Tony Kart on the podium for Andrea Margutti Trophy
Oliver Sini, the Indonesian driver of our Racing Team, secured second position in the final of the MINI Category Gr.3, steering the Tony Kart Rookie chassis. The Tony Kart Racing Team maintained its positive streak of results in the MINI categories. Following a victory in the last round of the WSK Super Master Series in Sarno, our Tony Kart Rookie chassis, powered by the Vortex VTM engine, a division of the OTK Kart Group, clinched second place at the 35th Andrea Margutti Trophy, held once again at the South Garda Karting in Lonato del Garda (Italy).
In the MINI Gr.3, Leonardo Gorski and Oliver Sini immediately stood out during the qualifying heats. Gorski finished his heats in fifth and fourth positions, making a comeback of 7 positions in both cases. Sini finished seventh twice, also making a comeback of 15 positions in the rankings each time. In the Sunday morning prefinal, Gorski secured third place, while Sini maintained his position on the starting grid in preparation for the final.
From the beginning of the final, our two drivers positioned themselves at the top. Gorski moved up to second place in the opening laps from the second row. Engaging in a lengthy battle for the podium in the subsequent laps, he ultimately secured his place on the podium with an impressive start. Meanwhile, Sini showcased his skills in the middle of the race, settling into third position and waiting for the opportune moment to make his move on the driver ahead. In the final sprint on the finish straight, our driver claimed the honorary position with a 15-thousandth-of-a-second advantage over the third-place finisher. Gorski, our teammate, secured a solid position among the top five.
Henri Kumpen also participated in the Trophy, competing in both the prefinal and final for a spot in the Top 10. Starting in the higher MINI class, the Belgian steadily improved his performance throughout the three days of official races.
In the MINI Gr.3 U10 category, Achille Rea represented us as the main contender among the youngest drivers. Rea achieved a fourth-place finish as his best result in the qualifying heats and recorded the fastest lap in the first heat (reserved for Groups C and D). Rea notably surged to the top of the rankings in the Sunday morning prefinal, making an impressive comeback of 13 positions. In the subsequent afternoon final, he battled for a podium position until the checkered flag. Tiberius Müller also had a positive performance in the elimination heats, securing two Top 5 finishes. However, an unfortunate setback in the prefinal thwarted the German's plans for the final.
The drivers from both MINI categories will return to the stage in two weeks (April 4–7) at the Franciacorta Karting Track in Castrezzato (Italy) for the first of two events in the WSK Open Series, alongside our KZ2 representatives. Meanwhile, the OK and OKJ classes will compete this weekend (March 21–24) for the opening race of the FIA Karting European Championship in Valencia (Spain).
