Very exciting to follow, the Swedish event at Kristianstad allowed several drivers to reposition themselves, guaranteeing total uncertainty as to the future winners who will be celebrated in the United Kingdom. In the end, it was Ireland’s Fionn McLaughlin in the OK class and Belgium’s Dries Van Langendonck in the OK-Junior class who crossed the finish line as the big winners. Van Langendonck regained the lead in the overall OK-Junior standings, while his compatriot Thibaut Ramaekers retained the lead in the OK series despite a twist of fate on the final lap of the Final!

For three days, the ideal weather conditions for this summer period enabled the drivers and teams to work constructively throughout the event. With the support of all its partners, its experienced staff accustomed to these major international events, the highly competent Kristianstad Karting Club team and the assistance of manufacturer Maxxis, promoter RGMMC has once again delivered top-class organisation.

OK-Junior: An important victory for Van Langendonck

Jimmy Helias (Victory Lane) and Zac Drummond (Parolin Motorsport) topped their group in Qualifying Practice, but their lap times were not enough to deny pole position to Dmitry Matveev (KR Motorsport), the fastest driver in Group 1. An impressive Matveev won all five of his heats, while Fionn McLaughlin (VDK Racing) and Gabriel Gomez (CRG Racing Team) won three. Helias took two wins, the other two going to Scott Kin Lindblom (Fusion Motorsport) and Vivek Kanthan (Parolin Motorsport). Matveev confirmed his position in his Super Heat, while Joe Turney (KR Motorsport) stepped up a gear with victory in the second Super Heat.

Part of the Final was decided as soon as the lights went out, as McLaughlin explains: ‘Dmitry Matveev has been fast all weekend and it was important to get off to a good start. Mine was excellent and I was able to get the better of him straight away to take the lead on the first lap. I then pushed as hard as I could to open up a gap. I managed to control the lead I had over my rivals right to the end. It’s an important victory just before the European Championship and as part of the Champions of the Future, in which anything is still possible. I’ll be doing everything I can to get the best possible result in England in September.’

Behind McLaughlin, who led from the first to the last lap, a lot happened. First it was Louis Iglesias (CRG Racing Team) who lost out on a number of places in the scramble at the start. The first lap didn’t go in Jimmy Helias’s favour either, while Zac Drummond tried to make a place for himself, before dropping back. Initially a threat behind Matveev, Gomez then had to drop back a place to Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing). He then gave way to Turney. Ramaekers passed Matveev and set off in pursuit of the leader. The final twist came on the last lap, when Ramaekers suffered a mechanical problem. Matveev and Turney joined McLaughlin in that order on the podium. Behind Gomez in 4th place were Jindrich Pesl (A.S.D. Monster Factory), David Walther (Tony Kart Racing Team) and Davide Bottaro (CRG Racing Team), who gained 15 places during the Final. Ranked 8th and 9th respectively, Lindblom and Salim Hanna (Prema Racing) contributed to the liveliness of the Final.

Despite his disappointment, Ramaekers remains series leader ahead of Turney, Gomez and McLaughlin.

Por: RGMMC – Champions of the Future