Vortex still at the top of the European Championships in Muro Leccese

In the opening round of the FIA Karting European Championship OK-OKJ, held at World Circuit La Conca (Italy), the OTK Kart Group’s “engine division” narrowly misses the top-3 in both categories.

OKJ – After a victory in the first round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series the previous week, Vortex Engines is once again a key player in the “Junior” category, which features 90 drivers at the starting grid. Our engines record the second-fastest time in Group 2 of qualifying, after which gain a win, three top-3 finishes, and a fastest lap in the qualifying heats, as well as a second-place finish in Super Heat A.

In the final, once again, it was Julian Frasnelli (Tony Kart Racing Team) who battles for a podium place. The Italian jumps with a perfect start from the fifth row and immediately joins the leading group. The race ends with a solid fourth-place finish for Frasnelli, who comes very close to securing the bronze medal.

Antonio Ianni (Tony Kart Racing Team) is also author of a perfect performance, securing a top-10 finish in the final. Emerson MacAndrew-Uren (Tony Kart Racing Team), who manages to climb six positions during the final, finishes just outside the top ten, ahead of Jean Poujol (Tony Kart Racing Team) and Oiva Vettenranta (Tony Kart Racing Team) in the standings.

OK – With 87 drivers at the starting grid in the “Senior” category, the Vortex engines achieve an impressive string of notable results over the weekend: in the qualifying heats, they secure three wins, two top-3 finishes, and two fastest laps, while in Sunday morning’s Super Heat A, they gain the second place.

Despite starting from the outside of the front row, Gilles Herman (Tony Kart Racing Team) performs a perfect start and remains consistently in third place, in close contact with the two drivers ahead of him. In the second half of the race, the Belgian driver is involved in an intense battle for the podium and secures a top-5 finish.

Thomas Pradier (Tony Kart Racing Team) is in contention for a top-10 finish until the final lap. His teammate Jindřich Pešl (Tony Kart Racing Team), on the other hand, shows off with a comeback that sees him climbing not less than eleven positions.