The 15 corners of the Le Mans Karting circuit have provided the setting for world-class racing, crucial overtakes and a shuffling of the deck to the entertainment of the packed circuit of spectators enjoying a display of the best international gearbox kart racing drivers.

In KZ, polesitter Viktor Gustafsson maintained his lead after a win and two second place finishes which other drivers were unable to capitalise on. The wins by Denner and Orlov during the heats today will however leave no room for Gustafsson to relax as hungry and highly competitive opposition will line up behind him for tomorrow's super heat.

In KZ2, Lehouck and Kajak dominated the category with both drivers ending the day on a perfect haul of 150 points and three heat victories. Both drivers will start on pole position for the two Super Heats tomorrow morning.

In KZ2 Masters, Abbasse took the lead in the standings after three wins out of three, including a vital overtake on Fore during his first heat of the day which pushed Fore down to seventh, denting his hopes of converting pole to victory this weekend.

Tomorrow's action kicks off with the first of the super heats from 09:50. The Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship is available to watch LIVE and FREE on the FIA Karting YouTube Channel.

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Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship – KZ

Viktor Gustafsson, polesitter from yesterday's qualifying, lined up alongside an eager Maksim Orlov this morning before delivering the start he needed to defend his position and lead the pack throughout the opening laps. Trefilov and Denner maintained position behind Gustafsson and Orlov until lap two when they dramatically collided with each other, ending Denner's heat early. Tom Leuillet was the other noticeable driver to face difficulty in the first heat of the day, ending the morning without any points.

Gustafsson held off the mounting pressure from Orlov to take the first heat win with a margin of just three tenths of a second as the polesitter extended his advantage in the World Championship weekend. Behind them, Hiltbrand rapidly gained six positions to push into the top three as Vasile, Van Walstijn and Albanese also all benefitted from the early change in positions to climb into the top positions.

The second of three KZ heats this afternoon started with Gustafsson under heavy pressure from both Orlov and Denner who swiftly made up a vital position in the opening lap. Orlov took the lead in the early laps of the heat which he maintained throughout to take the second win of the day.

Gustafsson held off the push from Denner to cross the line in second during an eventful heat which saw reigning World Champion Van Walstijn, Stan Pex, Pedro Hiltbrand and Stan Pex all retiring to present a new hurdle in their campaigns to secure the 2026 World Champion title.

Leuillet had a more promising second heat to pick up eight spots as Bertuca and Ebner both recorded a jump of 10 to recover their qualifying performances from yesterday.

The final and decisive heat of the day contained some of the most exciting racing of the day as a battle for the lead ensued with every point vital in their World Championship campaigns. Denner's lurch for the lead paid off as Gustafsson fell back to second place, Orlov dropped down the standings and Van Walstijn capitalised to sit in third position.

Trefilov, Albanese, Vasile and Palomba all lost places in the final KZ heat of the day with Hiltbrand and Galli both making up places to secure their places in the top 10.

Top 5 after qualifying heats (KZ)

1) Viktor Gustafsson (SWE, CRG)
2) Maksim Orlov (RUS, Sodikart)
3) Daniel Vasile (ROU, Maranello)
4) Emilien Denner (FRA, Formula K)
5) Marijn Kremers (NED, CL Racing Team)

View the KZ Qualifying Results

FIA Karting World Cup – KZ2

Polesitter and home racer Arthur Lehouck was out on track first today and protected his leading position, as did Schaufler who started on pole in the second KZ2 heat of the morning. Behind them the expected exchange of position in the KZ2 category started after qualifying left a number of the frontrunners down the order. Schleimer, Civico Espona, Ider and Sala all gaining positions this morning.

Noah Wolfe, however, didn't enjoy the same fortune as Lehouck and Schaufler as he lost his leading position to Goldstein before suffering a technical failure halfway through the heat leaving Skirvan to ultimately take the heat win ahead of Goldstein.

The final KZ2 heat of the morning, saw Kimi Tani make his early move over Kajak only for the Estonian driver to retake the lead, secure the heat win and confirm three of the four KZ drivers to lead their heats were able to convert their advantage to heat wins.

A poor start off the line for Robillot Lagache handed Schaufler the first KZ2 heat win of this afternoon and his second of the day with Kindervater also benefitting. The third afternoon heat resulted in Kajak taking the win over Goldstein with Pesl and Ider retiring.

