Sodikart and CPB Sport perfectly managed the various parameters that challenged the drivers and teams at Sarno during the FIA Karting European Championship for gearbox categories. In particular, they had to adapt to the intense heat of the Naples region and the difficulties of using different tyres to those supplied at the previous event in Valencia. In this context, Maksim Orlov won the KZ2 Final by a wide margin and now has a comfortable lead in the Championship. In KZ, Mattéo Spirgel and Jean Nomblot put two Sodi-TMs on the podium, with performances of a very high standard.
KZ: Sensational performance by Spirgel, brilliant comeback by Nomblot
Mattéo Spirgel was as fast as he was consistent in Italy. He held on to his superb pole position from Qualifying to the start of the Final. He was overtaken by two rivals in the second corner, but then came back to 2nd place at a very strong pace. A second driver in the Sodikart colours was on the podium in Sarno. Jean Nomblot, who started 15th after a number of ups and downs during the event, made an incredible comeback, made possible by a particularly competitive Sodi-TM.
Spirgel is now 2nd in the European Championship standings ahead of the last round in Germany, while Sodikart has significantly reduced the gap to the leader in the Team Championship.
KZ2: Orlov unstoppable!
As soon as he started his first Qualifying Heat, Orlov quickly took the lead and dictated the pace to all his rivals. He won all his races, set four fastest laps out of a possible five, before crossing the finish line with an impossible lead of 12 seconds! Having already won in Valencia, he now has 75 points more than his closest rival in the Championship.
The CPB Sport team, architects of this success, could be proud to have supported its 10 drivers to the Final. 27% of the chassis on the starting grid on Sunday afternoon were Sodi! Czech driver Dominik Simek finished strongly, moving up six places to 4th position. British driver Timo Jüngling, who came in just one second behind, climbed from 17th to 11th place. Unfortunately, race incidents caused some damage in the field, as was the case for Kasper Schormans, Maximilian Schleimer and Dion Van Werven, who started P5, P6 and P8 respectively in the Final. They also lost valuable points in the Championship. In the team standings, CPB Sport increased its lead.
Comments from team manager Paul Bizalion
"Once again, I'm very satisfied with the exceptional efficiency of the Sodi chassis and with all the work done at Sarno by the whole team, including of course our engine manufacturers, for our competitiveness throughout the meeting. The conditions were difficult, but we coped with them. Orlov's victory in KZ2 is well deserved and indisputable. In KZ, we were right to believe in the potential of Mattéo Spirgel and Jean Nomblot, as they are already on the podium in their second appearance at an FIA Karting event in this category. We were beaten by a worthy opponent, but we're determined to do everything we can to win the next race in Germany in July.”