Tom Leuillet Leads From Start to Finish in Macau
| 13 December 2016 |
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Young Frenchman Tom Leuillet has taken out the CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship for KZ with a convincing win on the weekend. The Sodi Kart driver was undefeated across the event and won the final by over 4 seconds.
Above: The winner, Tom Leuillet (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)
Several Australians contested the meeting. TWM driver Josh Fife (Ricciardo/TM/MG) was the best performed, qualifying second to Leuillet. Third in the pre-final was followed by third in the final. Unfortunately a 10-second penalty (dislodged nose cone) dropped him to sixth.
Macauley Jones (CRG/Maxter/MG) charged through from 20th to 8th. Johnathan Mangos (BirelART/TM/MG) was 13th, Cameron Longmore (CRG/TM/MG) 14th and Marijn Kremers (Ricciardo/TM/Vega - the only driver in the field on Vegas) was 16th.
Meanwhle, three Australians enjoyed victory in support classes. Marcos Flack won Mini Rok, Flynn Jackes won Junior X30 and Marc Tulloch took out Senior X30.
The official CIK-FIA report & photos are below.
Above: Meet and greet some Aussies (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)
CIK-FIA press release
Organised from 8th to 11th December 2016 at the Kartodromo de Coloane in Macau, the CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship for KZ pitted the young Frenchman Tom Leuillet against the experienced Spaniard Jorge Carlos Pescador. The Asian drivers proved to be faster than last year with three places in the top 10.
The Macau Competition ran perfectly with a very good sporting atmosphere and with very pleasant weather. Perfectly handled, the organisation by the Automobile General Association Macao-China was as usual at its peak at the event. Thanks to a slightly bigger field, there was no lack of confrontation between Europeans, Australians and Asians. All the drivers had chosen to race with MG tyres, except for Marijn Kremers, equipped with Vega tyres.
The Frenchman Tom Leuillet (Sodi / TM Racing / MG) unveiled his ambitions with pole position in front of the Australian Joshua Fife (Ricciardo Kart / TM Racing / MG), while Jorge Carlos Pescador (Praga / TM (Formula K / TM Racing / MG) and Portugal's Yohan Azedo Sousa (CRG / TM Racing / MG) finished 3rd, followed by Italian driver Francesco Celenta. Macau's Chang Wing Chun (CRG / TM Racing / MG), the Chinese Qinghua Ma (Sodi / Modena Engines / MG) and the Australian Cameron Longmore (CRG / TM Racing / MG) were in the top 10 ahead of Monaco's Louis Prette Junior (Sodi / TM Racing / MG).
Above: KZ drivers and event dignitaries (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)
Leuillet went on to lead the Competition in the Qualifying Heats with two wins with the best lap in the race to his credit. Azedo Sousa took 2nd place with the advantage over Pescador and Fife. The Frenchman Adrien Renaudin (Sodi / TM Racing / MG) finished 5th. In the Prefinal, Leuillet was alone in the lead while Pescador pushed to take 2nd place against Fife. Celenta was 4th in front of Sousa, Frenchman Kevin Petit (Sodi / TM Racing / MG), and Chang Wing Chun.
25 laps long, the Final was more contested as Pescador took control when the lights went out. The start of the race was quite lively. Azedo Sousa was held by Renaudin in 3rd position while Leuillet was in pursuit of Pescador. More and more quickly, the Frenchman closed on his prey and definitely seized 1st place from lap 7. Fife recovered 3rd place, with Kremers and Prette dueling for 4th. Renaudin then returned to 5th followed by Azedo Sousa. The gaps widened gradually over the course of the race without the positions changing significantly.
Leuillet was heading for a relentless victory, with a new fastest time, more than four seconds ahead of Pescador. Fife crossed the finish line in 3rd place, but found himself 6th because of a penalty for a moved front fairing and it was Prette who climbed on the 3rd step of the podium, followed by Renaudin and Azedo Sousa in the top five. The Filipino Gabriel T. Cabrera (CRG / TM Racing / MG) was 7th, and the Australian Macauley Jones (CRG / Maxter / MG) gained 12 places to finish 8th. Jacky Chan Cheuk Hin (CRGSPA / TM Racing / MG) and the Macau Driver Hon Chio Leong (Tony Kart / Vortex / MG) completed the top ten.
Above: 2016 CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship podium (left to right): Jorge Carlos Pescador (ESP), Tom Leuillet (FRA) & Louis Prette-Junior (MCO) (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)
Above: Louis Prette Jnr (MCO), 3rd in the Final (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)
Above: Jorge Carlos Pescador (ESP), 2nd in the Final (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)
Above: Sodi's Tom Leuillet dominated the event (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)
Above: Local customs (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)
Above: Leuillet takes the win (pic - AAMC/CIK-FIA)