Noah Wolfe bounced back during the last of the afternoon heats as he banked his first heat win, keeping Kimi Tani at bay. Marek Skrivan, who qualified in tenth position yesterday, lost out to Girardet and Morgatto during a heat Eric Cristian Enache benefitted most from climbing a total of 10 places.

The final set of KZ2 heats provided the most entertaining lineup of the day as Lehouck and Schaufler lined up on the front row together, both drivers having won their earlier two heats. At the start, Lehouck held the lead before a blockbuster battle for the lead ensued as Schaufler looked for every opportunity to edge past the polesitter.

Schaufler's speed today was ultimately unmatched as he navigated his way into the lead to complete a trio of victories on track today for the Austrian driver, only dampened by a subsequent five second penalty in his final heat for a start infringement.

In the subsequent heats, Jayden Thien got off to a lightning start in his final heat of the day, gaining three positions in the opening seconds to get a heat win under his belt this weekend, while Kajak matched Schaufler with a perfect 150 points after banking an overtake on Noah Wolfe who ended the day with a mixed set of results.

Ending the day of running, Girardet took the heat win and secure third position in his pool, Tani held onto second position with Goldstein losing a couple of places to end the day in fourth position in his pool standings.

Top 3 after qualifying heats (KZ2)

Pool 1
1) Arthur Lehouck (FRA, Formula K)
2) Niklas Schaufler (AUT, DPK)
3) Oliver Städtler (GER, Formula K)

Pool 2
1) Markus Kajak (EST, Formula K)
2) Kimi Tani (FIN, La Motorsport di Nordera Luca)
3) Alois Girardet (FRA, CRG)

View the KZ2 Qualifying Results

International Super Cup – KZ2 Masters

This morning started with Davide Fore defending his advantage secured in qualifying yesterday and as the lights went out for the first time today, Fore fell victim to a successful charge for the lead from Abbasse and Bray behind to push the 2023 International Super Cup winner down the order where he continued to tumble, eventually crossing the line in seventh position.

Abbasse and Bray emerged as the strongest contenders in the first session this morning with Lombardo securing an early overtake on Aurelien Rey in the second heat to take the win and keep himself among the favourites this weekend.

This afternoon, Abbasse again protected his advantage during this second heat with the other top four positions of Rey, Picot and Badey unchanged from lights out to chequered flag. Stian Paulsen delivered one of the masterful drives of the day in the Masters category, taking advantage of a melee ahead to climb 20 places during the opening laps, before dropping back slightly and crossing the line in 18th.

The subsequent heat was led almost entirely by Lombardo until a final lap mishap where he seemingly thought he had taken the chequered flag with a lap still left to run, allowing Daniel Bray to take the win with Davide Fore dropping a position to cross the line in second. Before the final heats of the day, Abbasse led the standings with a maximum 100 points and Bray narrowly behind on 94 points.

The final KZ2 Masters heats of the day started with a dramatic red flag at the start with a coming-together forcing the retirement of Yauhen Siachko and Rivolino De Cuypere. On the restart, Rey initially took the lead of the race, but a start infringement later handed him his third five second penalty of the day, jumping the start in every heat he started. Fore recovered his lead by the second lap which he held until the chequered flag with Bray half a second behind, unable to repeat his winning performance earlier in the day.

A perfect haul of points today for Abbasse's was in jeopardy during the final Masters heat of the day as Lombardo made his move on the French racer which he held until the finish. Lombardo's victory couldn't however deny Abbasse's pole position for tomorrow's super heats; a well-earned reward for his assured performance throughout today's heats.

Lombardo finishes the day in second position in the standings to claim the other super heat pole, with Bray and Fore taking the remaining front row positions for the super heats. Rubens Barrichello gained a total of 11 places over the day to leave him in 12th place in the standings after qualifying in 23rd.

Top 5 after qualifying heats (KZ2 Masters)

1) Anthony Abbasse (FRA, CPB Sport)
2) Angelo Lombardo (ITA, Maranello Kart)
3) Daniel Bray (NZL, Modena Kart)
4) Davide Fore (ITA, Formula K)
5) Ludovic Badey (FRA, Badey)