F.4 – Podium and comeback for Joao Vieira at Imola

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On the international circuit of Imola, scene of the third round of the Italian F.4 Championship Powered by Abarth, Joao Vieira has once again proved to be stronger than the bad luck and all external events which have influenced his result, right from the beginning. The Brazilian driver of Antonelli Motorsport welcomes the appointment at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit with positive third place and recovery in race-1, closing in the top-10.

During the first round of Qualifying, Joao was forced to stop at the pit for almost the entire session, because of a problem with the valve of the left rear tyre, put on incorrectly right by the tyres’ supplier, moving back to the 23rd position out of 27 drivers on the starting grid. In the second round, the Brazilian recovered the gap, signing the fourth fastest time in just 309 thousandths from pole position, despite a greater fuel load. Mindful of the great comeback in Monza, Joao did not give up and along the 4,909 m of the track, he signed another sensational comeback, finishing in ninth position in the overall standing, more 14 overtakes in just 17 laps. The podium came at the end of the weekend, in race-3, after the entry of two safety cars. “As happened in Vallelunga and Monza, even here in Imola we collected what we deserved. The weekend started with difficulties, Joao was forced to miss Qualifying-1 for a problem with the valve of a tyre, due to Pirelli’s staff. In Qualifying-2, Joao did a good job, because, despite 10 kg more fuel and a small imperfection at the Rivazza bend, he finished in the fourth position. In race-1, he completed another amazing comeback, demonstrating potential and greeting the weekend with a podium. In race-2, he tried to win the victory, but because of a mistake caused by rush, he had an accident. Unfortunately, the weekend in Imola put us out of competition for the championship, but I’m sure we will fight tooth and nail till the end, starting right from the next race, at Mugello circuit“, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyzes.

“It was a weekend conditioned by external factors, but also my mistakes, such as in race-2. These are errors that are paid and that you should not do, but that’s racing. I am very happy with the Qualifying-2, where I almost get the pole, despite a higher load of gasoline, and the recovery in race-1. Unfortunately, in race-3 I could not do more. The first two drivers were just too fast for us. I do not give up and I think about the next challenge at Mugello”, the driver of Minardi Management, Joao Vieira, says.

F.4 – Federico Iribarne and Mugello circuit: first contact

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Official testing days of the Italian Championship F.4 powered by Abarth and organized at Mugello circuit was an opportunity for Federico Iribarne to get acquainted with the international Tuscan track, continuing the work begun at Imola last week.

At the wheel of the Tatuus of Antonelli Motorsport team, the Argentine driver from Lanus, currently busy in the Metropolitan Formula Championship – accompained by former driver Miguel Angel Guerra and closely followed by the manager Giovanni Minardi, under the watchful eye of Gian Carlo Minardi – has confronted with the tricky circuit that will host the cars on July 12nd to mark the fourth round of the Tricolored F.4. For Federico, this was his second contact with the car and with the staff of Marco Antonelli. “It has been definately a positive test. He did not make mistakes, despite a tricky circuit, racing with interesting lap times and used tyres. Given the lack of experience, he failed to make the most of the new compound, but I am optimistic in view of the upcoming tests”, the manager from Faenza, Giovanni Minardi, says.

“I adapted easily to the track, managing to race on good time results, entering the top-10. Unfortunately, when I put on the new tyres, I could not make the most of the car, but it was only my second test ever. I had the chance to try two very different tracks (Mugello and Imola) and this was very important. Along with Miguel Anguel Guerra and Castor Gonzale, we will try to program the 2016”, Federico Iribarne says.

F.4 – Joao Vieira is resolute for the “home” race at Imola

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This weekend at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Circuit in Imola the spotlights will once again switch on on the Italian F.4 Championship powered by Abarth, for the third event on the calendar, after the appointments at Piero Taruffi circuit in Vallelunga and at Monza circuit, in the temple of speed.

