The IAME Series Italy stopped over in Lonato on 26th and 27th March for the second round of its year-long 2022 Championship. This is a very popular brand cup with a worldwide presence. The X30 Mini category, in which Bogdan Cosma-Cristofor competes, was the best represented at the meeting with 48 drivers out of a total of 191 from many countries.

A young Romanian driver on top of the podium

Bogdan Cosma-Cristofor is as diligent as he is determined and he was not totally satisfied with his 11th in the official Timed Practice, whereas he was 2nd in the Free Practice on Saturday morning. But the Romanian quickly forgot this slight annoyance, as he brilliantly won the first heat thanks to a six-place jump. He made further progress in the field in the second heat, finishing in 3rd position. He finished 2nd in his last qualifying race and gained his place on the second inside row of the starting grid for the Final.

"The Final was not easy to manage, as there were at least five drivers who could win," commented Bogdan. "There was a lot of overtaking, it was intense and exciting. I took the lead in the first part of the race, but when my rival passed me again, other drivers came in and I lost four places in one go. The main thing was to stay focused and to attack immediately to get my place back. In the end, it all came down to the last lap. On the brakes into the paddock, I moved through the curve well. My rivals got in the way a bit but I was able to cross my line to regain the lead. After that, the objective was not to make any mistakes and to protect my place to cross the finish line as the winner!"

Bogdan Cosma-Cristofor managed a master stroke with a brilliant victory. Still in Lonato, he will try to do it again on Sunday, 3rd April, at the famous Andrea Margutti Trophy, which will celebrate its 33rd edition! He will join his brother David, who competes in the X30 Junior category. At the IAME Series Italy, David had a chance to enter the top 10 in the Final, but unfortunately an incident at the beginning of the race forced him to retire.

About Bogdan Cosma Cristofor

Bogdan Cosma-Cristofor is today one of the most promising prospects in Romania. This young karting driver was born on 25rd March, 2011. He made his first steps in competition in 2018. Motivated by the success of his brother David, a year older than him, he quickly progressed on the circuits in his home country, before getting involved at the international level.

The world's best drivers in the Mini category are now used to meeting in Italy and Bogdan has not hesitated to compete with them, constantly improving his results in the last two seasons. With the Gulstar Racing team, he now wants to move up a gear and regularly finish in the international top 10 and to aim for the podium as soon as possible.