In the Champions of the Future Shifter at Portimao, Birel ART chassis demonstrated a remarkable level of performance. Birel ART was the best-represented brand with almost 30 karts, or 20% of the field. Nine of its drivers qualified for the KZ2 Final and four finished in the top six. Danien Vasile dominated the category with four heat wins, one Super Heat and the overall victory. Artem Severukhin finished on the 3rd step of the podium after taking pole position, winning all his heats and the Super Heat. CL Racing's Corentin Rousseau moved up to 4th place, while Cristian Bertuca was 6th.

In KZ, Pedro Hiltbrand put in a superb performance to finish 2nd in the heats before winning the Super Heat with the fastest lap of the race. He confirmed this in the Final with a 3rd place just a few thousandths behind 2nd. Riccardo Longhi also finished in the top 10.

Davide Foré was in the top three of the KZ2 Master class for a long time. He got back into the rhythm after an average start in the Final, overtook his team-mate Andre Ferreira Serafim and finished 4th. Among the five Birel ART finalists, Serafim finished 7th.

"We performed well in all categories at Portimao," explained Team Manager Riccardo Longhi. "We encountered some rain before finishing on a dry track and we were up to the task at all times. It's an extremely positive result ahead of the upcoming FIA Karting event."

The KZ World Championship, the KZ2 World Cup and the KZ2 Master International Super Cup will take place at Portimao from 10th to 13th October 2024.

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.