Euro Challenge: DD2 Controlled by Paolo de Conto; Cooper ranks fifth

The second day of competition brought on a full day of heat races for all three divisions on track at the Rotax Euro Challenge in Italy. An overnight rainfall dampened the facility and wet conditions for the first few on track warm-up sessions, but come race time the sun was shining and it was a jam-packed schedule of heat-race action.

In similar fashion to Junior and Senior Max, Sunday’s prefinal pole sitter earned the spot by sweeping the heat races on Saturday. Italian Paolo de Conto (Birel) was in cruise control and fought off any challengers he faced to score his three heat wins. Sean Babington (TonyKart) held onto his second-place ranking, scoring two wins and a second while Jordan Lennox-Lamb (CRG) jumped up one to third, scoring a heat win, a second and a third.

The big loser was third-place qualifier Anthony Abbasse (Sodikart) as trouble in his first heat forced him to retire early after starting on the front-row. He did manage a pair of seconds to salvage his day, but he will start fifteenth in the prefinal. Sweden’s Andrea Bäckman (TonyKart) was fourth ahead of Ben Cooper (Birel) as the duo both stayed within the top-three in their heats.

Christiano Morgado (FA Kart) was once again the highest ranking DD2 Masters pilot, as he was eighth in the overall ranking and the only DD2 Master to directly advance to Sunday’s main events.

Daniel Formal (CRG) improved throughout the day to rank ninth overall, while Alessandro Bizzotto (CRG) was enjoying a great day until an accident in the final heat race put him on the sidelines with an injury. We are not sure if he will be back for Sunday’s Last Chance Race, but if he is, he will start tenth after ranking 38th overall.

Ben Cooper starts the Pre-Final from fifth on the grid (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)