231 DRIVERS AT THE OPENER OF WSK SUPER MASTER SERIES IN ADRIA

Participation has been great also in the first of the four rounds of WSK Super Master Series that is underway in Adria one week after the WSK Champions Cup. A total of 231 drivers gathered in fact in Adria to contest the three categories OK, OKJ and Mini. Qualifying and heats took place today. Further heats will follow on Saturday, while the final stages will go live with the web streaming on Sunday, February 2nd.

Adria (ITA), 31.01.2020
WSK Super Master Series edition 2020 got underway with 231 verified drivers at the Adria Karting Raceway for the first of the four rounds with the three entitled categories OK (71 drivers), OKJ (75 drivers) and Mini (85 drivers) on track. The 15th WSK Promotion’s season kicked off to a good start after the WSK Champion Cup that took place last week with a total participation of 170 drivers in the same three categories. A total of 40 countries are represented in this event as drivers came from all 5 Continents. The biggest constructors and strongest teams are present fielding the most competitive drivers on the international scene.

Bedrin, Trulli and Antonelli flying in qualifying of OK.
In qualifying practice, the Russian Nikita Bedrin (Tony Kart-Vortex-Bridgestone/Ward) has been the fastest in the first session of OK and posted the pole position time in 48.780s. He was just over 0.2s clear of the Dutch Dilano Vant Hoff (Exprit-TM Racing/Forza Racing) and 0.3s of the Italian Lorenzo Ressico (KR-Iame/Pantano Team). The second session was also very fast and Enzo Trulli (KR-Iame/KR Motorsport) went quickest in 49.003s, managing to lead Energy Corse’s Kirill Smal by 0.059s and the Dutch Robert De Haan by just over 0.1s. Among the quickest of the category, Andrea Kimi Antonelli recovered from the flu he had last week and was very quick in the third session posting his fastest lap in 49.027s and being 0.010s faster than the Brit Harry Thompson and 0.1s faster than Talylor Barnard, all on KR-Iame run by different teams: Antonelli competes for KR Motorsport, Thompson for Sauber Racing Academy and Barnard for Rosberg Racing Academy.

Badoer, Kucharczyk and Ho shining in OK-Junior.
Brando Badoer (KR-Iame-Vega/KR Motorsport) put in again a convincing performance in OKJ posting the quickest time in the second session in 49.757s. He was 0.01s faster than the Pole Karol Pasiewicz (Tony Kart-Vortex/Tony Kart Racing Team) and just over a tenth quicker than the French Evan Giltaire (Sodi-TM Racing/Sodikart). The Pole Tymoteusz Kucharczyk (RK-TM Racing/BirelArt) was the fastest of session one in 49.774s and led the American Ugo Ugochuku (Kosmic-Vortex/Ricky Flynn) who completed his best lap after 49.853s and the Russian Artem Severiukhin (Tony Kart-Vortex/Ward) in 49.879s. The third session saw Singapore’s Christian Ho (KR-Iame/Sauber) posting the fastest time in 49.829s and leading the two Brits Arvid Lindblad (KR-Iame/KR Motorsport), whose fastest time was a 49.969s and Maxwell Dodds (Exprit-TM Racing/Forza Racing) who completed his best lap in 49.970s.

Matveev leads Saeter and Gladysz in Mini.
The crowded Mini – category employing the newly FIA homologated chassis and engines – saw the Russian Dmitry Matveev (Energy-TM Racing-Vega/Energy Corse) posting the quickest time in the second session in 54.783s, being 0.052s faster than the Pole Jan Przyrowsky (Parolin-TM Racing/AV Racing) and just over 0.2s faster than the French Jimmy Helias (Tony Kart-Vortex/Tony Kart Racing Team). The Norwegian Marcus Saeter (Energy-TM Racing/Revolution) claimed the fastest lap of the first session in 55.195s, while the Turkish Alp Aksoy (Parolin-TM Racing/Baby Race) was second in 55.331s and the Italian Valerio Proietti (KR-Iame-Giugliano Kart) third in 55.358s. The quickest time of the third session was posted by the Pole Maciej Gladysz (Parolin-TM Racing/Parolin Racing Team) in 54.835s, who pipped his teammate from Russia Anatoly Khavalkin that posted a best lap of 54.849s, and the other teammate from Luxembourg Guillaume Bouzar (54.888s).

Initial qualifying heats.
The initial heats took place at the end of the racing day. Further heats will take place on Saturday. The three Czech Republic sisters Babickova Eliska and Tereza in OK, Perta in OKJ also at the WSK Super Master Series. Their objective is to qualify for the finals on Sunday, February 2nd.
Two heats have taken place for OK and Mini, while four heats have been run by OK-Junior drivers.
The Russian Kirill Smal (Energy-TM Racing/Energy Corse) won OK’s heat, leading Antonelli in second, while the Brit Joe Turney (Tony Kart-Vortex/Tony Kart Racing Team) led Trulli.
The victory in OK went to the Brit Joe Turney (Tony Kart-Vortex/Tony Kart Racing Team), while Antonelli was second and the Russian Kirill Smal (Energy-TM Racing/Energy Corse) third leading Trulli. The victory in Mini went to Luxembourg’s Guillaume Bouzar (Parolin-TM Racing/Parolin Racing Team), who led the Norwegian Saeter, and to the Japanese Berta Kean Nakamura (KR-Iame/Team Driver) who led the Pole Maciej. In OK-Junior, the Russian Artem Severiukhin (Tony Kart-Vortex/Ward) won two heats, while the Pole Tymoteusz Kucharczyk (RK-TM racing/BirelArt) led the French Giltaire, and the Brit Arvid Lindblad (KR-Iame/KR Motorsport) the American Ugochukwu.

WSK SUPER MASTER SERIES 2020 RD.1
The program at the Adria Karting Raceway
Saturday, February 1st:
8:50 Warm-up
10:35 Qualifying heats
Sunday, February 2nd:
Warm-up at 8:50
Live streaming
Prefinals at 10:40
Finals B OKJ, Mini at 12:40
Finals OKJ, Mini, OK at 14:00
Results: www.wskarting.it

The WSK Super Master Series 2020 calendar.
Rd. 1: February, 2nd, Adria Karting Raceway
Rd. 2: February, 23rd , South Garda Karting, Lonato
Rd. 3: March, 8th, International Circuit La Conca
Rd. 4: March 22nd, International Circuit Napoli, Sarno

WSK Promotion
Press Office
press@wsk.it
Photo credit: Cunaphoto