Enzo Peugeot's ambitious program in international karting and maiden victory in Genk

Enzo Peugeot is competing in his fourth season of Karting. At 13 years old, this Beaune native takes everything he can to succeed. 2019 will see him starting in the highest class in his age group, at the heart of the cosmopolitan fields of the European and World FIA Karting Championships. Since the winter break, he has already taken part in three events, in three different countries, and has just taken his first victory at the Genk circuit with his new team VDK Racing. The tone is set! Engines ready, and… action!

With his first competition licence in hand, Enzo started in 2016 at the beginning, which is to say the League championship of his region, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. From his fourth attempt in the Minime category, he was rewarded with a first podium. He then gained experience by taking part in the Karting National Series, in the French Cup and French Championship. In the following year, in the Cadet class, his speed was finally revealed. In the French Cup, his 8^th lap time in qualy placed him ahead of 66 of his rivals, and, in the French Championship, he gained 58 places during the qualifying heats.

In 2018, Enzo showed even more speed, but failed to realize his full potential. During a round of the Northern Rok Cup in Italy, he climbed onto the podium and set the fastest lap in the final. He then set the 2^nd best time ahead of the French pack who took part in the NSK in Salbris. He qualified 3^rd for the final after having won a heat… but an incident during the race put an end to his ride. The scenario was played out almost identically in the Kart mag Trophy in Varennes, with a 3^rd best time in the qualifying session, finishing second in two out of three heats, setting the 2^nd best time in the final, but missing out on a podium finish. Then, Enzo set pole position in the French cup in Mirecourt, never finishing lower than 2^nd place in the heats. Unfortunately, he ended the pre-final in... the hospital following an unfortunate clash.

But he has proved himself. Enzo is “veloce” as our Italian neighbours say. He was just missing out on the clincher of a significant result. That’s why the new driver of the Belgian squad VDK Racing really enjoyed the taste of the few minutes he spent on the top step of the Genk podium on the 24^th of March.

This first round of the BNL Karting Series could be used as preparation for the Belgian round of the European OK Junior championship, which will be held on the renowned Genk circuit next May. Having set pole position, Enzo went on to get a victory and a 2^nd place to head into the lead on Saturday evening. The second qualifying session on Sunday morning saw him set the 2^nd best time. In this event, the OK and OKJ categories were regrouped, with the younger drivers starting behind their elders. Enzo was penalised at the start of the 3^rd final, after having been surprised by a sudden slowing down of an OK driver. But the Bourguignon managed to recover beautifully by taking control of the final race and he clinched the victory in the combined classification.

Laurent Peugeot, Enzo’s dad who is also his mechanic, is drawing lessons from this victorious move. “The final result is satisfying, even though everything wasn’t perfect. We followed VDK Racing’s Alain and Eric Verdaasdonk’s instructions while working essentially on the driver. Enzo is missing out on driving time in OKJ and we lost a month of preparation because of an injury to his fingers during a round of the WSK Super Master Series in Lonato. His lap times are very good, he produced strong races and has shown improvement when it comes to managing the engine temperature. But he still has to improve on certain technical and sporting aspects.”

The next weeks will be quite busy for Enzo, with four races back to back at club, national and international levels! First up will be the first round of the French OK-Junior cup in Angerville this coming weekend, 6^th – 7^th of April!

The categories: OK-Junior (12-14 y/o), 125cc 2 stroke, approx. 30bhp, no clutch, no starter, 140 kg including driver. Nationale / Junior Max (12-16 y/o) : 125cc 2 stroke, approx. 24bhp, clutch and starter, 145 kg including driver.

2019 provisional calendar: