The weather was mild at Magny-Cours for the first very competitive round of the French Superkart Championship (International). A number of competitors participate in the renewal of the field but above all an equipment upgrade is notable overall.
The first qualifying practice will be decisive for the places in the first row while the second session allows especially Julien Goullancourt (Anderson/VM) to move up sixth. The European Champion Peter Elkmann (Anderson/VM) realizes the pole in 1'36''967'' with a tiny margin (1.6 tenths) on his compatriot Andreas Jost (Anderson/VM) the defending Champion 2018. Alexandre Sebastia (Anderson/DEA) claims a second-row spot joined by Colombian Jaime Zuleta (MSkart / VM).
Race 1: When the lights switch off, the Brit Jason Dredge (Anderson / PVP), who decided to join this continental Championship and Alexander Sebastia last spearhead DEA make an excellent flight. Conversely Jost starts slowly (float problem in the carb). The time Elkmann engages gearbox ratios, under full acceleration he leaves the first two behind once. At the end of the first lap, Elkmann begins to escape, Dredge and Sebastia are following, then Zuleta, Jost, Leo Kurstjens (MSkart/VM), Johan Lamalle (MSkart/VM) and the pack.
Jost having found again a good pace, he gets closer then overruns Sébastia and Dredge and even narrows the gap with the leader. After the mid-race, a sorting takes place; Sebastia is face with gearbox problems, retrograde and has to abandon on lap 8. In parallel his friend Goullancourt initially very badly left does not take advantage of his nice recovery (6th), he also has some mechanic misfires. He must give up in the 9th passage. Behind Elkmann not threatened and Jost, Dredge drive away now, a Zuleta surprising coming back on his heels. Further on, follow Kurstjens and a group of Frenchies with regular Lamalle, Confalonieri (PVP/DEA) who discovers the pleasure of a more pointed engine, C. Grenier (MSkart/ VM) newcomer in Superkart and T. Bethfort (PVP/PVP). Kurstjens will subsequently be disqualified for non-conforming weight. Two Germans expected and a British make this 1st podium while Lamalle finished first “tricolour”.
JCB
