Already on pole position on Friday, Matteo Spirgel (FRA) in KZ and Jayden Thien (NED) in KZ2 at the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship, as well as Maël Le Marchand (FRA) at the Academy Trophy - Junior, managed to retain their leading positions at the end of Saturday's Qualifying Heats. There were 13 heats in total, which produced some exciting races.
The Mülsen circuit continues to prove its appeal. Under mostly sunny skies, with temperatures much higher than in previous days, the many spectators filled the two grandstands set up around the track. They also enjoyed a "Kart Rock" concert organised on Saturday evening by Arena-E.
KZ: Mattéo Spirgel scores three out of three
There was a lot of action in the field of the premier gearbox kart category. But at the front, the three Qualifying Heats went perfectly smoothly for Mattéo Spirgel (FRA), who led from the first to the last lap in all three races. Behind him, few drivers made such consistent and effective progress, with several incidents altering the hierarchy. Despite retiring from the first heat after a collision, Senna Van Walstijn (NED) went on to secure second place twice and occupies that position in the standings.
Ranked third overall after the three races, Jean Nomblot (FRA) gained two places compared to his position in Qualifying. With gains of seven and ten places respectively, David Trefilov (GER) and Alex Maragliano (ITA) made interesting progress. They moved up to fourth and fifth place ahead of Cristian Bertuca (ITA). The day proved much less fruitful for Giuseppe Palomba (ITA) and Danilo Albanese (ITA). Pedro Hiltbrand (ESP), the Championship leader, regained his performance, but his comeback was disrupted by racing incidents.
Top 10 after the KZ Qualifying Heats
1- Spirgel, Mattéo (FRA) Sodi / TM Kart / LeCont - 150 pts
2- Van Walstijn, Senna (NED) Sodi / TM Kart / LeCont - 115 pts
3- Nomblot, Jean (FRA) Sodi / TM Kart / LeCont - 103 pts
4- Trefilov, David (GER) IPK / TM Kart / LeCont - 98 pts
5- Maragliano, Alex (ITA) Intrepid / TM Racing / LeCont - 98 pts
6- Bertuca, Cristian (ITA) Birelart / TM Kart / LeCont - 97 pts
7- Palomba, Giuseppe (ITA) Maranello / TM Kart / LeCont - 96 pts
8- Denner, Emilien (FRA) IPK / TM Kart / LeCont - 95 pts
9- Hiltbrand, Pedro (ESP) Birelart / TM Kart / LeCont - 93 pts
10- Ippolito, Paolo (ITA) KR / IAME / LeCont - 90 pts…
KZ2: Jayden Thien resists the pressure
Young Jayden Thien (NED) showed in Mülsen that his pole position was no fluke. He performed solidly in each of his three Qualifying Heats, which he won despite strong opposition. He managed to retake the lead in the first heat from Maksim Orlov and Tigran Bunatyan, who had overtaken him in the first lap. He did the same against Marek Skrivan (CZE) and Markus Kayak (EST) in the second heat. In the final heat, he was only seventh at the end of the first lap, before overtaking all his opponents once again. Thien clearly demonstrated his determination and speed.
Kayak, Orlov and Skrivan took turns in first place in the other three heats, but the first two were involved in a collision, which also proved damaging for Bunatyan. While Skrivan held on to second place in the intermediate rankings, Kayak fell to 29th, Bunatyan to 16th and Orlov to 8th. Consistency paid off for Noah Wolfe (GBR), Maximilian Schleimer (GER), Luis Laurin Speck (GER), Arthur Poulain (FRA), Simon Rechenmacher (GER) and Elie Goldstein (BEL). These drivers remain serious contenders for the podium. Despite excellent 3rd and 2nd places, Timo Jüngling (GBR) was one of the drivers who had to retire.
Top 10 after the KZ2 Qualifying Heats
1- Thien, Jayden (NED) Sodi / TM Kart / LeCont - 150 pts
2- Skrivan, Marek (CZE) IPK / TM Kart / LeCont - 132 pts
3- Wolfe, Noah (GBR) Birelart / TM Kart / LeCont - 121 pts
4- Schleimer, Maximilian (GER) Sodi / TM Kart / LeCont - 120 pts
5- Speck, Luis Laurin (GER) Birelart / TM Kart / LeCont - 116 pts
6- Poulain, Arthur (FRA) Energy / TM Kart / LeCont - 109 pts
7- Rechenmacher, Simon (GER) KR / IAME / LeCont - 104 pts
8- Orlov, Maksim Sodi / TM Racing / LeCont - 103 pts
9- Goldstein, Elie (BEL) TB Kart / TM Kart / LeCont - 100 pts
10- Jüngling, Timo (GBR) Sodi / TM Racing / LeCont - 95 pts
Academy - Junior: Four Qualifying Heats, four winners
The first heat (group A against group D) was not easy for pole sitter Maël Le Marchand (FRA), who saw Julian Rivera Salas (ECU) and Nik Brecelj (SLO) overtake him. But he bounced back perfectly by winning the A/B heat after a solid solo run, while Filip Planeta (CZE) overtook Oiva Vettenranta (FIN) to take second place. Vettenranta narrowly won the B/C heat ahead of Jack Moore (RSA), which allowed him to equal Le Marchand's points total. It is possible that their head-to-head on Sunday morning will decide which driver will start the Final from pole position.
The last heat (C/D) went to Emilio Bernd (GER), who was delighted to fly the German flag so high. He started in seventh place, but that didn't stop him from beating Marc Alexander Reistrup (DEN) and Nik Brecelj (SLO). Several drivers seem capable of reaching the podium in Mülsen, which promises even more intense racing.
The final intermediate classification for the Academy - Junior Trophy will be decided after the two Qualifying Heats remaining on Sunday morning.
Continuation of the provisional programme for the Mülsen event
Sunday 20th July
09.45 - 10.45: Warm-up
10.55 - 11.30: End of Academy - Junior Qualifying Heats
11.35 - 12.20: KZ2 Super Heats
12:25 - 12:45: KZ Super Heat
13:45 - 16:50: Finals and podium ceremonies
The Mülsen event can be followed via live timing and streaming on the website www.fiakarting.com