RMCGF 2024 - Daily Report #2

The RMC Grand Finals 2024 roared to life today at 09:00 with the Non-Qualifying Practice Sessions for all categories, held at the legendary Circuito Internazionale di Napoli. Under perfect weather conditions, all drivers were seen fine-tuning their skills on the track, setting the stage for an exciting week of racing action.

Yesterday, Henry was spotted in the paddock with his new coach, engaging with some of the 392 drivers taking part in this year’s competition. Be sure to catch Henry's first interviews and behind-the-scenes moments, available on our YouTube Channel!

Link to the Welcome Video

Non-Qualifying Practice

E20 Senior

Under cool conditions, the E20 Senior competitors hit the track for their first session of the week and turned up the wick in Non-Qualifying Practice 2 led by the #609 Team Germany entrant Robert Schopian. Showing the true speed of the all-electric kart, Schopian turned a time of 1:03.315, just .129 ahead of the second-place finisher of Hungary’s Armand Hamilton (#607). Team Switzerland put a driver third on the charts in Phillip Loacker (#611), while Sweden’s Junior Jonsson was fourth, .011 ahead of the #603 entry of Bulgarian Iliyan Yankov, who rounded out the top-five.

The final E20 Senior practice of the day saw Team Hungary’s Armand Hamilton (#607) at the top of the charts in the all-electric category with a 1:02.886. The #609 Team Germany entrant Robert Schopian was .178 in arrears of Hamilton to finish his day second on the charts, while Uruguayan Maximo Castro (#617) was third with a 1:03.112. Sweden’s Junior Jonsson was fourth for the second consecutive session and Team Spain’s Raul Vargas (#602) fifth on the time charts.

E20 Master

Similar to the E20 Senior class, Non-Qualifying Practice 2 results trumped any lap time turned in session one as Swedish driver Jonatan Morin (#702) led the way with a 1:04.254. Just behind him, with a time of 1:04.287 was Team Netherlands driver Maurits Knopjes (#703), as the front duo were nearly half a second faster than the third-place competitor of Gilberto Loacker from Team Switzerland. Peter Gyutai (#714) put his Team Hungary entry in the fourth position ahead of Mundy Loyer (#709) who rounded out the top-five for Team Peru.

Quickest in practice two, Team Sweden’s Jonatan Morin (#702) repeated his performance in Non-Qualifying Practice 3, climbing to the top of the charts with a 1:03.923. Emiliano Paris (#705) was second best for Team Argentina, just ahead of Team Peru’s Mundy Loyer (#709). Maurits Knopjes (#703) racing for Team Netherland found himself fourth at the end of the day after finishing practice two second quick with Team Switzerland’s Gilberto Loacker (#707) fifth.

Micro MAX

UAE’s Achilleas Peruzzi (#29) was fast out of the Micro Max gate as he pipped Brazilian Pedro Campos (#31) by .001 to score the fastest lap in the first Non-Qualifying Practice session. Behind him, it was Switzerland’s Robin Raikkonen (#27) in third, just .309 behind the fastest lap of the session but ahead of Austrian’s Mathias Drexler (#20) and Team Poland’s Jan Wozniak (#24). The top-five drivers in the youngest class were separated by only a few tenths of a second after session one.

Non-Qualifying Practice 2 saw a new name on the top of the charts as Team Denmark’s Andres Kjellerup (#22) dropped the benchmark to 1:10.193. Behind him, Campos and Peruzzi held their position in the top-three clocking the second and third-fastest laps of the session. At the same time, Lithuanian Jokubas Vaskelis (#25) and UK’s Luke Milward (#23) rounded out the top-five.

Achilleas Peruzzi (#29) put Team UAE back on top in Non-Qualifying Practice 3 as he dipped well into the 1:09 bracket, turning a lap more than half a second quicker than any of his rivals. Chinese Taipei’s Shou-Ting Chang (#33) slotted himself into the second position, and though he was half a second behind the quick time, he was three-tenths faster than Swiss driver Robin Raikkonen (#27) in third. Austin Oman, racing for Great Britain, was fourth, just ahead of Team USA’s Cameron Becker who turned a lap time of 1:10.490 in an uncharacteristically spread-out Micro Max time sheet.

