The Easydrivers present delivered exciting qualifiers, heats (held under changing weather conditions), pre-finals, and finals with many episodes of pure spectacle, competitiveness, and sportsmanship.
The international winners are: Andrea Calabrese (60), Damiano Puccetti (100), Paolo Orsini (125), and Danilo Lucchese (125 Senior).
60 Easy
The race weekend began with Simone Principalli dominating by securing pole position, winning both heats, and crossing the pre-final finish line in first place, but then in the final, due to losing the chain guard and thus not complying with the technical regulations, he was disqualified and forced to start from the back, finishing the race in 13th place.
Andrea Calabrese won the Final after a great comeback from seventh position: on the second step of the podium was the Russian Matvei Sonkin, who finished ahead of Sebastian NG by less than two-tenths.
Andrea: “I am really thrilled to have won the International Final! It was difficult because I started seventh after a ten-second penalty in the pre-final, but in the end, everything went well and we managed to win.”
100 Easy
The 100 category saw balanced performances throughout the weekend: pole position went to Adam Kowalski, while Martin Antos and Alessandro Gnecchi won in heats 1 and 2, respectively. On Sunday, the undisputed star was Damiano Puccetti, who triumphed in both the Pre-final and Final.
Just over two-tenths behind the winner was Adam Kowalski and eight-tenths behind was Alessandro Gnecchi. Damiano: “The final was very exciting because I dominated from start to finish – it was a lot of fun because today I also raced against great opponents, Kowalski and Gnecchi.”
125 Easy
Balanced performances were also seen in the 125 category with several drivers competing for the top positions in all sessions. Daniele Tassone set the first official seal of the race weekend by clocking the fastest qualifying time. Francesco Ruga and Riccardo Pollastri shared the top positions in the two heats, with Ruga confirming himself as the fastest in the Pre-final. The victory in the Final was contested between Ruga, Pollastri, and Paolo Orsini, with the latter managing to overtake the other two contenders only in the final phase of the race.
Orsini won ahead of an increasingly competitive Daniele Tassone and Francesco Ruga.
Paolo: “It was a great final and I’m happy because I repeated the victory achieved in the last round of the Easykart Trophy last week. I want to thank Riccardo Pollastri for the teamwork despite the penalty: in the last two laps we fought it out, it was tough, but in the end, we managed to take home this victory too.”
125 Senior
The category reserved for Over 40 also saw multiple drivers competing for top positions: the fastest in qualifying was Rosolino Caralla, who triumphed in both Heats. Sunday saw another protagonist: Danilo Lucchese, who won both the Pre-final and Final, finishing seventh overall.
Danilo: “It was a surprise to compete in the International Final – nine years after my last participation and victory. I had a lot of fun because despite my age I fought against younger drivers and gave them a run for their money. This satisfies me a lot and I’m very happy.”
Easytraining
Among the undisputed protagonists were also the young drivers of EasyTraining – the non-competitive category that took to the track even in the International Final. Accompanied by Instructor Sabino de Castro, the Mini EasyDrivers performed simulations and free practice, providing even more excitement both in the paddock and on the track.
During the awards ceremony, a big announcement was made: next winter there will be a test day with the “sixties” dedicated to all EasyTraining children and more.
An important moment of the weekend was the revelation of the winners of the first edition of the Easykart Driver Talent by Birel ART Racing Team Manager Davide Forè and EasyTraining project manager Sabino de Castro: in 100, Alessandro Gnecchi was selected and in 60, Tommaso Santini.
Not only races and competitions, but many “family” moments, experienced with the right spirit of sharing moments together, including the awards ceremony and the ApEasy on Saturday evening, the charity soccer match “In Campo con il Cuore” which helped contribute to the purchase of a defibrillator for Parco Sempione in Milan, the group photo on the starting grid before the finals, and all the festive moments in the paddock throughout the weekend.
The thoughts of the entire Easykart world go to Francesco Astone: we look forward to seeing you back on track soon!
Photos by Daniele Ghinassi – Fotoghinassi Sport – To request photos: www.fotoghinassi.com – info@fotoghinassi.com
Press release from the website www.easykart.it