Abbasse takes command in KZ
The first round of the European KZ championship rolled into Wackersdorf, with the top professional drivers and manufactures doing battle for supremacy over qualifying, 3 heats and a final.
After practice, Tony Kart’s Matteo Vigano sealed pole position ahead of Kart Republic’s Jorrit Pex in 2nd. Birel ART driver Alessandro Irlando was 3rd fastest while Anthony Abbasse made it 4 manufactures in the top 4. SC Performance’s Lorenzo Camplese was the top ‘non-manufacture’ driver in 5th. The whole field was extremely close, with just 1.4 seconds covering 1st to 24th. The shock was reigning KZ2 champion Adrien Renaudin down in 14th, just ahead of Paolo De Conto in 15th.
The first heat of the weekend went to Abbasse, just 1 second clear from Marijn Kremers and Jorrit Pex in 3rd. Renaudin moved up to 7th while De Conto was hit with a penalty, dropping him to 16th. Pex won heat 2, followed home by Abbasse while Matteo Vigano 3rd. The final heat was a lights to flag win for Vigano with Pex 2nd and Irlando rounding out the podium. Camplese was 4th and Simo Puhakka rounded out the top 5. Those results would see Pex take pole for the final with Abbasse on the front row. Vigano and Irlando held row 2 with Camplese and Puhakka on row 3. Renaudin was down in 10th with Bas Lammers and Marijn Kremers for company.
Abbasse managed to get the better start, jumping Pex into turn 1. Pex then began to fall down the order, first loosing out to Irlando and then Vigano with Kremers and Puhakka close behind. At the front, Irlando was chasing down Abbasse with Vigano not too far behind. The lead 3 had managed to check out at the front of the field ahead of the falling Jorrit Pex.
As the race settled down, Vigano’s charge started to waver, as Abbasse too control at the front, building the gap as the laps ticked down. While settling into 4th, J Pex was starting to come under fire from Puhakka and a closing Bas Lammers. It was then that Pedro Hiltbrand tried to make a move back into 11th on team mate De Conto, pushing his team mate wide and forcing him down the order. Hiltbrand was under investigation, then being handed a 10 second penalty for pushing him out wide. Hiltbrand came home 11th, but his penalty demoted him to 16th. With 5 laps to go, Lammers made his move for 4th, diving to the inside of Turn 2, getting the position from the KR driver.
At the front, nobody could get on terms with Abbasse, who crossed the line to win round 1. Vigano came home 2nd, 2.3 seconds behind with Alessandro Irlando rounding out the podium places. Lammers finished 4th with Jorrit Pex closing out the top 5. Having had a solid run at the start Simo Puhakka finished 7th in front of Kremers in 8th. Despite the contact, De Conto crossed the line 13th ahead of the penalised Hiltbrand.
Abbasse holds the lead of the championship on 34 points, 6 ahead of Matteo Vigano in 2nd. Irlando is 3rd on 23 with just 2 points ahead of Jorrit Pex. Lammers rounds out the top 5, just 1 point ahead of Marco Ardigo and Simo Puhakka who are equal on 14 points.
The second and final round of the championship takes place at Sarno in the middle of June.
Image: CIK