Mini MAX

Great Britain's Jenson Chalk (#155) led the field on the results sheet during the first of three Non-Qualifying practice sessions for the Odd number drivers on the day with a lap time of 1:08.320. .028 behind him was Team Netherlands’ Cees Muys (#129) as he and the third quickest driver, Aleksander Rackowski (#171), both turned lap times in the 1:08.3 second bracket and were within a tenth of Chalk. Lithuania’s Majus Mazinas (#151) and South African’s Aaryan Singh (#103) completed the top-five.

The Even number drivers were up next and, courtesy of track evolution, went slightly quicker led by Great Britain’s Albert Friend. Ecuadorian Julian Rivera (#136) went faster than all the drivers in the Odd numbered session but slotted in second behind Friend. The British drivers came to compete again in 2024, securing the third and fourth-fastest times of the Even numbered session led by Emerson Macandrew-Uren (#102) and Harry Taylor (#122) as Peruvian Iago Llempen (#152) ended the session fifth quick.

Non-Qualifying Practice 2 saw more new names near the top of the charts as the Odd numbered group was led by Team Canada’s Christian Angguinetti (#145). In a tight session that saw the top-five separated by only .195, Estonian Nikita Ljubimov put his #133 entry in the second position ahead of Team Poland’s Aleksander Raczkowski (#171) in third. Slovakian Martin Soltys (#153) kept the fastest three honest with a solid lap time that earned him the fourth-fastest circuit of the session while Lithuanian Majus Mazinas (#151) was fifth at a 1:07.128.

The Even numbered competitor of Emerson Macandrew-Uren (#102) vaulted up the time charts in Non Qualifying Practice 2 with a solid lap, as he was followed by fellow British driver Albert Friend (#110) in a Team Great Britain one-two. Jeremy St-Cyr (#146) from Team Canada found his way closer to the pointy end of the grid with a solid drive to third, just .227 off the quick time, while Harry Taylor put another Brit in the top-five in P4. Vic Van Campenhout (#168) from Germany was able to pip Julian Rivera for the fifth-fastest lap of the session.

The Mini MAX Drivers are set to put on a great show this week if Non-Qualifying Practice 3 for the Odd-numbered drivers was any indication. Jenson Chalk (#155) was back at the top of the charts with a 1:06.519 but the top-five were separated by .181 and the top-ten by .304. New names keep showing up in the top-five every session and this time was no different. Team Estonia’s Nikita Ljubimov (#133) was second ahead of South Africa’s Aaryan Singh (#130) in third. Team USA’s Enzo Digennaro had his best run of the day to slot into the fourth position with Team Hong Kong driver John Han (#127) in fifth.

British drivers dominated the even-numbered practice session as they swept the top-four positions in the session. Led by Albert Friend (#110) with a time of 1:06.373, Emerson Macandrew-Uren (#102) followed closely in second. Harry Taylor (#122) was third on the charts, while Finlay Lines (#156) made it a top-four sweep in the final practice. The only non-British driver in the top-five was the fifth-place runner and Team Lithuania’s Patrikas Jocius (#138) who was .389 away from the quickest lap of the session.

Junior MAX

The #237 kart of Great Britain’s Lewis Goff was the fastest of the Junior Max Odd numbered competitors for the first Non-Qualifying Practice, clocking a 1:03.860 to go just slightly faster than Team Slovakia’s Michal Soltys (#269). Adrian Tions (#243) from Latvia finished more than three-tenths of a second behind Goff as he, in third, down to the sixth-quickest driver, were separated by only .09 when the checkered flag flew. UAE’s Patrick Clancy Conor (#255) slotted himself into the fourth position with the #261 of Team Poland’s Alex Rogowski in P5.

The Even numbered Non-Qualifying Practice one was led by a pair of British drivers as Jacob Ashcroft (#246) and Cameron Nelson (#204) led the way with almost identical times. Separated by .060, the duo were more than four-tenths of a second faster than the third-place driver and Team Italy’s Lorenzo Giaquinto (#256). Max Sadurski (#264) put his Team Netherlands entry in P4 when the checkered flag flew, just ahead of Team Canada’s Antonie Lemieux (#228).

Non-Qualifying Practice 2 opened the door for new names in the Junior MAX class as Alois Girardet (#245) from Team France led the way for the Odd-numbered drivers with a 1:02.838. Behind him, Austrian Ivonn Simeonova (#267) was second on the charts with Team Poland’s Franciszek Sulima (#221) in the third position. With a top-five that was more separated by times than the previous sessions, Scott Marsh (#227) from Great Britain finished fourth, nearly four-tenths off the quickest time, while Denmark’s Mathias Kjellerup (#219) was fifth.

