No less than 47 extremely spectacular heats followed one after another over three days for the 363 IWF24 drivers at the Zuera international karting circuit, renowned for its overtaking and sprint finishes. The technical and sporting fairness offered by the X30 engines from the Italian factory IAME is obviously a major contributor to this succession of suspenseful races. Belgium's Thibaut Ramaekers in the X30 Senior class, Spain's Benjamin Manach Klisowski in the X30 Junior class, Czech driver Zdenek Babicek in the X30 Mini class and Ireland's John Norris in the X30 Master class took the lead of the intermediate rankings before the final day of competition.
We'll have to wait for the final Qualifying Heats on Saturday to find out the starting grids for the Finals. Episodes of fog in the Spanish region of Aragon forced the organisers to adapt the schedule of this highly coveted IAME Warrior Final. The show on Thursday evening, with the parade of drivers and the presentation of medals, warmed hearts and bodies, as did the constant intensity on the track.
We'll have to wait for the final Qualifying Heats on Saturday to find out the starting grids for the Finals. Episodes of fog in the Spanish region of Aragon forced the organisers to adapt the schedule of this highly coveted IAME Warrior Final. The show on Thursday evening, with the parade of drivers and the presentation of medals, warmed hearts and bodies, as did the constant intensity on the track.
X30 Senior: Thibaut Ramaekers comes out on top
Winner of four of the five races contested, Belgian Thibaut Ramaekers handled the Qualifying Heats perfectly. His rivals were no slouches either, particularly those chasing him in the intermediate rankings: Italy's Danny Carenini won twice, Dutchman Kevin Lantinga three times, France's Clément Outran once and Great Britain's Freddie Lloyd three times, as did Clovis Nougueyrede, who finished 10th after crashing out of a heat due to a collision.
X30 Junior: Home advantage for the Spaniards
Benjamin Manach Klisowski and Daniel Mota did the Spanish flag proud in Zuera. They took the top two places on Friday evening ahead of OK-Junior World Champion Kenzo Craigie and Dutchman Devon Hagelen. The standard is still high in the IWF and a lot can still happen. Some drivers have had incidents in the race and will have to recover, while others have been consistent, such as Great Britain's Evan Purcell who is 5th ahead of Spain's Elvis Krasauskas, Great Britain's Zac Green, Finland's Otto Sakala and Great Britain's Harrison Mackie, recent winner of the IAME Euro Series.
X30 Mini: Zdenek Babicek confirms his status
Announced as one of the contenders for the title, Zdenek Babicek once again proved his worth with two wins and a 2nd place. The Czech driver leads the intermediate standings, taking over from poleman Ludwig Granquist at the top of the order. However, the future looks uncertain, as a number of young drivers have managed to win at least one heat: France's Many Nuvolini, his compatriots Mattis Brageot and Nino Moulin, Great Britain's Harry Williams, Belgium's Noah Grignet, Ireland's Christian Coby, Great Britain's Jarlath Sayer and the Netherlands' Abraham Schelvis.
X30 Master: three heats, three winners
Frenchman Nicolas Picot started from pole position but immediately came under pressure from Italy's Claudio Pagliarani, Ireland's John Norris and Norway's Tommy Kvakkestad Nordvang, who formed the top three in that order in Heat 1. Picot responded by winning Heat 2 against John Norris and France's Alexandre-Benoît Bessac. These breathless duels continued in Heat 3, this time with Norris winning ahead of Pagliarani, Bessac and Belgian Thierry Delré.
You can follow the event on social networks, on the IAME Motorsport app and on the iame-motorsport.com website.