A spectacular racing day was awaited in Sarno, and this is exactly how it went at the second round of the Italian ACI Karting Championship with 270 drivers challenging each other on a red hot track.

A total of eight categories made it onto the track for the event with KZ3 featuring classes Junior, Under and Over that had 80 drivers on track contributing to raise to 270 the number of drivers on track after the opener of Lonato early in May which counted 258 drivers. Alongside KZ3, the 5 categories of the championship with 190 drivers on track in KZ2, Mini, OK-Junior, ACI Kart and ACI Kart Junior. 

A great battle has taken place in the “queen” category KZ2, where an excellent Marco Zanchetta had the upper hand in Race-1 on Maranello-Tm, while Race-2 was won by another great protagonist of Sarno’s weekend, Francesco Celenta on Praga-Tm.

Zanchetta won Race-1 proceeding Ciro Mollo on Evokart-Tm and Manuel Cozzaglio on BirelArt-Tm, at his comeback after 6 years. The fourth place went to Marco Pastacaldi (Maranello-Tm) who fought for the podium, and the fifth to Gianni Vigorito (BirelArt-Tm), while Celenta has been struggling a bit more in this first race but recovered from the 15th place following a retirement in one heat, but had to recoup from a contact with Fabrizio Rosati (CRG-Tm). Celenta eventually ended with a good sixth place. In Race-2 Zanchetta went off after a contact with a rival, giving way to Celenta who did not have particular difficulties to be back to the victory after the title secured last year. On the podium, the second place went to Pastacaldi, while the third was inherited by Giuseppe Palomba on Intrepid-Tm due to a 10s penalty handed to Gianni Vigorito (BirelArt-Tm), who crossed the finish line in P3.

60 Mini had 80 drivers at the start. The two leaders of qualifying Alfio Spina on CRG-Tm and classification leader Gabriele Minì (Parolin-Tm) that started from the front row could not get what they had hoped for. The victory went in fact to Raffaele Gulizia who was followed by team mate Michael Barbaro Paparo, both on IPK-Tm, while the third step of the podium went to the Dane Conrad Laursen (Tony Kart-Tm). Minì, who ended Race-1 in sixth place, won the second final, as Laursen closed in second place and the Swede Norton Andreasson (IPK-Tm) in third.

In OK-Junior, Giuseppe Fusco on Formula K-Lke, produced a good spectacle fending off the attacks moved by his rivls all the way to the flag. After a few position changes, Fusco took the win from Leonardo Papalia (Tony Kart-Tm) to the Russian Alexey Brizhan (Tony Kart-Vortex). Race-2 was won by Francesco Raffaele Pizzi (Luxor-Lke), who had to retire at the last lap of the the first final. The podium was completed by Brizhan and Luca Bosco (Tony Kart-Vortex).

A good number of drivers have been battling out the two categories powered by Iame. Overall, 55 drivers made it onto the track. ACI Kart’s Race-1 was won by Edoardo Morricone (Tony Kart), who was followed by Marco Settimo (Birel) and Francesco Pagano (Luxor), while Pagano took the victory of Race-2 proceeding Danny Carenini (Tony Kart) as Settimo was third. In ACI Kart Junior, last year’s Italian Champion Alexander Bardas (DR) won Race-1 from Francesco Sgobba (Energy) to Federico Albanese (Tony Kart), while he won Race-2 proceeding Tommaso Cioci (Tony Kart) and Sgobba who was again on the podium in P3 this time around.

In KZ3 Junior (15-24 yrs), Race-1 was won by Luca Bombardelli (Maranello-Tm) who led team mate Roberto Cesari, while Andrea Calvanese (Italcorse-Tm) completed the podium in third place. Race-2 was won by Nicola Bartolini (CRG-Tm), while Nicolò Genisi (Formula K-Tm) and Luca Bombardelli were respectively second and third after a penalty given to Calvanese who was second.

In KZ3 Under (25-39 yrs) Luigi Di Lorenzo (CRG-Tm) claimed the victory of Race-1, as Emanuele Simonetti (Tony Kart-Tm) was second and Riccardo Melas (Sodikart-Tm) third. Simone Ragno (CKR-Tm) won Race-2, while Melas was second and Michale Dalle Stelle (Maranello-Tm) third.

In KZ3 Over (from 40 yrs on) Roberto Profico (Sodikart-Tm) easily won Race-1 from Andrea Tonoli (Maranello-Tm) to Mario Covino (Intrepid-Tm). Claudio Tempesti (CRG-Tm) won Race-2 instead, but Profico and Tonoli were again on the podium in P2 and P3.

The next round of the Italian ACI Karting Championship will take place next Sunday at the Circuito del Sele in Battipaglia.

All results are available at  www.acisportitalia.it

ACI Sport S.p.A.

Press Office

In the picture: the winner of KZ2’s Race-1 Marco Zanchetta (Maranello-Tm).