Race Is On At Under 18 World Champs, Rnd 2
press release
The Spanish sun shone brightly at the Saturday sessions of timed practices and qualifying heats for the second round of the CIK-FIA under 18 World Championship.
On the fast track at Alcaniz, about 100 kilometres from Zaragoza, the top flight of drivers has been determined in very interesting fashion. Third in the championship, the Finn Teemu Suninen (Maranello) was fastest in qualifying practices and also during each of his four qualifying heats. But a penalty for being too fast at the start of one race dropped him in the order. So it’s the Thai driver Tanart Sathienthirakul (Intrepid), winner of two of his heats, who inherited pole position for the first prefinal. Alongside him we find the Austrian Stefan Riener (Intrepid). Behind Suninen, eventually classified third, are the Irishman Adam Strirling (Intrepid) and Englishman Jake Dennis (Top Kart), the Finn Pyry Ovaska (Maranello), Welshman Jordan Chamberlain (Intrepid), the driver from the Republic of Ireland John Norris, Frenchman Vincent Fraisse (Intrepid), who will greatly regret having come to a halt when leading his last race, and the Italian Damiano Marchesan (Parolin).
Above: Niklas Tiihonen (Finland) was one of three different heat winners in the Academy class
pic - CIK-FIA
But with two prefinals, involving a reverse grid for the second one, the disappointed drivers are offered a second chance to obtain a good place on the grid for the decisive Final, the only race that really counts, scheduled to start at 13.30.
Organised as a supporting class to the Under 18 World Championship, the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy also staged its second round at Alcaniz this weekend. And, the least that can be said, is that the races were very open. The three qualifying races have in fact allowed three different drivers to shine.
The fastest during the qualifying competition, Swiss driver Severin Amweg had equally raised his game in the best confrontation of the day. This was when he took a victory against the Finn Niklas Tiihonen and the driver from Monaco, Charles Leclerc who gave notice of their ambitions when winning the second and third qualifying races respectively. So it is no surprise that these three young guys will start from the first three places on the grid for race one which will have as its front three line-up, Tiihonen, Amweg and Leclerc.
Behind them, we find the Irishman Conor Dunne, the Brazilian Victor Franzoni, who is making his debut in this competition, the Spaniard German Villanueva and the driver from Luxembourg, Olivier Thill. But the two championship races – scheduled for tomorrow at 10.05 and 12.45 – must certainly once again shake up the hierarchy of this passionate competition to follow.
live results on www.cikfia.com --> http://www.cikfia.com/News2010/alcaniz_u18.htm
