Tony Kart: pole position and podium in Cremona
On the occasion of the WSK Final Cup second round, the Tony Kart Racing 401 T closes the weekend with a third place in OK class with official driver Jindrich Pesl after having signed the pole position in the qualifying heats.
The 2025 edition of the WSK Final Cup continues positively for our Tony Kart Racing Team, after the two victories achieved in the opening round at Franciacorta. On the Cremona circuit in Italy, the Tony Kart Racer 401 T gains the pole position and climbs on the podium in the OK category, powered by the Vortex VTS, and is also protagonist in the KZ2 and OKJ categories, respectively with the VTZ and VTJ engines of the OTK Kart Group's ‘engine division’. The Tony Kart Rookie, on the other hand, gets off the track in the MINI Gr.3 classes, equipped with the Vortex VTM.
In OK, Jindřich Pešl confirms his excellent form after his success in the first round of the championship in Franciacorta. The Czech driver starts the weekend in the best possible way with a pole position in the qualifyings, thanks to a time of 47.259 seconds set in group 2. Pešl also sets the pace in the qualifying heats, collecting two wins and a second place, and is also able to gain the first position in the A pre-final on Sunday morning. In the final, thanks to a perfect jump from the front of the grid, our driver leads the first part of the race, defending himself determinedly from his pursuers. However, a collision during the eighth lap forces him to lose a few positions, but Pešl reacts maturely and gains the last step on the podium. With the results achieved in this round, Pešl remains firmly in the lead of the championship.
Despite making his debut in the Senior category, Mateo Rivals shows no fear of his opponents. The French driver improves steadily throughout the weekend, getting better session after session, and in the final he shows off with a ten-place comeback, which allows him to finish the race in the top 10. After a positive qualifying session, Iskender Zulfikari achieves a third place as his best result and ranks as the third best representative of our team in the final. Oliver Rasmussen finishes the last race of the weekend not far behind his Turkish teammate, while Thomas Pradier is forced to retire: a real pity for the French driver, who performs excellently in the qualifying heats, where he sets two fast laps (one of which was the fastest time of the weekend), as well as a top-5 finish in pre-final B.
In KZ2, Marcus Armstrong continues his karting experience back with the Tony Kart Racing Team, making his debut on the Cremona circuit. The New Zealander, fresh from his years in the IndyCar Series and in the middle of the break before the start of the new season, opens the weekend with the sixth place in Friday morning's free practices, immediately showing a good feeling with a track that was unknown to him until this event.
In OKJ, Ilie Tristan Crisan is determined to redeem himself after his unlucky final at Franciacorta, when a collision during the formation lap sends him to last place, ruining his pole position start. The Canadian driver makes no mistakes during the qualifying heats, where he achieves a third place as his best result, and wins the B pre-final, a result that secures him a place on the second row of the starting grid for the final. Unfortunately, at the first corner of the final race on Sunday afternoon, Crisan is forced to retire because of a collision with another competitor; a bitter end that does not reflect the excellent level of competitiveness he had shown throughout the event.
Julian Frasnelli finishes the final in the top 10. The Italian driver completes a solid and consistent weekend, highlighted by a third place in Prefinal A, confirming his growth in his first year among the “Juniors”. Antonio Reginaldo Pizzonia Neto also stands out over the weekend, thanks to solid performances and a second place in Prefinal A, just behind his teammate Crisan. Oliveri Sini starts the second round of the championship with a third place in Group 1 of the qualifying sessions and continues with a second and third place in the qualifying heats, which earns him the third place in the intermediate standings. However, the A Pre-Final A ends prematurely for him due to a collision, and the final does not allow the Indonesian driver to achieve what was within his reach. After his debut with our Racing Team at Franciacorta, Yubo Wen steadily improved his performance between Tuesday and Sunday and takes part in the final. Finally, Henri-Constant Kumpen sets some interesting lap times in view of the final round at Lonato del Garda.
In the MINI Gr.3 category, fresh from his victory in the Franciacorta final, Victor Thomas Gorun is fighting for the lead also at the Cremona circuit. With a third place as his best result in the qualifying heats, the Romanian driver starts Sunday with a fourth place in pre-final A and is soon running for gaining the lead of the final, finishing just off the podium. Gorun thus consolidates his first place in the championship, ahead of the grand finale in Lonato del Garda. Behind him, Zane Pace achieves a positive top-5 finish, also standing out in the eliminatory heats thanks to a third place as his best result.
Miguel Enrique Manzano Suarez also enters the top 10 in the final, after climbing eight positions and consistently finishing near the top of the standings throughout the weekend. Andrea Iannone recovers nine positions in the Sunday afternoon's race, finishing ahead of Lingham Li, one of the best climbers of the day with twelve positions gained from his starting position.
In the MINI Gr.3 U10 category, Farel Dugat Beretta is our main representative in the youngest category. In the final, the French driver finishes ahead of the Spain's Nahil Padovani Amador, who skilfully avoids making any mistakes throughout the weekend. Blake Hsueh runs worthy kilometres ahead of the season finale.
The final round of the WSK Final Cup is scheduled within two weeks at South Garda Karting in Lonato del Garda (18th-23rd November), with the Tony Kart Racing Team competing in the KZ2, OK, OKJ, MINI Gr.3 and MINI Gr.3 U10 categories.
