FFSA Equipe de France at Alcaniz

The Alcaniz circuit certainly stirred up a lot of enthusiasm, but the racetrack layout had a few less interesting features. A certain lack of grip with the hard tyres currently used, a 1700m length, which is extreme for karting, recurrent aspiration phenomena during overtaking, many collisions and so on.

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Photo: Brandon Maisano by KSP

The trainer of Equipe de France FFSA Karting, Julien Poncelet, highlighted the excellent level of French pilots at Alcaniz. He expressed his satisfaction, in particular, for the performances of two young pilots, outside Equipe de France: Paul-Loup Chatin in KF2 and Pascal Belmaaziz in KF3.

Only four out of the six Equipe pilots qualified for the continuation of the European Championship, a result that the trainer considered disappointing, because the two remaining pilots had the potential to successfully pass this test.

William Benedetti (Kosmic/Vortex/Kosmic Racing) qualified for Braga in 6th position after a very regular performance throughout the weekend. A lot of work on the chassis, a lot of practice to understand the subtleties of the racetrack and good race management: these were the elements that marked the very positive weekend for William.

Charles Lacaze (TonyKart/Vortex/Malevaut) was very fast, but unlucky. He did not conceal his disappointment at the end of the heats, during which he suffered a series of problems. In Race 1, Charles could not find a passage from the start. Remotivated by his trainer before Race 2, he exploited his chassis to the maximum. After setting the second best time, he recovered as many as 17 places and won his qualification with a brilliant performance.

Loïc Réguillon (Sodikart/Parilla/Braun Racing) showed some exceptional performances. He was ahead of the best pilots already during timed practice and in the qualifying heats. A bit annoyed for his two penalties, Loïc still achieved good results in Race 1, but an overtaking in the first lap of the second race was fatal to him and he had to content himself with a modest result. Sure, the weekend could have been perfect, but Loïc can console himself with his ticket for the European final, which will be held in three weeks’ time in Portugal.

Julien Deschamps (Tony Kart/Vortex/Daems) had a difficult weekend and did not qualify for the European final. Julien could not count on his usual team to work on the chassis. He made up for the lost time when racetrack conditions allowed him to. Thanks to this exploit, he started from the middle of the grid in Race 1. He managed to maintain his position until when his engine failed. A real pity for Julien, who had the speed to qualify.

Brandon Maïsano (Intrepid/TM/Intrepid France) is one of the best pilots in KF3. He is always on the front line in all important battles. Twice second in race, he did not feel satisfied. However, he reached the first place in the overall ranking: what more could he ask for? Race after race, the strength of this discreet pilot has emerged in an extraordinary mix of speed, clear-sightedness and determination. He remains the one to count on for high-level performance at the European Championship at Varennes-sur-Allier in September.

Unfortunately, Spain did not suit Jonathan Hélias. The youngest pilot in Equipe de France made an excellent start in timed qualifying, but a collision at the beginning of the heats destabilised him. Under a strong pressure, Jo maintained his 22nd position at the start of the final phases. Jonathan could not avoid a series of race mishaps that forced him to withdrawal twice, so he compromised his qualification. We are looking forward to see Jo again in other top level races, where he will be able to build the experience he still needs and to show his full potential.

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