For Joao Vieira, bearer of Antonelli Motorsport team, this will be his home race, whereas he lives half an hour from the race track this time of year. The beginning of the season has been characterized by some technical problems that have denied the green-gold driver to collect what he well deserved, despite the undeniable quality of sprinter, as demonstrated by the more than forty positions reassembled in the two race at Monza circuit and the podium. Right in March, during the test-day, Joao raced under the pole of last season. “I want to start from this result in order to begin the weekend as best as possible. In the first two appointments, the results were below our expectations, especially due to some technical problem, which also affected the last test at Imola “the driver of the Minardi Management, Joao Vieira, says. On Tuesday Joao was back at the wheel of the #50 Tatuus on Mugello international circuit for the collective test session that involved 21 drivers on track. “In the morning it went very well. I drove on good time results. In the afternoon session, unfortunately, I made a mistake. Crashing, I also did badly in the leg. I was then back on track, but the car was not performing as before and so was not able to improve. Now look with enthusiasm the first tests at Imola“, Joao concludes.

“We have an outstanding account with the luck and at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit we will try to recover the revenge. We have proved that we have nothing to envy to others, either for speed features and car set up. Unfortunately, we were not lucky with the engines. We’ll try to go on the hunt for the result that we are still missing, the victory, aiming to close the gap from the top positions. Outdistance is important, but the championship is still long. We left behind only two appointments“, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyzes.

Kart – Matteo Nannini: "I’m already thinking about next challenge in Lonato"

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On Friuli international circuit, scene of the seventh round of the North Rok Championship, the driver from Forlì, Matteo Nannini, lived a troubled weekend, fighting with an imperfect set-up of his kart, which kept him away from the podium.

After his podium finishes in two appointments at 7 Laghi International circuit in Castelletto di Branduzzo and the incredible comeback of Adria (from the 33th to the 13th position), Matteo greeted his fourth race in the KFJ category with a fifth and sixth place in races, results that certainly does not reflect its potential after getting acclimated quickly to pass with 125 cc. Despite the difficulties, however, the eleven-year-old driver from Forlì did not give up, getting on track with determination, showing session after session his toughness and technical capacity, recovering various positions. “It was a not happy weekend and I want to leave it behind as quickly as possible. I cannot wait to come back to race for redemption, right from next race”, Matteo Nannini says disappointed.

“We leave the Friuli with a fifth and sixth place that do not represent the real potential of Matteo, as demonstrated by the results gathered so far in KFJ. We are already thinking of the next challenge on the South Garda Karting track, scheduled for July 5th. I was pleased to see, however, a driver who continued to fight after every session”, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyses.

Despite having missed the first three seasonal appointments, Matteo confirms his kart in the eighth position in the overall standings, with 110 points.

Kart – Stunning recovery for Karol Basz in the UK

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It was a weekend from mood swings to Karol Basz, busy at the PFI international circuit in the UK for the second round of the European CIK-FIA Championship KF category, which will end in Sweden on July 26th in Kristianstad.

The English weekend of the driver from Krakow started under the best star, achieving firmly the top positions in the four free practice sessions, before going back to the twentieth position for a problem of set-up in the Qualifying session and affecting the results in the two rounds of the Qualifying Heat because of some impetuous Anglo-Saxon drivers. With determination and stubbornness the bearer of the Kosmic Racing Team took revenge in the 3-4 Qualifying Heat by winning the top-four. In the pre-final, thanks to a stunning comeback – missing the fastest lap for only 50 milliseconds – Karol was able to recover ten positions, closing in the top-ten and proving that the available material was no less to anyone and continues to be at the top. In Final, unfortunately, a problem with the front brake limited another possible comeback of Karol, who had to be satisfied with the eighth final position. “It was a weekend in which the bad luck and the aggressiveness of certain drivers have denied Karol chance to win a deserved podium. During the free practice sessions he had proven to be part of the race, but a small problem in Qualifying and the English driver made him go back to the group. Karol is a very good driver in the development and in the race pace, as proved by the great comeback in the pre-final in a hellish battle and the lap times. Our mind is already turned to the last appointment, in Sweden, where we would like to close with a good podium and a win“, Alberto Tonti analyses.

