The fourth and final round of the FIA Karting European Championships - OK and OK-Junior got off to a good start on Friday 8th July in Franciacorta (ITA). Qualifying Practice was particularly intense and provided some surprises. On a track that was already very slippery, two Frenchmen stood out. Jimmy Helias took the OK-Junior pole position while Enzo Deligny set a superb time at the head of the OK class.

The heat was rising rapidly on Friday lunchtime under the Franciacorta sun and the temperature was approaching 30°C at the end of the Qualifying session. The grip was already present on the racing line, and drivers needed to keep to it in order to keep a good speed in the corners. Several competitors complained that they had not been able to get a clear lap to give their best. Most drivers waited until the last moment to set off together for two or three fast laps to get the best out of their tyres, at the risk of being hindered by traffic. The skill of the fastest drivers is all the greater.

15 Qualifying Heats, including five on Friday afternoon, are on the programme before the Super Heats on Sunday morning and the Finals on Sunday afternoon. The racing promises to be of a very high level.

Helias fastest ahead of Tye

Pole man Jimmy Helias (FRA) was almost a tenth faster than his direct competitor Matias Orjuela (COL) in the second Qualifying session of the FIA European Karting Championship - OK-Junior with a remarkable second lap of 48'770. The first session was much closer with Championship leader Nathan Tye clocking 48'831 and seven drivers within a tenth of each other, including Alfie Slater who was second at 0.007 seconds. In 49''027 Kirill Dzitiev was the fastest in a third session that was generally slower. The performance of the Portuguese driver Maria Germano Neto, second by 5 hundredths, did not go unnoticed, especially as he was clearly ahead of Dmitry Matveev, third in the Championship. Third in Session 2, Anatholy Khavalkin, one of the two favourites for the title, finished in seventh position, slightly disappointed. Matveev was ninth, Rene Lammers (NLD), fifth in the provisional ranking, was 26th and Enzo Tarnvanichkul (THA), fourth in the ranking, was only 32nd against the clock. A slight strategic advantage for Tye in view of the title, but Khavalkin, better placed after the countdown of the worst results, remains in a strong position with Matveev in ambush not far away.

Top five Qualifying Practice results for the 2022 FIA Karting European Championship - OK-Junior in Franciacorta

1- Jimmy Helias (FRA)

2- Nathan Tye (GBR)

3- Kirill Dzitiev

4- Matias Orjuela (COL)

5- Alfie Slater (GBR)

Deligny starts strongly

Currently fourth in the provisional standings of the FIA Karting European Championship - OK, Enzo Deligny (FRA) pulled off a great coup by taking pole position in Qualifying with a comfortable lead over his rivals. Thanks to his fastest lap of 46''754 in Session 1, the Frenchman was ahead of the fastest of Session 2, Nicolo Cuman (ITA) by 0,163'' and Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR), leader of Session 3 and second in the Championship, by more than 3 tenths. Alex Powell (JAM), third in the Championship, was on the right pace in Qualifying with his fourth position while Evan Giltaire (FRA) - fifth in the Championship - was 24th and Joe Turney (GBR), the leader of the ranking, only 30th in Qualifying. Another challenge for the Briton who is known for his ability to make up places in the race.

Top five Qualifying Practice results for the 2022 FIA Karting European Championship - OK in Franciacorta

1- Enzo Deligny (FRA)

2- Nicolo Cuma (ITA)

3- Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR)

4- Alex Powell (JAM)

5- David Walther (DNK)

Provisional programme of the Franciacorta event

Saturday 9th July

09:00 - 10:13: Warm-up

10:20 - 17.55: Qualifying Heats

Sunday 10th July

09:00 - 10:05: Warm-up

10:10 - 11:45: Super heats

13:15 - 14:40: Finals

The Franciacorta event can be followed on the official FIA Karting Championship app for mobile devices and on the website www.fiakarting.com.