Awesome - Brandon Maisano

As pre-finals go this one really was quite "awesome". From grid 12, after a heat DNF, Brandon Maisano drove his LH-Maxter as though it was turbo-charged, making up 5 places on the first lap alone, taking the lead before the end of lap 10 with 2 laps remaining. He then eased open a one and a half second gap as his pursuers, and early leaders, fell over each other in confusion.

After swapping positions throughout, Tiene finally slipped past Vigano in the dying moments of the race, with Smarrazzo all over the back of Vigano as they crossed the finishing line, with less than 0.6s between the three of them. A cracking final is now expected, due in less than two hours, where it remains to be seen how much life Maisano took out of his Dunlop tyres in his titanic drive!

For the British contingent, Chris Lock suffered and fell rearwards, but European Champion Jordan Chamberlain kept his cool, and from grid 10 made his way forwards to finish in 6th place, just over 4 seconds adrift of Maisano. He has not got the Frenchman's pace, but a podium remains a real possibility for the Williams Motorsport driver.

Sunday morning...

First blood to Matteo Vigano in the opening qualifying heat this morning, with Felice Tiene (above) taking honours in the second of today's final three heats, with the third and last race due out at 11.30am (local time).

British pride has so far been carried by Ben Cooper and Jordan Chamberlain, who both looked quick in the last heat, although Lock, Fielding, Carter, and Blundell have a lot to do to recover from any trials and tribulations experienced yesterday.

The driver parade is scheduled for 13.00 this afternoon, with the pre-final due out at 15.15, and then the main final at 16.50.

KF2 World Cup (update...)

Cracking stuff from Brandon Maisano of team CRG, who won the first heat this afternoon on his Dunlop shod LH-Maxter, in fine style. Maisano is one of those rising stars in karting who is always there, or thereabouts, in major karting events, so it is no surprise to find he is at the front in the World Cup qualifying heats.

Both British drivers Chris Lock and Jordan Chamberlain were in this heat, with Lock taking 11th place within six or so seconds of the winner, although Chamberlain appeared to be in difficulties after his first heat success, finishing down in 15th place. Shaun Carter though was still in the wars with a DNF after just 9 laps being added to his first heat exclusion result.

Formula KF2 World Cup, Alcaniz, Spain

Today I am live from the impressive new 5.2km Formula 1 standard circuit at the Motorland facility of Ciudad del Motor de Aragon near Alcañiz, where the equally impressive kart circuit stands in its shadow at an enormous 1,700 metres in length. Warm and sunny conditions are on hand to greet the 80 drivers from 18 nationalities, who had been selected for the 2009 CIK-FIA World Cup, possibly the main Formula KF2 event of the year.

The first heat has just finished where the Italian diver Matteo Vigano (see pic above), competing with the MGM Racing team, took an easy win on his Birel-Parilla outfit.

The top British driver was European Champion Jordan Chamberlain, who won the European title at Essay in France recently. Jordan brought his Williams Motorsport entered Tonykart-TM machine home into 5th place just over four seconds behind the winner, which bodes well for the young British ace.

More to follow as the weekend progresses.