The closing round of the Italian ACI Karting Championship has defined the 2019 Champions of KZ2, 60 Mini, KZN Under, KZN Over, X30 Junior and Senior in the two finals in Val Vibrata. This fifth round has been quite intense until the very last meters.

The first round of finals was enough to define the champion only in two categories: Simone Cunati won KZ2’s race1 on CRG-Tm and secured the Italian title, while Edoardo Ludovico Villa won the Italian title of X30 Senior on TB Kart-Iame.

The other titles were awarded at the end of the second round of finals. Roberto Cesari on Top Kart-Tm won KZ3 Under’s title thanks to the second place in race1 and the third in race2, in KZN Over Marco Pagani on Parolin-Tm pipped Roberto Profico winning race1 and coming third in race2, while the Brit William Macintyre (Parolin-Tm) confirmed himself on top of 60 Mini winning race1 and taking P4 in race2. In the hard-fought X30 Junior, Francesco Pulito surprisingly won the title of the category for the second time in a row on KR-Iame thanks to the double podium of race1 and race2.

KZ2 DOMINATED BY CUNATI. In KZ2, Simone Cunati on CRG-Tm run by Team Modena Kart dominated the scene in the two finals in Val Vibrata taking two stunning wins that earned him the Italian title. In race1, Cunati led Mirko Torsellini (KR-Iame) and Leonardo Marseglia (BirelArt-Tm), while Giuseppe Palomba (BirelArt-Tm) had to settle for P4 after being first in qualifying heats. The fifth and sixth positions went to Giacomo Pollini (Formula K-Tm) and Francesco Iacovacci (Maranello-Tm), while the other protagonist of the weekend, Francesco Celenta (Praga-Iame), had to retire due to a technical issue. Cunati put in a good recovery in race two and ended again on the top step of the podium despite the inverted grid. This time he led Palomba and Iacovacci was third. The final classification of the KZ2 Italian Championship followed the same order.

KZ2 classification: 1. Cunati points 257; 2. Palomba 183; 3. Iacovacci 157; 4. Marseglia 136; 5. De Marco 98,5.

60 MINI TO MACINTYRE. A good race in 60 Mini was run by the Brit William Macintyre on Parolin-Tm run by Team Driver. He won race1 at the end of several good duels and led Flavio Olivieri (Parolin-Tm) and the Dutch Ean Eyckmans (Parolin-Tm), managing to be a strong contender for the final win. In race2 the Norwegian Marcus Saeter (Energy-Tm) had the upper hand on his rivals Manuel Scognamiglio (Tony Kart-Vega) and Jamaica’s Alex Powell (Energy-Tm). Macintyre was fourth in race2 and earned the Italian title with a good margin on the nearest rival.

60 Mini Classification: 1. Macintyre points 221; 2. Scognamiglio 193; 3. Powell 167; 4. Olivieri 135; 5. Trentin 110,5.

KZN UNDER’S TITLE TO CESARI. Roberto Cesari (Top Kart-Tm) claimed the KZN Under Italian title thanks to the second place in race1 behind Edoardo Tolfo (Praga-Tm), and the third place in race2 behind Filippo D’Attanasio (Formula K-Tm) and Tolfo. His biggest rival in the championship was Alessio Mordini (Energy-Tm), who managed to lead early on after the eighth place in race1 but then was relegated to P5 and was overtaken in the classification not only by Cesari but also by Tolfo and D’Attanasio.

KZN Under Classification: 1. Cesari points 142; 2. Tolfo 135; 3. D’Attanasio 111; 4. Mordini 110; 5. Pastorino 80.

SURPRISING PAGANI IN KZN OVER. Marco Pagani took the win of the KZN Over Italian Championship on Parolin-Tm overtaking Roberto Profico (Tony Kart-Tm) who was previously in the lead thanks to the three wins in the first four finals. In Val Vibrata Profico claimed the pole position but then hit some troubles and Pagani got the most of it winning race1 at the last lap from Simone Torsellini (KR-Iame). Pagani inherited P3 in race2 due to a penalty handed to Riccardo Loddo (CRG-Tm). Race2 victory went to the other great protagonist of KZN Over, Riccardo Nalon (Parolin-Tm), while Alberto Cialini (CRG-Tm) was second.

KZN Over classification: 1. Pagani points 135; 2. Profico 124; 3. Nalon 113; 4. Torsellini Simone 111; 3. Loddo Jhonny 57.

PULITO AGAIN IN X30 JUNIOR. Several problems slowed down X30 Junior’s classification leader Cristian Bertuca (BirelArt-Iame), and opened the doors to several rivals like Francesco Pulito (KR-Iame) of team Dep Competition and Michael Barbaro Paparo (KR-Iame) of team Giugliano Kart that had higher chances to take the title. The two finals went to Andrea Kimi Antonelli (KR-Iame) of team Driver, who was at his maiden presence in the Italian Championship this year to prepare the forthcoming World Championship in Finland. Antonelli won both finals that were particularly exciting and the title eventually went to Pulito, who repeated the win claimed last year thanks to the second place in race1 and the third in race2. Paparo took P4 and P2 and was third in the classification behind Bertuca. The third step of the podium of race1 went to team Driver’s Alessandro Cenedese (KR-Iame).

Iame X30 Junior Classification: 1. Pulito points 196; 2. Bertuca 184 3. Paparo 166; 4. Pujatti 127; 5. Cenedese 123.

VILLA X30 SENIOR CHAMPION. In X30 Senior it has been a formality for Edoardo Ludovico Villa on TB Kart to win the championship, even though the result was not to be taken for granted. The Italian title went to Villa at the end of race1 where he came fourth in the final won by Mattia Ingolfo that led the other two Team Driver’s drivers on KR-Iame Leonardo Fornaroli and Leonardo Caglioni. An incident in race2 and the restart under the “slow” regime spoiled Villa’s performance and he ended 11th with the title in the bag. Ingolfo won again the second final, while Francesco Pio Scognamiglio and Alessio Guazzaroni rounded off the podium on Tony Kart-Iame. 

Iame X30 Senior Classification: 1. Villa points 222; 2. Ingolfo 194; 3. Caglioni 180; 4. Carenini 162,5; 5. Fornaroli 143.

The two winners of the Italian X30 Junior and X30 Senior received the Iame’s prize free-of-charge participation in the International Final in Le Mans next October 19th.

Complete classifications are available at www.acisport.it

GAZZETTA DELLO SPORT. A special commentary page will be published on the sports magazine Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday, September 5th.

In the pictures: 1) Cunati’s KZ2 win in race2, together with Palomba and Iacovacci; 2) The start of 60 Mini with the new Italian Champion William Macintyre on top; 3) The X30 Junior podium with Antonelli winner of race2 with Paparo and Pulito.

ACI Sport Karting Press Office
Fernando Morandi
ACI Sport S.p.A.
E-mail: external.morandi@acisportspa.it
Facebook: @ACIKarting