The Kartdromo do Algarve venue hosted a CIK-FIA competition for the first time in its history at the opening of the Europeean KF and KF-Junior Championships. FPAK, the national sporting authority of Portugal, and IAA Motor Clube de Portimao did their utmost to ensure the success of the competition with remarkably open minds. The 1531m long circuit offered a high class setting for this first meeting. The absence of some drivers who had entered was regrettable. The explanations are many, but the date coinciding with busy school periods and examinations and the distance from the centre of Europe have been put forward to justify these shortcomings.

The great technical innovation in the Race conduct was of course the first use of the new front fairing fasteners in competition with regulations put in place after extensive testing by the CIK-FIA. If there is a sharp impact resulting from bad behaviour, the front fairing moves back visibly while continuing to guarantee the same safety. Objectively, the efficiency, simplicity and accuracy of the system immediately convinced all participants and observers. No deliberately malicious frontal crash tarnished the competition, ensuring races of a high sporting standard. The stewards have worked to enforce the rules by distributing a total of 20 penalties. This attitude has completely achieved it's goal as no offense was discovered in the Final in either category.

Ben Hanley returns to the main stage in KF

The experienced British driver Ben Hanley is part of a new team this year which uses the Croc Promotions chassis for the Mad Croc brand, for whom he races both in KF and KZ categories and he is currently second in the provisional standings of 2015 European KZ Championship. Equipped with a TM Racing engine and using Vega tyres, Hanley was almost invincible in KF in Portimao. He only conceded the fourth fastest time in Qualifying Practice where the promising young Russian Alexander Vartanyan (Tony Kart-Vortex-Vega) was poleman ahead of two of the main protagonists of the class, Tom Joyner (Zanardi-TM Racing-Vega) and Felice Tiene (CRG-Parilla-Vega). The confrontation between different generations of drivers also spiced up the competition. Although Vartanyan was third behind Hanley and Tiene after the Qualifying Heats, the young German Hannes Janker (CRG-Parilla-Vega) joined the leaders in the finals. In both the Prefinal and Final, Hanley quickly escaped alone in the lead while the battle raged for the podium positions. Janker finished second in the Prefinal ahead of the Dutchman Martijn Van Leeuwen (CRG-TM Racing -Vega), but Joyner, the World Champion of 2013, returned to the second position in the Final ahead of Tiene.

The top trio in the Final are also in the top three places of the provisional standings of the CIK-FIA European KF Championship with Hanley the leader with 35 points, Joyner second (27 points) and Tiene third (25 points).

Kenny Roosens dominates in KF-Junior

For his third season in the youth category for 13 to 15-year-olds, the Belgian Kenny Roosens raised the level of his ambitions. Racing with the team VDK Racing since last year, a simple but passionate family structure, Kenny has matured. He was able to make the best use of his Kosmic chassis with Parilla engine equipped with LeCont tyres, from the start to the finish of the Portuguese competition. With the fastest time of his group, but with 2nd place in Qualifying Practice, Kenny didn't leave 1st place after that. The leader of the Qualifying Heats thanks to his four straight wins, he also won the Prefinal before concluding with another victory in the Final. The Pole-man Sami Worship (FA Kart-Vortex-LeCont) then struggled to keep pace, probably because of his more recent debut in KF-Junior, leaving Christian Lundgaard (Tony Kart-Vortex-LeCont) to take second position at the end of the heats. The Indonesian Perdana Putra Minang (Tony Kart-Vortex-LeCont) created a surprise by finishing second in the Prefinal ahead of Lundgaard. The Indian Kush Maini (Tony Kart-Vortex-LeCont) was battling for third position on the last lap of the Final when he eliminated his rival Davide Vidales (Energy / TM) with a dangerous manoeuvre that earned him an exclusion from the competition. The young Brazilian Caio Collet (Kosmic-Vortex-LeCont) recovered 2nd place on the podium thanks to his amazing qualities for a beginner in KF-Junior, while Lundgaard took 3rd place in the Final and second in the provisional standings of the European Championship with 25 points, behind Roosens (35 points) and ahead of Collet (20 points).

The next competition of the CIK-FIA European KF and KF-Junior Championship will be held in England at the PF International circuit on 18th to 21st June 2015.