BIC, Sakhir, Sat, 23rd Nov 2013 – A pair of new world champions were crowned at a historic second and final round of this year’s CIK-FIA World KF and KF-Junior Karting Championship at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) last night.
Briton Tom Joyner had plenty to celebrate after being named the 2013 KF Champion, while Italian Leonardo Pulcini clinched this year’s KF-Junior championship.
Joyner steered himself to first place in the KF Final that stretched to 22 laps covering a distance of 31,108m. The young karter’s hard-fought victory was peppered with intense battles between Dutchman Max Verstappen and Nicklas Nielsen of Denmark who had earlier in the week convinced fans that they it would be either of the two that would take home the championship. Joyner placed ahead of Poland’s Karol Basz who was second, and Frenchman Armand Convers who rounded off the top three. The other drivers that comprised the race’s top 10 finishers were Briton Ben Hanley, Finnish Tuomas Tujula, Italy’s Andrea Russo, Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci, Finnish Jussi Kuusiniemi, Danish Andreas Hansen and Canada’s Lance Stroll.
The evening’s KF-Junior Championship final saw Briton Lando Norris complete an impressive pole to flag victory over the 18-laps and 1,414m of the Bahrain International Karting Championship in Sakhir. The race featured an array of scrappy sweeping moves, and several changes of position throughout, but ultimately Russian Nikita Mazepin bagged second place, with Italian Alessio Lorandi finishing third. Rounding out the top 10 was Russian Robert Shwartzman, Pulcini, Finnish Niko Kari, the UK’s Enaam Ahmed, Belgian Benjamin Lessennes, Briton Daniel Ticktum and Lorenzo Travisanutto.
The winners and runners-up were all presented trophies at a podium ceremony immediately after the races by Commission Internationale de Karting and Bahrain Motor Federation president and FIA World Motor Sport Council Member Shaikh Abdulla Bin Isa Al Khalifa, WSK Promotion President Luca De Ponno and BIC Chief Executive Shaikh Salman Bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The second and final round of this year’s championship followed the KF opening round that took place at the UK’s PF International Circuit last August and the KF-Junior’s curtain raiser in Sarno, Italy, last month. Saturday night’s activities were the culmination of a four-day programme of activities that kicked off last Tuesday with free practice sessions that continued until the championship’s warm up, pre-final and final stages.
Scores of fans turned up at the Sakhir circuit over the four-days to enjoy a fun weekend and take in the sights of the world championship.
