The finals on Sunday crowned a new World Champion in KZ with the Dutchman Jorrit Pex, while the young Frenchman Thomas Laurent won the International Super Cup in KZ2. The Spaniards have shone in the Academy Trophy with victory for Xavier Lloveras Brunet and the title for Marta Garcia Lopez.

24 years after the last World Karting Championship at Le Mans, a lot has changed, but the passion of the ACO and its Association Sportive Karting, the ASK ACO, for top level competition is still intact. On the recently built Le Mans Karting International Circuit, the story was resumed in the most beautiful way. The venue demonstrated its potential by welcoming 175 drivers from more than 40 countries, their teams and their companions along with a wide audience of fans of motorsport. The racing proved exciting from beginning to end and sometimes undecided until the final metres. The fans were spoilt with the action, especially as the changing weather spiced up the competition. The winners of this 2015 World Karting Championship are certainly great champions.

Lone victory in KZ2 for Thomas Laurent
The KZ2 drivers still needed to qualify on Sunday morning in their two prefinals from which emerged the 34 finalists. The grip of the track varied from one race to the next after the rain of the previous night and the twists were numerous. Four French drivers were in the top 10 with Thomas Laurent (Tony Kart / Vortex) the leader with Pierre Loubère (Sodi / TM) 3rd, Charles Fiault (Sodi / TM) 5th and Nicolas Gonzales (Sodi / TM) 8th. The Spaniard Pedro Hiltbrand (CRG / Maxter) and Swede Joel Johansson (Energy / TM), the European Champion, testified to the strength of competition. Laurent took the early lead of the final race with perfect control of the situation and held on without ever losing concentration until the finish, where he crossed with a considerable lead of 3''. The KZ2 International Super Cup is the world's reward for this upcoming driver. Behind him the confrontation was severe. Although Johansson secured the 2nd position, Gonzales returned to 3rd and long held in check the chasing group. On the last lap, Hiltbrand attempted a daring attack on Gonzales, which briefly gave him the 3rd position until his behaviour was punished. This meant the Italian Antonio Cavalieri (Righetti / Modena) took the coveted spot with a big smile.

Lloveras Brunet wins and the title goes to Garcia
The young talents of the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy ran in dry track conditions for the last two races aboard their randomly-drawn one-make Parolin / FIM karts. The prefinal was first won by Spaniard Xavier Lloveras Brunet against the Frenchman Enzo Coursimault and the Briton Alfie Brown. Although Lloveras Brunet kept the advantage at the start of the final and finished as the race winner, the confrontation was constant behind him. Coursimault lost contact with the leaders and the Japanese driver Aruga Tomita managed to get away from the pack. But then a penalty deprived him of 2nd place to the benefit of the Brazilian Murilo Della Coletta, followed in 3rd position by the Spanish driver Marta Garcia, who also won overall in the Trophy.

Pex the World Champion on the last lap
At the highest level, 36 of the best specialists in 125cc gearbox karting competed for the title of World KZ Champion. The leader of the qualifying phases, the Italian Paolo De Conto's (CRG / Maxter) had also consolidated his position by winning the prefinal, an important race for defining the starting grid for the final. The battle reached a crescendo over the 22 laps of the decisive race. First the French driver Arnaud Kozlinski (Sodi / TM) excited the spectators, jumping in to the lead at the start. De Conto quickly reclaimed the lead and seemed to have victory in hand until the last lap when the Dutchman Jorrit Pex (CRG / TM) managed to threaten in a last ditch effort. At the same time, the World Champion Marco Ardigo (Tony Kart / Vortex) joined the two men after an exciting climb of seven places. The battle caused sparks to fly to the greatest joy of the spectators, and Jorrit Pex crossed the the finish line as the winner less than two tenths of a second ahead of De Conto. Ardigo was penalised which brought Kozlinski back to 3rd place, followed by his team-mates Jérémy Iglesias and Bas Lammers, all at the wheel of the Sodi chassis.

This World KZ Karting Championship ended with sporting and popular success. The next meeting at Le Mans Karting will be the IAME International Final, from 14th to 18th October, where more than 350 drivers from around the world are expected.

Photo : KSP
 

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