Birelart Racing leaves the Italian circuit of Sarno in high spirits after Pedro Hiltbrand's victory in the premier KZ category, extending his lead in the Championship with one round to go. The weekend, marked by temperatures around 35 degrees on the redesigned track, also saw hard-fought podium finishes for Samuele Leopardi in KZ2 and Fabio Bifulco (CL Racing) in KZ2 Masters.
Hiltbrand dominates the competition
Pedro Hiltbrand set the second fastest time in Qualifying, just four hundredths of a second off the pace, before finishing 2nd and 3rd in his three heats, securing 2nd place on the Super Heat grid. Pedro mastered the eventful first lap to take the lead and pull away, winning by more than four seconds and securing 2nd place on the grid for the Final. In the decisive race, he wasted no time in taking the lead and once again pulled away from his rivals to win by an even bigger margin. Pedro now has a comfortable 47-point lead in the overall standings.
Daniel Vasile had a difficult start to the weekend with a racing incident in Saturday's Super Heat, but managed to climb back up to 4th place in the Final. Cristian Bertuca, after a strong comeback in the Super Heat, moved up from 5th to 3rd place in the Final before unfortunately retiring three laps from the finish.
Leopardi and Rousseau stand out
Corentin Rousseau (CL Racing) and Samuele Leopardi dominated their respective Qualifying sessions, with Rousseau setting the fastest time overall. Both regularly occupied the front positions during the heats, each starting from 2nd position for their Super Heats on Sunday morning. Rousseau finished 2nd and Leopardi 3rd, giving them 3rd and 4th places on the grid for the Final respectively. Leopardi took 3rd place at the start before Rousseau took the position from him midway through the race. However, Rousseau had to retire with engine failure with only two laps to go while in 3rd place, allowing Leopardi to regain that spot on the podium. Genis Civico Espona (CL Racing) made a remarkable comeback, climbing ten places to finish 5th, while Jean Luyet also gained numerous positions, finishing just outside the top six.
The Masters maintain their competitive spirit
Among the drivers over 35 years of age, former European Champion Manuel Cozzaglio brilliantly secured pole position in KZ2 Masters before encountering some difficulties in the Qualifying Heats. He climbed back up to 2nd place in the Super Heat and finished the Final in 5th position. Fabio Bifulco, who had achieved a best heat result of 4th place, superbly negotiated the Final to take 3rd place after climbing 11 places.
Riccardo Longhi, team manager in the gearbox category, said:
"Pedro Hiltbrand's victory in KZ is a huge satisfaction for the whole team, which managed to overcome the initial advantage taken by one of our competitors. Pedro remained confident and won the Final by more than five seconds. Daniel Vasile was also impressive, climbing nine places and narrowly missing out on a podium finish. Cristian Bertuca was on course to finish 3rd but unfortunately had to retire three laps from the finish. In KZ2, Samuele Leopardi secured his first international podium after a masterful race, while Fabio Bifulco achieved a remarkable 3rd place in KZ2 Masters, climbing 11 places. Corentin Rousseau, meanwhile, was forced to retire with engine failure while in 3rd place with only two laps to go. I am also extremely proud that more than a quarter of the drivers competing in Sarno chose Birelart.”
The team's next event will be the ‘Road to Mülsen’ preparatory race from 2nd to 6th July, ahead of the FIA Karting European Championship final for the KZ and KZ2 categories, which will take place on the same circuit in Germany.