PARMA – The 4th edition of the Italian and International Finals of the single-brand Easykart trophy was a great success. From the point of view of the competition, 200 drivers coming from 12 different countries gave exceptional performances. During the races, the Italian drivers proved to be the absolute leaders, conquering the International titles in all categories. Young Riccardo Agostini prevailed in the 60cc class, Ronnie Valori won the 100cc title, while the two titles of the 125cc class went to Gagliano (Light) and Calcinati (Heavy). The Italian drivers all won the prestigious “grand slam” by seizing both the National and International titles. From an organisational perspective, the event was very successful and of great quality.

More than 60 staff members produced a high-profile event which was particularly appreciated for the running commentary TV live broadcast on a large-screen display, the beautiful drivers’ presentation ceremony with music from the city band of Parma and the Hospitality facility in the paddock for the drivers’ convenience. Also the promotional efforts by Birel’s press office returned excellent results, like the 26-minute reportage covering the event on Sportitalia, as well as reports by Eurosport, Sky, Canale Italia and other national broadcasting companies. Over 15 journalists from 7 different countries were accredited for the event, which will gain international renown. Regarding the races, the outcome was uncertain until the very end in all categories. In the 60cc, where more than 70 drivers were registered, “C” and “B” finals had to be scheduled. These races produced the names of the last 6 drivers admitted to the International Finals. Among them, 9-year-old Pietro Fittipaldi, the nephew of great Emerson, managed to earn the coveted place in the Finals.

The “C” final was won by Polish Oskar Biernacki, while Italian Walter Bassan prevailed in the “B” Final; along with Labeccki, la Gallina, Cotturri, Sances and Fittipaldi, he took advantage of the repechage for taking part in the afternoon International Finals. The 34 admitted drivers for the 60cc category put on an incredible race: poleman Agostini was soon overtaken by Viberti, with whom he closely duelled for the title through the whole race. In the end, Agostini had the better of it, prevailing a few laps from the end and arriving by a few tenths of a second ahead of his opponent at the finishing line. Immediately behind the two leaders came Tolfo, who struggled over the whole race against Colombian Chavez, Chiara Felici and Czech Maxa. The close struggle between the competitors for the third place was solved only at the last bend, when Maxa collided with Felici, who performed a disastrous and complete looping. Tolfo took advantage of this and arrived third in front of Chavez, Klasterka, Miklavec and 2004 International Champion Jan Midrla. Chiara Felici lost hope on a safe third place and had to leave the track with a suspected fracture at the clavicle. She earned a standing ovation from the public and the best wishes for a quick recovery from the whole of the Easykart circus.

The 100cc category witnessed the come-back to the podium’s top step of Ronnie Valori, previously champion in 2003. The success of the Lombard driver was made easier by leader Giacomello’s withdrawal from the race (breaking of a reed) only two laps from the finishing line. The second podium step went to Alberto Cavalieri, while Christian Fossati ranked third. Martin Sala (Colombia) finished 4th, resulting the best non-Italian driver.

In the 125 Light, with Area Champion Luca Alfieri heavily handicapped by a painful hand and an unlucky start, the race ended with a beautiful duel between poleman Montoro and Gagliano. Finally, Gagliano got the better of his rival, as he took the lead towards the middle of the race and managed to retain his position until the finishing line. Third came excellent Alberto Cola, ahead of Scarlato, Takeshi, Gaspari and Alfieri. The first classified driver with foreign racing licence was Steven Guerrero from Colombia (8th). In the Heavy category, on the other hand, success went to Renzo Calcinati (Superteam) who arrived ahead of Fichera and Viets after a neck-and-neck, highly spectacular race.

The driver from Guatemala, Felipe Zaid, was the best among the non-Italians, attaining the 13th overall placement. The event in Parma also awarded the much sought-after Trophy reserved to Teams: it was won by the Fg Racing Team of Gianni Foschiani with 111 points, preceding Blu Racing and Team Arrow, which both finished with 97 points.