Team Great Britain’s Jacob Ashcroft (#246) led the way again in the second of the two Non-Qualifying practice sessions for the Even-numbered drivers as he laid down a lap that put him .321 clear of the rest of the field. Ties Van Wijk (#202) from The Netherlands was the best of the rest but will have some work to do to close the gap while he was slightly quicker than Eason Tseng (#268) in third. Japanese driver Shun Sekiguchi was fourth, just .03 behind Tseng in third and .026 ahead of Brit Cameron Nelson (#204) in fifth.

The top-two in Junior MAX Non-Qualifying Practice 3 were the same as Practice 2 with Team France and Alois Girardet (#245) leading the way with Team Austria’s Ivonn Simeonova (#267) in second. Team UAE put a diver in the top-three in Conor Patrick Clancy finishing .024 away from the second quickest time as Mathias Kjellerup from Team Denmark finished just ahead of Great Britain’s Scott Marsh.

The Even-numbered Junior MAX drivers were up next for Non-Qualifying Practice 3, and there were three North America drivers in the top-four led by Team USA’s Gage Korn (#216). Returning for his second consecutive RMC Grand Finals, Korn is putting experience to good use here in Italy. Behind Korn, and just .010 from grabbing the quickest lap of the session, was Team Canada’s Antonie Lemieux. Rory Armstrong from Great Britain was third. Team Canada flexed their muscles to end the first on-track day fourth to put a pair of Canadian drivers in the top-four as Team Switzerland’s Georgiy Zasov rounded out the top-five who were all separated by .154.

Senior MAX

Just as they did in Junior MAX, the Brits were back on top in Senior Max Non-Qualifying Practice 1 for the Odd numbered competitors. The #341 entry of Matthew Higgins led the #317 machine of Macauley Bishop in a Team UK one-two while Team Australia’s Max Walton (#343) was third on the results sheet. Nolan Lemeray (#325) was half a second off the quickest time of the session in fourth with a 1:02.313 as the fastest time was a 1:01.755. Mohammed Alhasan from Bahrain put his #301 entry fifth on the time charts.

The Even numbered Senior MAX drivers went slightly quicker than the first group led by Switzerland’s Tino Sidler (#340). Clocking a time of 1:01.641, Sidler was .199 faster than Team Netherland’s Jayden Thien (#360). Just behind Thien, Team Germany’s Vic Stevens (#358) was third in a competitively timed session, with Great Britain’s Callum Bradshaw (#336) ahead of Team South Africa’s Charl Visser in the fifth position.

Team Japan’s Youde Lu (#303) led the way in Non-Qualifying Practice 2 for the odd-numbered drivers in Senior MAX as a strong lap put him .311 clear of Elia Pappacena (#345) in second. Pappacena was .048 clear of British driver Sean Butcher (#357) in third, with Oliver Hodgson (#307) racing for Team USA in the fourth position and Great Britain’s Matthew Higgins (#341) in fifth.

The Non-Qualifying Practice 2 for the Even-numbered drivers saw a familiar name on top as Switzerland’s Tino Sidler (#340) scored the fastest lap for the second session in a row. Finishing .013 ahead of Team Germany’s Vic Stevens (#358), Jayden Thien (#360) made his second appearance in the top-three in two sessions. Fourth in the first session, Great Britain’s Callum Bradshaw (#336) repeated that success in session two, earning the position by beating first-time RMC Grand Finals competitor Diego Ramos (#308) from Team Brazil.

With a red flag bringing a halt to Non-Qualifying Practice 3 for the Odd-numbered Senior MAX drivers, results were mixed as some drivers were still getting up to speed. With the session deemed official, Lu Youde (#303) and Team Japan were at the top of the charts followed by Lemeray Nolan (#325) and Team France, Team Italy’s Elia Pappacena (#345), Team Saudi’s Kamel Abdullah (#351), and Team Kyrgyzstan’s Mark Koziaev (#329).

Senior MAX even-numbered drivers hit the track for their Non-Qualifying Practice 3 late in the day, and Team Germany and Vic Stevens found his way to the top with a 1:00.751. With familiar names in the front half of the field, Jayden Thien (#360) looked to be the most consistent with another P2 result, just .113 behind Stevens. Paul Kristian Hamburg was third, with Switzerland’s Tino Sidler (#340) clocking the fourth-fastest time of the session, just outpacing Great Britain’s Callum Bradshaw (#336).