“The English weekend did not go as we would have expected, especially after the results gained in practice sessions. In the pre-final, I enjoyed very much to recover, completing ten overtakings. Unfortunately in the Final, I had a problem to the front brake right from the beginning, then I was forced to close in eighth position”, the driver of the Minardi Management Karol Basz says.

Photo: Alexandros Vernardis/The Racebox

F.4 Italia – 400 km for Federico Iribarne’s debut at Imola

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On the track named after Enzo and Dino Ferrari in Imola, Federico Iribarne – class of 1998, from Lanus (Buenos Aires) – signed his debut in Italy and at the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport team’s Formula 4, completing the first days of the programmed test sessions, with over 400 kilometres driven.

For Federico, it was the first race out in the Old Country, having grown up in Argentina, where he engaged in the 2015 Metropolitan Formula Championship.

Thanks to the strong friendship between Argentina and the Minardi family, alongside with a former Argentine driver, Miguel Angel Guerra, Federico is followed step by step by the manager Giovanni Minardi, under the watchful eye of Gian Carlo Minardi. Federico stood out by scoring excellent chronometric results on track, racing close to the best lap signed by the current leader Guan Yu Zhou. A training day in view of the upcoming program for June 23rd at Mugello circuit.

“It was a really good day and I’m satisfied with my result. For me, it was all completely new. Car, team and track. I had a chance to drive a lot of laps, even if I found a lot of traffic and the red flag exactly in the moment when I put on new tyres. At Mugello I can take advantage of this experience, to take a further step forward“, Federico Iribarne says.

“I was really surprised seeing the work done by Federico. It was a debut on a demanding track, such as Imola. He managed to improve lap after lap, stopping the clock on ‘1.47.7. Unfortunately he found traffic and the red flags waved just when just when he put on the new set of tyres. Otherwise, he could further lower his time lap. I am very confident for the next scheduled appointment on another selective track such as Mugello“, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyses.

Kart – Great recovery for Matteo Nannini at Adria

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It was a not easy weekend on track Adria International Raceway, which was the scene of the sixth appointment of the ROK North area Championship (the third for Matteo in the category KFJ). Matteo Nannini stood out for his stubbornness and talent at the wheel of the “125 Energy” of Fabio Urgnani’s New Technology.

In free practice sessions, the driver from Forlì was able to bring his car to the upper positions of standings, but during Qualifying, the set was not optimal and he had to settle for eighth placement. The most important episode came in Pre-Final lap, when Matteo was hit, causing serious damage to the kart that forced him to retire even before the start. A withdrawal that forced him to start from the 33th position, and last placement in the Final. With determination can replace twenty placings, finishing in 13th place overall. “On the one hand I enjoyed it very much in the Final,  managing in several overtakings that led me from the last till the thirteenth position, despite the not perfect conditions of my kart, grating various meters to the rivals on the straights. It’s a shame to see vanishing the work of a weekend in a single lap, but this is also part of the race. Now I want to think about the next challenge, hoping to have good luck “, the driver of Minardi Management, Matteo Nannini, says.

“I am very sorry for Matteo, because he worked very much to better prepare the kart, but everything was ruined during the warm-up of pre-Qualifying. Despite the drawback, Matteo has again shown his value, coming back several positions with a car which was not 100%. Now we must focus on the next race”, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyses.

F.4 – Great show of Joao Vieira in Monza

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Despite the points left behind, Joao Vieira was one of the great protagonists of the second round of the Italian F.4 Championship powered by Abarth in the temple of speed, Monza circuit.

The yellow-gold bearer of Antonelli Motorsport inflamed again the public in the stands managing two great comebacks, recovering more than forty positions in total. Right from the beginning, with a grid of 29 cars, Joao had brought his Tatuus F.4 #50 in the top positions, signing, thanks to the fifth and ninth in the overall standings, the two Qualifying session valid for the 28’+ 1 lap races. Unfortunately, the first round, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, ending in the worst way: the Brazilian had to retire after just a few meters from the start, while he was already in third position. The retirement forced him to start from the bottom (29th position) in the sprint race, scheduled for Sunday morning. Without getting caught up in despair, he acted an incredible recovery: 26 positions in about 18′ of race and Brazilian flag waving on the third step of the podium.

