The late kick-off to the 2024 Superkart season is finally on May 18-20 and promises to be an exciting one. The discipline will take place on one of its favorite circuits, Magny-Cours, in the same conditions as last year, promoting an exceptional international event : The French GP.
The 2023 operation is renewed but the results will this time be included in the French Superkart Championship in order to reward the investment of those who pursue the ambition of the title. This was the flagship event of last season in France, it promises to be even more competitive, in fact, 35 competitors are expected on the Nivernais circuit, a level not known for some time. As last year, the discipline is incorporated into the program of the Belgian operator BGDC which promotes its 100 series (Tourism), Funcup and 2 ch endurance.
Expected Participants.
This year, our British friends are returning in slightly greater numbers, possibly influenced by the excellent performance of Andrew Gulliford (Anderson/VM) final podium in 2023. They will be all the more formidable as their season has already started across the Channel (two events run) and that they are therefore already sharp. What’s more, this is the first time that we will be able to count 3 former French champions on the grid! To reinforce the homogeneity of the field, many potential leaders switched to Anderson chassis.
To narrow down the list of favorites, we need to focus on the duo who fought until the final 2023 race for the crown; It included the new Champion Richard Van de Nes (Anderson/VM), the first Dutchman to win this title, after a remarkable season, winning from the first event, and showing almost perfect reliability. He was able to keep up the pace and finally narrowly supplant Julien Goullancourt (Anderson/DEA), the 2022 Champion who was achieving a strong end. Although he lost the title, he nevertheless won this GP. They must be joined by the German Andreas Jost (Anderson/VM), back on new equipment, after two seasons of absence. Champion of France 2018, he should be able to find his feet again, regarding his previous sporting successes.
Matt Robinson (Anderson/VM) already seen in France (2022) also returns with ambition. On the other hand, the Britishs Mark Edwards, Jack Triton and Lee Harpham, top drivers in GB, members of Dave Harvey's team (MSKart/VM) will try to showcase their potential for a first experience in an event of French Championship. Harpham is in great form following up his double second place at Donnington in March and he won the Cadwell Park event in April in difficult weather conditions. Triton is for his part 2023 British Champion. The Karting Paradise Team (2Anderson/VM) is bringing a large delegation, in its ranks, we will count in particular on regulars like Colombian Jaime Zuleta, multiple times podium finisher and very often best “Gentleman” or Léo Kurstjens who does not never let anyone disturbed it. With a nice successful experience in 2023, Adrien Girard is back at it again. Note the return after 10 years of the youngest Superkart podium finisher Morgan Valverde who has since become an engineer.
The "Rookies" are numerous, we will notably follow the first appearance of Thibault Gassin, French champion in Traditional Karting (N100 in 2006) who will try to take up a family torch, son of Eric 10 times Champion of France, he will try to write your own story. Enzo Samon, participated in the KZ Long-Circuit then moved to Auto, now he is also going to try the Superkart adventure. A Coupe de France also rewards participants using equipment not Div.1 Christophe and Jean-Pierre Marlière (Mskart/Rubig-MRT) will be the leaders of this ranking.
Last year, the conditions did not allow us to improve the chronometric references. The best mark was achieved in 1'39’’482’’’ (Goullancourt), slower than the 2022 pole (1’38’’482’’’). The record (1'36''576''') dates from 2017 (Elkmann).
