After two days of pure practice at the Laghi Kart Circuit in Castelletto, Italy, it was finally time for competition on Friday at the second round of the Rotax Euro Challenge. The day featured the final two rounds of practice before the all important Qualifying session, to set the grids for the heat races on Saturday, where drivers will duke it out with hopes of advancing directly to the main events on Sunday.
Sixty-three drivers fill the grids on Rotax Senior as the largest class of the weekend is stacked full of talent. With that, it comes at no surprise the drivers the Great Britain continue to dominate the results in the class with GBR drivers earning the top-five positions in Qualifying. Leading the way was Guan Yu Zhou, who has a Japanese heritage, who nipped his Strawberry Racing/TonyKart teammate Harry Webb by 0.041 seconds for the pole-position. Brett Ward was third quickest on a DHR/FA Kart with Joseph Reilly adding a third Strawberry TonyKart fourth and Ed Brand fifth on an Intrepid kart.
Zachary Claman DeMelo equalled his fellow countryman Gianfranco Mazzaferro on the day, posting the 12th quickest time in his class, but he will be in group B as Rotax Senior is split into five groups.
Notables Luke Varley (KMS/Birel) and Yannick De Brabrander (CRG SPA) were will down the charts, placing 30th and 33rd respectively.