Thanks to this incredible comeback, he was back on the grid for the final appointment of the weekend. The lights went off, but something in the starting procedure did not work and Joao is passed, reaching the 26th place. Despite the entry of the safety car for a contact that involved four cars in the early stages, the bearer of Antonelli Motorsport started overtaking again the rivals, up to the fifth position.

“I’m satisfied only halfway. The incident of race-1 affected the outcome of the sprint race, as I was forced to start from the last position. In race-3 instead, I made a mistake at the start. Luckily, two important recoveries that led me to the podium, scoring important points. The lead from the first driver in ranking is important, but we still have a lot of races. Now, I think about Imola“, the driver of Minardi Management, Joao Vieira, says

“This weekend Joao showed all his value, a real fighter with the talent to spare. Unfortunately we have “given” too many points to our opponents that will not be easy to recover, even though we are only at the second race. We roll up our sleeves and try to race until the end, starting to recover with Imola. I thank all the staff of Marco Antonelli for the excellent work done over the weekend”, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyses.

The second round of the Italian Formula 4 Championship has now ended and next appointment will take place in a month, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola.

F.4 – Joao Vieira at Monza circuit to win

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For Joao Vieira it is time again to wear his overall, gloves and helmet to jump into the cockpit of his Tatuus F.4 #50. This weekend the fast Monza circuit will host the second round of the Italian F.4 Championship powered by Abarth, and the driver of Antonelli Motorsport will try to achieve the first win of the season, after the second place at the “Piero Taruffi” circuit.

The Year Last Joao had inflamed the public in the stands with several overtakings, gaining a valuable second place and important points for the championship, signing in March the new track record with a Formula 4, during the test-day. We have to forget, instead, about the result of last week collective test, when the yellow-gold driver of Minardi Management was stopped by Ascari’s mistake and later by a propeller that give much time to the rivals. It was the same already used at Vallelunga during the gara-3. “I will try to improve the second position gained last year. I want to leave behind the result of collective test, characterized by my mistake on Ascari and a problem to the engine already used at the end of Vallelunga weekend, after the failure of my unit. On the long straights we “gave” several km/h to the opponents. We know how important it is to have an engine in excellent condition in Monza”, Joao Vieira says. “At Vallelunga we gained the first podium. Now we need to aim for victory. Last year we worked very well and in March I was able to beat the 2014 pole position. I want to start from here“, the driver of Minardi Management concludes.

“We must quickly leave behind the bad day of collective test and, above all, gara-3 at Vallelunga, in order to start from the record marked in March, bringing home the first victory of the season and the most points, starting with a pole position. Joao and the car, prepared by the team of Marco Antonelli, have all the required skills to achieve these important objectives”, the manager, Giovanni Minardi, analyses.

F.4 – Ascari’s mistake conditions Joao’s test

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The Circus of F.4 Italy is make the appointment at Monza in preparation for the second round, scheduled for May 31st. Workday characterized by the off track as the Ascari in the late morning for Joao Vieira, who was forced to remain stationary in the pits of Antonelli Motorsport until mid-afternoon, to give the opportunity to the staff directed by Marco Antonelli of repair the Tatuus #50.

Back on track only at 4:00pm, the yellow-gold driver managed to go 22 rounds before the arrival of the rain, breaking early the work. A day’s work that certainly does not reflect the technical potential of Joao Viera, who in March had managed to lower more than 6 dec the time of the pole in 2014.

“The incident of the morning has certainly influenced the whole program because I could return to track only mid-afternoon. Anyway before the arrival of the rain I drove 22 laps with tires already lapped. When we were about to mount the new tires, it started to rain. Furthermore once again we had problems with the engine that in the straight gave much to the opponents. Ahead of the weekend of the race I think that we come back to my old engine“, the driver of Minardi Management, Joao Vieira, comments.

