27/05/2014

Italian Championship: Muro Leccese

Zanchetta and Camplese dominate the first weekend of the ACI-CSAI Italian Karting Championship sharing two race victories and taking immediate command of the overall standings. Maranello’s magic moment continues in Lonato, with Dante’s second place in the Trofeo Primavera.

La Conca Circuit – Muro Leccese (LE) – 25 May 2014 A few weeks ago, the Maranello guys had spelled out their season goals clearly: the German DKM series and the ACI-CSAI Italian Karting Championship. Well: at the opening event of the Italian series in Muro Leccese the team gave a practical demonstration of what it means to nail the bull’s eye. In KZ2, with 51 drivers lined up at the go, Lorenzo Camplese and Marco Zanchetta swept the competition, splitting the victories in Race 1 and Race 2 and conquering the top two spots of the general rankings. Results at hand, one might think the duo had it easy, but the facts tell us a different story. In the qualifyings, for instance, Celenta did the best start, followed by Tilloca and the Maranello duo of Camplese and Zanchetta (who races with the Gerber Corse satellite team). The four were packed within 134 thousands, proving the well-balanced nature of the field. The even level of competition was proven again in the two heats, where the Maranello drivers each rise up one spot: at the penalties count Camplese is second thanks two 2 second place finishes; Zanchetta, in the same group as the leader Celenta, grabs a nice 4th place finish and then a win, claiming 3rd place on the start grid for Race 1. Here the Maranello duo starts off strong: Camplese is in the lead before the end of lap 1 and the following time around Zanchetta overtakes Celenta and claims second place. The two travel in tandem with a pace that nobody else can keep up with. They are the only two contenders to go below 46.5, with Camplese driving the best lap of the race. Needless to say, Camplese and Zanchetta are the favorites at the start of Race 2, where the grid features the inversion of the top 8 positions compared to the closing order of the first race. Camplese starts 8th right behind Zanchetta, who authors an impressive dash at the go and rises to 3rd place by the end of lap 1. Two rounds later, Zanchetta in the lead and from lap 4 commands the race with an advantage of over 2 seconds. This time Camplese’s march is less triumphant. He’s still fast (he again drives the best lap of the race) but has to fight against Pollini, Tilloca and Hiltbrand. He ends in any case with a nice 6th place that sets him 2nd in the general standings, 6 points behind the leader Zanchetta. Maranello kart do a great job also with official Maranello SG Race Team driver Mattia Drudi: qualified Drudi is 29th and 18th. TROFEO PRIMAVERA The classic season Trophy was hosted by the South Garda track in Lonato. The Gear Shift class features 28 drivers at the start and of these Maranello driver Massimo Dante manages to stand out: he is the fastest of the qualifyings and in the pre-final, where he wins after a breathtaking duel with Corberi during which he also drives the best lap of the race, the only one to go below the 42 second ceiling. In the final, Dante has to face Corberi again and this time comes out of the duel in second place, just a tenth behind.