Competition full of adventures at Val d'Argenton

The FFSA Karting meeting in Val d'Argenton had no shortage of twists and turns in all categories. The rainy spell which wet the track on Sunday midday added further intensity to a competition which was not lacking in the first place. Charles Lacaze thus won his 3rd French Champion title by winning in OK, Paul Loubère was crowned in KZ2 and Marc Berteaux won the 1st French KZ2 Gentleman Championship for those aged 45 and over after a few adventures. The results and final ranking of the KZ2 Master were suspended following an appeal filed by a competitor.

The Val d'Argenton route gave rise to severe fights throughout the weekend in the KZ2 categories. During very close races in which overtaking was not easy, errors or incidents often cost the contenders in the French Championships dearly. The Poitou-Charente League meeting nevertheless went well overall with the support of officials and volunteers from other regions. The LeCont tyres fitted to both the OK and the KZ2 were appreciated by the majority of participants, both in the dry and in the rain, for their fairness and reliability.

Lacaze, Champion in OK

The field for the 2017 OK French Championship was certainly not very large, but the event was able to take place in good conditions. Théo Pourchaire (Kosmic/Vortex), member of the French FFSA Espoirs Karting Team and used to this equipment internationally, was the favorite. He immediately achieved performances corresponding to his level, but a major mechanical incident interrupted his progress in the prefinal. Charles Lacaze (Top Kart/Parilla) took up the torch by winning in both races and won a new national crown 9 years after his KF2 title. We had already seen the Israeli Ariel Levi (Sodi/Vortex) achieve feats at the highest international level of KZ2. He confirmed the extent of his talent by facing Lacaze on several occasions. Unique in the history of national karting, he became Vice-Champion of France OK ahead of Théo Pourchaire.

The KZ2 title for Loubère

Adrien Renaudin (Sodi/TM) and Enzo Guibbert (Tony Kart/Parilla) were with Hubert Petit (Sodi/TM) the first protagonists of the French KZ2 Championship at Val d'Argenton. Sunday morning, however, final 1 would change the situation. On the 2nd lap, a trace of moisture left by a competitor caused Petit, Renaudin and Nelson Bondier (Tony Kart/TM) to go off the track. Pierre Loubère (Praga/Parilla) won the race ahead of Nathan Hedouin (FA Kart/Vortex) and Kevin Breysse (Formula K/Parilla). Loubère confirmed in the rain with a second victory in final 2 against Guibbert and Charles Fiault (Sodi/Parilla). Contested on wet tyres on a drying track at the main trajectory, Final 3 offered Hédouin the opportunity to finish with a victory. While he was in the lead, Guibbert actually spun at the start of the race. Loubère tried to dethrone Hédouin, but ultimately preferred to secure his title in 2nd position ahead of Fiault. The trifecta of the last race was also that of the French Championship.

1. Pierre Loubère - 287 points
2. Nathan Hédouin - 250 points
3. Charles Fiault - 215 points
4. Kevin Breysse - 201 points
5. Enzo Guibbert - 200 points

Advantage for Le Brigand in KZ2 Master

Yoann Sanchez (Sodi/TM) seemed well established at the controls of the French KZ2 Master Championship (drivers aged 32 and over) after his pole position and his three round victories. He was then ahead of Vincent Fontenille (CRG/Vortex) and Grégory Guilvert (Birel Art/TM). Stephen Nuvolini (Sodi/TM) took the lead at the very start of Final 1. Contact with Sanchez eliminated him and earned Nuvolini a disqualification which he contested by appealing. However, he did not win the race because of a spoiler penalty and it was Johan Renaux (CRG/Parilla) who won ahead of Julien Le Brigand and Jean-Philippe Ligier (Birel Art/TM). Le Brigand won masterfully in the rain in Final 2, closely followed by Nuvolini, while Nicolas Binet (RK/TM) took 3rd place ahead of Renaux. The 3rd and final final took place on slick tyres and Nuvolini won this time against Le Brigand and Renaux, with Jean-Christophe Rozez (RK/Parilla) taking a good 4th place. If the French KZ2 Master Champion is not yet officially known, Le Brigand is best placed to win the title.

Berteaux crowned in KZ2 Gentleman

Gentleman drivers aged 45 and over would race at the same time as the KZ2 Masters. Benoit Portmann (Birel Art/TM) took pole position and Bruno Benabent regained the advantage at the end of the qualifying heats. Portmann was no longer in the race after an incident at the start of Final 1 and it was Marc Berteaux who won against Franck Lassalas (Sodi/TM) and Christian Ruffa (Maranello/TM). Berteaux consolidated his ambition by also winning final 2 while Ruffa and Lassalas exchanged places. Berteaux, however, stalled on the grid for Final 3 and regained his place without thinking of the consequences. He was in fact arrested at the black flag shortly after for this reason. Benabent took advantage of this to win in front of Lassalas and Ruffa. Overall, over the three races, Marc Berteaux nevertheless became the 2017 French KZ2 Gentleman Champion with 267 points, followed by Franck Lassalas (245 points) and Bruno Bénabent (237 points) who finished tied with Christian Ruffa.