“Day conditioned by Ascari’s mistake that forced Joao to remain stationary in the pits until 4:00pm. In the morning he was still able to put together 31 laps. Before the arrival of the rain he has turned old tires along other 22 laps. We will have had fresh tires, but the rain made us change plans. Better to have made the mistake in a test that during the race weekend and I’m sure it will be helpful to Joao to maintain the concentration high“, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyzes.

Kart – Onboard Karol Basz in Portimao

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Enjoy the two fast laps onboard Karol Basz in this warm up session during the CIK European Championship for KF in Portimao, Algarve, Portugal.
Thanks Alexandros Vernardis/The Racebox
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Kart – At Portimao Karol Basz was slowed only by a contact

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On the track of Portimao, in Portugal, the spotlights turned on on the European Championship CIK-FIA KF category, the first of three appontiments of the championship that will touch even the boundaries of England and Sweden.

A weekend that did not follow the plans of the Polish driver from Krakow, Karol Basz, who was victim of an accident. The event, which affected significantly the final result, took place during the pre-final, when Jordon Lennox-Lamb, the driver that Karol was trying to overtake, closed the bearer of the Kosmic Racing Team towards the corner. The Polish driver was forced to retirement due to important damages reported. Without getting caught up in despair, the bearer pink-blue Kosmic team put together a good comeback, recovering until the thirteenth final position, after having started from the 29th placement and finishing at 11″ from the winner, racing at 2” from best lap of the race.

“It was an unlucky weekend, conditioned especially by the accident in the pre-final that forced me to start backwards, from the 29th position, in the Final. Unfortunately, the chassis was not 100% OK, but despite this, I was able to recover up to 13th position in the Final, scoring good lap time. There’s still the satisfaction with the seventh place in Qualifying Heats”, the driver of Minardi Management, Karol Basz, comments.

“If we look purely at the result, it was not the weekend we expected. Unfortunately, the incident in the pre-final affected the entire weekend, forcing Karol to start from the bottom in the Final and with not perfect frame. However, I have to congratulate him for the great recovery and the Kosmic Racing team of Olivier Marechal for the excellent work in the development of the material. In this season, tyres will be a very important and they’re showing to have the right balance”, Alberto Tonti analyses.

Thanks to the scored points, Karol greeted Portugal with the tenth place in standings, turning his mind directly to the next challenge: England, International  – on June the 21st. “We are only at the beginning. In England we will start again from the tenth position, with the aim to regain all lost ground here in Portugal, in order to race for the Final victory in Sweden”, Minardi Kart Supervisor concludes.

Photo: Alex Racebox.

Kart – Matteo Nannini confirms himself with a KFJ second placement in Pavia. Only a postponed victory.

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After the third position with his debut in KFJ last April the 19th on the International Circuit 7 Laghi in Castelletto di Branduzzo (PV), last Sunday Matteo Nannini won with supremacy and determination his second place, scoring also the fastest lap of the Final.

For the fifth appointment of the Rok Nord, the championship was back again in Pavia and the talented driver from Forlì of Fabio Urgnani’s New Technology team won another prestigious result improving on the third place of his debut. Certainly, it was not an easy weekend, but Matteo was not influenced by external events, proving his value with the 125 Energy right from the beginning of the weekend, scoring the second fastest time in free practice sessions and third in Qualifying, with a gap of just 16 thousandths from the winner (tied with second place), the prelude of the third place in Race 1 and fastest lap. In the Final, Matteo made a step forward in standings, signing his best result in the championship with a final second place, reinforced again by the fastest lap of the race: 50″432 and an average speed of over 88 km/h. “It was a difficult weekend and everything happened, including extra-race events. Besides, I am really happy for the second place in the Final, with the fastest lap in race and the third position in Race 1, scoring always the fastest lap of the race. I can say that I aim at the victory“, Matteo Nannini says with satisfaction.

“I’m really very happy with the weekend of Matteo. We are only at the second race in KFJ and have already collected two podium finishes, with a third place at the debut and a second place this weekend with the fastest lap in the race. We are ready for victory“, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyses.

Next challenge for Matteo Nannini will be on Adria’s track on the weekend of May 31st, as the sixth round of the Rok Nord Championship.