Home Win For Hubert

press release

For any driver to hear one’s own national anthem played at the end of a World Championship on home soil is always a great moment. It's something Anthoine Hubert experienced this Sunday when he took full command during the final of the World U18 (under 18) on the Essay circuit in Normandy.


Above: Anthoine Hubert leads the way
pic - CIK/FIA

Finishing second, the Finn Pyry Ovaska increased his lead in the championship whilst the Brit Matthew Graham confirmed his Italian victory by climbing up on to the third tread of the podium. In the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy the Brit Benjamin Barnicoat and the Monegasque Charles Leclerc shared the two victories of the day, and at the same time taking a lead in the championship.

Once again the “U18 World Championship” proved its worth on the Essay circuit, the stage for the second event of the season. The battle between the 74 entrants, all fitted out with the same FIM power unit, was quite simply superb and one needed to be strong to break away from the pack.

Presently leader in the competition, the Finn Pyry Ovaska (Maranello) started off the weekend strongly ending the qualifying heats up front – and gathering a few points with a view to the championship – ahead of the Dutchman Dave Blom (Intrepid) and the Finn Tomi Katajamäki (Maranello). But it all rests on the Final to determine the winner of the meeting...

Excellent during the two Pre-Finals, of which the second with an inverted starting grid, the Frenchman Anthoine Hubert (Sodi) took off from pole position for the Final and immediately took command of the situation.

Notwithstanding a neutralisation in the race as the result of an impressive accident at the start, luckily without any serious consequences, the young Frenchman never let off crossing the finish line as overall winner – to the applause of the spectators.

"After the neutralisation, I forced myself to attack to the full and not to look back", Anthoine explained. "It was only three laps from the finish that I looked behind me. I noticed that Pyry Ovaska was there and so I shut the door in order to stop him overtaking me. This world victory on home ground is truly a great moment in my career and it allows me an opportunity to become world champion when I race in the final round at Sarno."

Less than one second behind the winner, Pyry Ovaska and Matthew Graham (Zanardi), winner of the opening race at Ortona, were delighted to score important points with a view to clinching the title.  Having started off from 9th place on the grid Léo Roussel (Sodi) just missed out on a podium which also the Italian Federico Savona (Top Kart) and the Swiss Yves Von Aesch (Swiss Hutless) had their eyes on prior to being forced to retire. The top-10 of this Final was completed by the Austrian Stefan Riener (Intrepid), the Brit Henry Easthope (Sodi), the Scot  Robbie Dalgleish (Top Kart), the Dutchman Dave Blom (Intrepid), the Spaniard  Toni Alarcón (Righetti) and the Dane Martin Mortensen (Mach 1).

Thanks to his great performances both during the qualifying heats as also the Final, Pyry Ovaska was able to build up a lead in the championship. With 131 points, he heads up Matthew Graham (106) and Anthoine Hubert (93) and he will be in a perfect position when he arrives at Sarno, where the third and final round takes place at the beginning of November.

  • results available via the event's page HERE

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