After claiming three top-five finishes to date in the 2013 Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour (FWT), Devlin DeFrancesco would make a quick turnaround from the Homestead events to travel to Europe for the first round of the WSK Euro Series. Taking on the highly competitive KFJ class, DeFrancesco made his second start in WSK action at the International Circuit La Conca in Muro Leccese, Italy. Though a rookie in the series, the DFR pilot managed to compete in the prestigious Super Pole for the class and score some solid heat race results.
After progressing through the official practice sessions, DeFrancesco really turned up the wick in official qualifying clocking the fifth quickest time of his group. With the event’s top qualifiers making the elite Super Pole session, the Alpinestars sponsored pilot would be one of a handful to compete for the elusive inside front row starting position. Working hard to challenge for the pole position amongst a strong group of pilots, Devlin would have to settle for an eleventh place effort out of a 63 kart strong field.
“Competing in the Super Pole session is something to be really proud of,” explained DFR Team Manager and Driver Coach Nick Mitchell. “Devlin managed to do this in only his second KFJ event.”
Looking to stay out of trouble in the upcoming heat races and transfer directly to the prefinal events, Devlin completed this to almost perfection. Showing his speed while being cautiously aggressive, the multi-time champion claimed fifth and eighth place finishes in his first two heats. Looking to carry the momentum into the remaining two on track sessions, DeFrancesco continued to improve and show his prowess coming home fifth and fourth.
After accumulating the heat race points, Devlin and DeFrancesco Racing would learn that they had transferred directly to the final day of competition being classified in the eighth position, starting his prefinal event outside row two in the fourth position.
In racing comes luck and on this particular weekend, DeFrancesco’s luck would run out as the talented driver would be forced to take evasive action to miss an incident on the opening lap of his prefinal. Falling all the way outside the top thirty, Devlin put on a spirited effort to claw his way back up the running order and finish in the 17th position to claim the last and final position in the event’s final.
Looking to move forward and salvage a good result on the weekend, DeFrancesco would again be caught up in an incident, this time in the first corner that ruined any chances of a top ten result.
Mitchell continued, “Devlin has grown leaps and bounds as both a driver and a person on and off the track over the past season. His effort and focus this weekend shows that he is one of the top junior pilots in North America and that he is also a threat for victory on the world karting scene.”
DeFrancesco Racing and Devlin DeFrancesco will enjoy one weekend off before traveling back to Europe. Taking to the International Circuit Zuera in Spain next Monday, DeFrancesco will take on testing duties leading up to the next WSK Euro Series event taking place March 21-24 as well as testing for the CIK European Championships later that week at the Alcaniz Karting facility in Spain.
For more information on Devlin and Lachlan DeFrancesco’s supporters, please visit them online at www.BRM-Manufacture.com, www.Yogurtys.com, www.YogenFruz.com, www.SunnyBrook.ca, www.XYZLive.net,www.Delavaco.com and www.Alpinestars.com or follow them on Twitter at @Alpinestars, @MyWatchIs_BRM, @Yogurtys, @YogenFruz @SunnybrookHSC, @Delavaco and @Alpinestars.
For more information on DeFrancesco Racing, please contact Nick Mitchell via e-mail to Nick@Go-DFR.com or visit them online at www.DFRUSA.com. For more information on Devlin DeFrancesco, please visit him online atwww.DevlinDeFrancesco.com. For real time updates from DFR Racing and Devlin DeFrancesco live trackside, please follow them on Twitter at @DFR_USA, @DevlinD00 and @LachlanD03.
