The second round of the FIA ​​​​Karting European Championship – OK & OK-Junior, which has just ended in Zuera, could well play a major role in the destination of the titles. The situation has changed considerably since Portugal. Two British drivers won on the track, Nathan Tye in OK-Junior and Joe Turney in OK, and at the same time they made the difference in the provisional classification of the two Championships.

The races remained intense until the end of the event on the Zuera circuit, a formidable selector on which there were many twists and turns. The very good weather continued in the region with temperatures often above 20°. The sporting spectacle was superb on Sunday with breathtaking Super Heats and awe-inspiring Finals. The winners deserved their reward against very competitive opponents, while the tension was palpable from the start of the finals.

Tye the big winner of the OK-Junior Final

Already noticed in Portugal for his performance, Nathan Tye (GBR – Sodi / TM Racing / Vega) has moved up a gear in Spain. His victory in Super Manche A earned him a place in the top three of the final intermediate classification. From his position on the third row of the starting grid for the Final, Tye took the lead from the second of 15 laps. He began to distance himself from the middle of the race and the many fights between his pursuers allowed him to fly away to victory with a record lead of more than 3.5”. In pole position at the start, Arthur Dorison (FRA – Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega) was third before returning to second position. A long duel ensued with his teammate Enzo Tarnvanichkul (THA – Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega) who turned to the advantage of the Thai driver on the last lap. He finally took second place less than 2 tenths ahead of the Frenchman. Only one driver was able to join the leading trio: René Lammers (NLD – Parolin / TM Racing / Vega) started ninth, but he continued to gain places. Five laps from the finish, he was back in fourth position, 1.7″ behind the third driver, whom he improved tenfold at the finish. The podium was very close. Finally, Jules Caranta (FRA – Energy / TM Racing /Vega ) confirmed his progress at Portimão. After his second place in Super Heat B, the start of the Final was not favorable to him. 14th on the first crossing of the line, he gradually picked up the pace and showed himself to be very effective in the second half of the race, a top five rewarding his efforts.

The Championship leader after Portugal, Dmitry Matveev (Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega) had reached sixth place in the Final to conclude a complicated weekend. A penalty for a badly positioned front fairing at the finish relegated him to 12th place, just ahead of his teammate Guillaume Bouzar (LUX-Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega), poleman in Qualifying and brilliant second afterwards. Zac Drummond (GBR – Parolin / TM Racing / Vega) was one of the OK-Junior revelations for his first year in the category with a fine sixth place in the Final. Only 31st in Qualifying Practice, Kirill Dzitiev (Birel ART / TM Racing / Vega) managed to reach seventh place in the Final while the top 10 was completed by Marcus Saeter (NOR – Tony Kart / Vortex / Vega), 40th in Qualifications, Maciej Gladysz (POL – LN / Vortex / Vega) and Miguel Costa (BRA – KR / IAME / Vega).

Provisional classification of the FIA ​​​​Karting European Championship – OK-Junior 2022 after the 2nd round

1- Nathan Tye (GBR) 53 points

2- Dmitri Matveev 39 points

3- Rene Lammers (NLD) 38 points

4- Jules Caranta (FRA) 29 points

5- Enzo Tarnvanitchkul (THA) 26 points

OK: Experience and perseverance rewarded for Turney

Second in the FIA ​​​​Karting European Championship – OK from the first round, Joe Turney (GBR – Tony Kart / Vortex / MG) knew that the opportunity to win in Spain should not be missed. He takes the lead in the heats, then wins the Super Heat before taking the overall victory. Enzo Deligny (FRA – Parolin / TM Racing / MG) briefly challenged him for first place at the start of the race, but Turney then took the lead. However, Arvid Lindblad (GBR – KR / Iame / MG) took advantage of his return to competition after an injury at the start of the season and showed himself to be faster and faster. He finished second, just a few tenths behind Turney on the finish line, before dropping to ninth due to a penalty for an incorrectly positioned front fairing. Deligny was able to climb on the second step of the podium ahead of Alex Powell (JAM – KR / Iame / MG) while Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR – KR / Iame / MG) obtained important points in fourth position and Gabriel Gomez (BRA – CRG/IAME/MG) finished fifth.

Sixth in the Final as well as in the provisional standings, reigning World Champion Tuukka Taponen (FIN – Tony Kart / Vortex / MG) is still one of the top seeds. The young Ean Eyckmans (BEL – Tony Kart / Vortex / MG) made his debut in the top 5 of the Championship with his seventh place in the Final ahead of Evan Giltaire (FRA – KR / Iame / MG), who is ahead of him in the classification. . In his native country, Adrian Malheiro (ESP – CRG / TM Racing / MG) showed great fighting spirit to finish 10th in the Final.

Provisional classification of the FIA ​​​​Karting European Championship – OK 2022 after the 2nd round

1-Joe Turney (GBR) 70 points

2- Enzo Deligny (FRA) 42 points

3- Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR) 40 points

4- Evan Giltaire (FRA) 32 points

5- Ean Eyckmans (BEL) 31 points

FIA Karting European Championship Calendar – OK & OK-Junior

2 – 5 June: Kristianstad (SWE)

7 – 10 July: Franciacorta (ITA)

The complete results of the Zuera event are available on the official FIA Karting Championship application for mobile devices and on the website www.fiakarting.com.