The Lenovo Kalì Kart team is returning from the Viterbo circuit, where it made its season debut with a double back-to-back race: on February 14 with the WSK Euro and last weekend taking part in the WSK Master Series.
If the first weekend had been significantly affected by the weather, the recently concluded race, valid as Round 3 of the WSK Master Series, provided much more reliable feedback and data after a weekend with sun and lots of on-track activity. With all the top teams on track and an Entry List with over 300 drivers, the Lenovo Kalì Kart team was able to authoritatively measure its ambitions and potential.
In the top OK class, Davide Bottaro was among the protagonists, starting this new season as he had finished the last one. In qualifying, Bottaro gave the team its first pole position of the season, then continued the weekend with a victory in the heats and finished 4th in the Final. Also very positive was Mark Loomets in OKJ in his first race in this competitive and challenging category, with all the best drivers in the world on track. In qualifying, he achieved 3rd place in his group, and in the Final he finished the race with an excellent pace, narrowly missing the top ten. A similar weekend for Julian Van De Coterlet in MINI, fast in all qualifying phases and 13th in the Final. Julian Rivera in OKJ did not make it to the Final, despite having raced with a very competitive pace, as did Tariq Soofi, Eeshan Swaroop, and Filippos Troulis in MINI. For the Greek driver, despite always being very fast, some race contacts affected the results, while Soofi and Swaroop both made a big step forward in terms of performance, gaining important experience that will allow them to achieve good results soon. It should be noted that both are in their first experiences in Italy in WSK meetings and certainly have to overcome the lack of experience, even though on many occasions they have already shown the speed of the best. All the complete results of the WSK meetings are available at www.wskarting.it
The drivers’ comments
Davide Bottaro (OK): “We did a good job throughout the weekend, and above all, we learned a lot regarding the technical equipment and some updates we brought to the race. In the Final we lacked a bit of pace, and perhaps we didn’t make all the optimal setup adjustments according to the track evolution, but there is really little missing to fight for the races, and we must continue working in this direction. The team is working well, and also TM with the engines and the on-track service from Machac Motors is giving us great support. In 15 days, we will be back on track in Lonato, and we will try to close this small gap to get on the podium.”
Mark Loomets (OKJ): “I am happy with my first race in OKJ. This category is very physically demanding, and in the first days, I also suffered from rib pain, but despite everything, I found good lap speed and a decent pace even in the long runs. The weekend’s balance is very positive, and without a contact in the traffic on the first lap of the Final, I could have finished my first OKJ race with over 70 registered drivers in the top ten. In any case, I take home important experience for the next races, both in terms of driving and in working with the technical staff on the setup. Surely we will face some weekends more difficult than this one, but already being among the finalists is an excellent starting point for this experience with Team Lenovo. I want to thank the team and TM for this weekend, and I can’t wait to get back on track in Lonato in 2 weeks.”
Julian Van De Coterlet (MINI): “I could have finished in the top ten without the battle and the contact on the last lap of the Final that penalized me. In any case, throughout the weekend we had the speed of the best, and I am happy with the work we did with the team, and I am sure that very soon we will be able to fight for the podium. I have an excellent feeling with the chassis since the first tests this winter, and I believe there is really little missing to fight for the podium.”