MAX DD2 Master

Taking advantage of track knowledge, Italian Frederico Rossi (#513) earned the fastest lap in the DD2 Master MAX Non-Qualifying Practice 1, more than four-tenths clear of his rivals. With a time of 1:00.884, Rossi put his #526 machine at the top of the charts in what he hopes will be a dream week for him. Team France’s Nicolas Picot (#513) was the best of the rest in second, just ahead of Lithuanian Martynas Tankevicius (#523) in third. Team Argentina found their way into the top-five courtesy of Matias Rodriguez (#514) in fourth as he squeaked a time that was slightly better than the #529 entry of Team Latvia’s Haralds Garkaklis.

Team France’s Nicolas Picot (#513) jumped to the top of the charts in the DD2 Masters MAX Non-Qualifying Practice 2 as he pipped practice one standout Frederico Rossi (#513). Finishing in the top-two in back-to-back sessions, Picot and Rossi look to be the drivers to beat. Matias Rodriguez (#514) and Team Argentina improved between session one and two to move to third on the time charts ahead of Kyrgyzstan’s Dmitrii Kofanov (#515) and Joao Cunha (#535) from Brazil.

Non-Qualifying Practice 3 for the DD2 Master MAX class was led by the duo of Rossi and Picot yet again. This time, Rossi got the best of the duo, scoring his fastest lap of the session on the final circuit to take top honors with a 1:00.516. Picot followed closely in second with a 1:00.592, as the pair were once again nearly half a second clear of any other driver. Trying to keep up with the two-horse race, Eduardo Avila Gac (#531) from Team Chile led five drivers that were between 1:00.931 and 1:00.998 as Charles Seguin (#516) and Team France was fourth, and Team Lithuania’s Martynas Tankevicius (#523) was fifth.

MAX DD2

Team Latvia put a pair of drivers in the top-three of DD2 MAX Non-Qualifying Practice 1 as Edgars Vilcans (#433) and Emils Akmens (#439) flanked the second-place runner and Team Poland’s entrant of Dawif Maslakiewicz (#455). Slovakian Nikolas Szabo (#417) found himself fourth when the session ended, just .002 behind Akmens in third but nearly a tenth of a second up on Team Austria’s Leon Mandl (#419) in the fifth position. With the top-five separated by only .329 at the end of the session, the DD2 MAX class will be a competitive one.

The Even numbered drivers proved their speed in session one, led by Denmark’s Rasmus Vendelno (#466) and a solid lap time of 1:00.616. Nearly two-tenths of a second behind him was the perennial front-runner and Team Slovenia’s Xen De Ruwe (#414), while Team Great Britain’s Joshua Graham put his #444 entry in the third position. Again, the top-five were separated by less than four-tenths at the end of the session and the fourth and fifth-place drivers of Kyrgyzstan’s Konstantin Kraplin (#412) and Team Canada’s Gianluca Savaglio (#430) were just .023 apart.

Putting a pair of drivers in the top three of Non-Qualifying Practice 1 was not enough for Team Latvia as in session two for the Odd numbered drivers, they went one-two. Emils Akmens (#439) led the way with a 1:00.318 followed by Edgars Vilcans (#433) and his 1:00.455 lap time. Antonie Broggio (#443) was close to Vilcans courtesy of his 1:00.529 while he beat his running mate Antonie Barbaroux .007 as Team France made it only two countries in the top-four positions. Leonardo Baccaglini (#445) was fifth, only .245 away from the quickest time of the session.

The even-numbered DD2 MAX competitors reset the bar for the quickest lap of the day as Axel Saarniala (#468) from Team Finland was .089 quicker than Greek driver Christos Oikonomou (#408) to take the top spot. Team Slovenia’s Xen De Ruwe (#414) found his way to P3 on the charts, ahead of Chile's Gustavo Suarez (#460) and Sweden’s Hannes Morin (#416).

The final Non-Qualifying Practice sessions for DD2 MAX were postponed and will be added to the schedule and completed on Tuesday morning.

Tomorrow will see Non-Qualifying Practice 4, 5 and 6 for all classes before E20 Senior, E20 Masters, Micro MAX, Mini MAX, and DD2 Master MAX hit the track for their Qualifying Practice late in the day.