9- Michael McGaughy (USA) KR / IAME 94 pts
10- Luka Scelles (FRA) KR / IAME 93 pts

All with Maxxis tyresAfter 2023, this was the second time that the Champions of the Future Euro Series had visited Rødby. With the support of the circuit, the local club and its partners, RGMMC once again brought its expertise and knowledge to all aspects, particularly in race management with the installation of numerous cameras and high-tech race control, not to mention live streaming and promotion via social media.