With a field of 42 drivers and a good proportion of the major international teams, the OK category offered an interesting challenge for this first round of the WSK Euro Series contested on LeCont tyres. The selective Franciacorta track and high temperatures enabled the Birel ART Racing Team to enrich its database and ensure the competitiveness of the Birel ART / TM Kart karts at the start of the summer.

Ean Eyckmans was a regular in the leading group of the premier class. After starting 7th in Qualifying, the Belgian driver put in a fine effort in the heats to climb back up to 5th place on Saturday evening. He confirmed his competitiveness in the Final, climbing from 10th on the first lap to 5th at the chequered flag. Meanwhile, Ludovico Busso put in a very good performance from 5th in Qualifying. Delayed by an incorrectly positioned front fairing penalty in his second heat, he scored a fine 3rd place in the Prefinal with the second fastest time of the race. He then fought his way into the Final top 10 before finishing 9th.

In the Mini Under-10 category, Senn Lindeman maintained a steady pace in Qualifying and throughout the heats. He was in 7th place on Saturday evening, but was unable to follow that up on Sunday when he retired following contact at the start of the Final.

"It was an interesting weekend for the team," explained Jordon Lennox, Birel ART Racing's OK Team Manager. "We worked in good conditions and gathered a lot of information in high temperatures. The equipment performed very well and we're delighted with Eyckmans' top five and Busso's P9."

After this satisfying experience, all Birel ART's attention is now focused on the KZ, KZ2 and KZ Masters categories, which will kick off their European Championship next weekend in Spain at the Motorland Aragon circuit.

About Birel ART

Birel ART is an Italian manufacturer of kart chassis that combines long experience and a keen sense of innovation with a boundless passion for motor sport.

Founded in 1959 by Umberto Sala, whose precise nickname was Birel, the company has played a pioneering role in the development of karting around the world since its very beginnings. The demand for quality has always been part of the DNA of the Lissone-based brand through its quest for success in competition. Over more than 60 years, Birel ART has won 26 world titles, countless European titles and numerous national championships.

Birel has accompanied the careers of many great racing drivers, including Riccardo Patrese, Keke Rosberg, Stefano Modena and Emanuele Pirro, as well as the more recent Formula 1 stars Mika Hakkinen and Juan Pablo Montoya, Robert Kubica, Jenson Button and George Russell. Robert Kubica, Daniel Ricciardo and more recently Charles Leclerc have called on Birel ART's expertise to launch their own chassis ranges.

Three generations have succeeded one another at the helm of Birel. Today, Ronni Sala, the founder's grandson, presides over Birel's destiny. In 2014, he ushered in a new era by joining forces with ART Grand Prix, a famous team on the single-seater scene, thanks to its association with Nicolas Todt and his partners. Birel ART was born.

Ronni has contributed to the creation of an ambitious new project that will be at the forefront of the karting industry, thanks to original sporting, marketing and communication initiatives that will benefit the brand, the dealer network and, of course, Birel ART's customers.

Birel ART has built on its prestigious heritage to enter the 21st century and make full use of technology in terms of R&D, production, logistics and communication. Its area of expertise, based on high-level competition, has been extended to include production quality control for a large number of competitors around the world, as well as the leisure sector with its Rental range with both internal combustion and electric engines. The factory at its original site in Lissone, near Monza and within easy reach of Milan, has undergone constant modernisation.

Birel ART's high level of expertise, with its well-balanced blend of tradition and innovation, is reflected in the results it has achieved in racing, offering fans around the world the opportunity to become real drivers or to have fun and experience the thrill of adrenaline on the track.