PRESS RELEASE - TKART - In the closing round of the CIK-FIA European KF and KFJ Championships held this past weekend in Kristianstad (Sweden), Birel ART competed in loving memory of Jules Bianchi, who departed on July 17.

In KF, Ben Barnicoat closed the Final in thirteenth place, but was then demoted to twenty-first due to a 10” penalty for having cut across the first chicane on lap one. Starting from thirteenth on grid, Ben immediately entered in contention for the top spots. However, due to damages reported to his chassis after an off-track incident, he had to give up his fight for the forefront. Even so, and despite variable weather conditions, Barnicoat kept great speed all weekend long, as proven by his battles for position throughout the Heats, where he placed once sixth and twice seventh.

In the KF Junior, Ulysse De Pauw was forced to withdraw from the Final on lap eleven, after his front bumper unhooked on an off-track slide to avoid contact with another driver. The Belgian was competitive all weekend long until then: fifth in the Prefinal, after fighting for the lead in the first laps; twice fifth, sixth and eighth in the Heats; and eighth fastest overall in Qualifyings.

The weekend was tough for Lucas Légeret and Timothy Peisselon, as changing track conditions and race contacts kept them from showing their full potential. Twenty-third and twenty-sixth respectively in the Prefinal, neither of the two made it to the Final. Even so, both Légeret and Peisselon got credit for some nice overtakes and good recoveries in the Heats.

Ben Barnicoat, #137: “Unfortunately, technical issues that we also had at the PFI kept us from battling for victory. In the Final, after another good start, we were in contention for an excellent placement, but we had to give up because we ran out of speed. I want to thank Birel ART for giving me the opportunity to return to karting and compete once again in the European Championships.”

Ulysse De Pauw, #205: “We were unlucky, because in the Final we were forced to go off-track to avoid clashing with a driver who had spun around! It’s a pity, because we were in a condition to fight for an important result.”

Lucas Légeret, #216: “The weekend did not go as expected. It was weird, because I was fast on the wet, but not on the dry. I am sure that we will be more competitive at the World Championships in La Conca.”

Timothy Peisselon, #251: “We were very unlucky in the Heats and in the Prefinal, so we couldn’t make the best of our good speed and qualify for the Final.”

Gianluca Beggio, General Manager: “It was a very tough weekend, with highly variable track conditions keeping our drivers from unleashing their full potential. It’s a real shame, because we were running a competitive event, both on the dry and on the wet; but battling for victory in those conditions was like playing the lottery.”

Next event: CIK-FIA World KF & KFJ Championship - La Conca (Italy), 23-27 September 2015.