Archive for category: Championships

The Mugello circuit will close the Karol Basz’s debut season in GT with the seventh and final round of the Italian Gran Turismo championship. After having missed the Vallelunga round due to a clash with the CIK FIA kart world championship the Polish driver will once again be at the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport team’s Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup with which he put himself in the spotlight in his first race by taking pole position in the debut weekend at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit and going on to take podium finishes and collecting points.

It was in July on the demanding Tuscan circuit in the fourth round of the Italian championship that Karol convincingly took the podium in both races with second and third place in race 1 and 2 respectively, gathering a harvest of twenty seven points of the season’s sixty eight points.

“I am really happy to be able to close my first season in GT at Mugello. It is a track I like a lot where I had one of the best weekends of the season with the double podium. I am ready and after having missed the round at Vallelunga I am anxious to get back behind the wheel of the Lamborghini. It has been an intense and positive season which I will try to close in the best way possible,” commented Karol Basz.

“We are coming to Mugello after nearly a month away from GT racing, but Karol is determined to close the season in the best way after the disappointment in the kart world championship. He put a lot of work into the simulator and we hope to file away the first season with a deserved win after two podium finishes in July. The car has always performed well and Karol really likes the track,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The green light for race-1 will come on at 5.05pm on Saturday 7th while the curtain will come down on the season in the second race scheduled for 12.35pm on Sunday 8th.

It was another podium finish for Karol Basz at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit which was the stage for the fifth of the seven rounds of the Italian Gran Turismo championship when he took third place at the end in race-1 on Saturday afternoon.

After a quick start from the front row with the second fastest time in qualifying-1 the Antonelli Motorsport’s Polish driver, together with Takashi Kasai, became the protagonist of a comeback after having been forced to make an unexpected pit stop due to the puncture of a tyre in the early part of the race that took the “black and orange” Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup to last place. Despite the tricky track the pair of Karol and Kasai became the protagonists of an incredible comeback and thus continuing the series of positive results (third consecutive third place) and also setting the fastest lap for the race.

“The first race was really incredible as we were forced to change tyres due to a puncture in the first part of the race that put us in last place. It was very exciting to overtake all those other cars and finishing in third place. Unfortunately the presence of the safety-car in race-2 did not give us the chance to repeat the feat. In any case it was a very positive weekend and I must thank all the Antonelli Motorsport team which gave us a fantastic car and my managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti,” commented a satisfied Karol Basz.

“It was a weekend that legitimized Karol’s potential also in GT competitions. After having gained the front row of the starting grid in qualifying he became the protagonist of race-1 following a great comeback after a puncture and without committing the slightest error. We also applaud his team mate Kasai. Unfortunately the long presence of the safety car in the second race reduced the chances of a comeback, but we can put away another weekend with a podium on the plus side. We are ready for the final part of the season,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

In two weeks the championship will go to the capital on the Vallelunga circuit for the sixth and penultimate round. In the meantime Karol will be involved in the World Kart Championship in England.

It was definitely a weekend to forget for Karol Basz who was involved on Finland’s Alaharma track in the fourth and penultimate round of the CIK FIA European Kart Championship, The weekend was strongly conditioned by contacts that nullified the final result, irreparably compromising his position in the ladder.

The Kosmic Racing Team’s Polish driver had put himself on show from the very beginning of the qualifying heats, just missing out on success in the first round with a second place and fourth place in the third round which was the result of an imposing come back after a lightning start from sixteenth place following a time penalty due to the damaged nosecone in the previous round.

However, his excellent pace was completely nullified at the first curve of the final session when Karol was forced to start from the back of the grid after a contact. In any case, he set the second fastest time for the race but had to be satisfied with 22nd place.

With an excellent start from twentieth position after having scored in the warm-up, Minardi Management’s Krakow born flag bearer managed to reach up to fifteenth place before being hit with another time penalty for the fall of the nosecone and thus closing the weekend outside the points.

“It was surely not our weekend. Qualifying did not go as I would have wanted and so I was forced to start the Final well back in the grid. Making up on this track is really difficult despite our good race rhythm and after having made the fastest lap in the final. I will try to make up for it quickly in Sweden next week,” commented Karol Basz.

“There must be more control by the race director during the races because ever more often the work of an entire weekend is thrown away by too much impetuousness of many younger drivers which is then left unpunished. This behaviour is carried on even when they reach Formula 4 where these same drivers cause dangerous accidents.

“We came to Finland with the objective of making up important points to fight for the title in Sweden. Instead, we are forced to leave the track without points despite that fact that Karol was amongst the fastest drivers. A real pity,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The closing chapter of this European championship will take place next week in Kristiansad (Sweden) where Karol will try to reach the podium at the last gasp and which today is fifteen points away.

Photos by Alex Vernardis & Loredana LRN / The RaceBox

On the occasion of the fourth double round of the Italian Gran Turismo championship at Mugello this weekend (July 14th – 6th) Karol Basz will be back behind the wheel of the “black and orange” Antonelli Motorsport team’s Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup after the positive weekend at Le Mans in the European CIK FIA karting championship.

After having gathered many positive plaudits from insiders since his debut in the championship, on the demanding Tuscan circuit the Minardi Management’s Polish driver will try for a quick come back after the difficult appointment at Monza which was conditioned by the left rear wheel problem due to an explosion of a screw nut at 230km/h, in any case he managed to control the car before parking it at the side of the track.

“It will surely be a very hot weekend, but I am ready to get back to the wheel of the Lambo and to gain another important result on the most demanding track. It has been an intense period between the Kart and GT appointments,” commented Karol Basz.

“Karol is showing once more that he is a great professional with a great spirit for adapting skilfully between the kart to the GT races. External events conditioned the Monza weekend, yet he again confirmed that he is one of the fastest drovers on the track. At Mugello it will be a very hot weekend that will subject the physique of the drivers to a hard test. Another challenge,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The intense programme for the weekend will begin at 9.00am Friday with a single free practice session of 45 minutes before the two 15’ qualifying rounds (at 5.00pm and 5.25pm) which will assign the starting grid for the two races of 28’ + 1 lap scheduled for Saturday at 4.00pm and Sunday at 1.15pm.

Two weeks after his near win at Misano Karol Basz is ready to make his debut at the temple of speed that is Monza in the third appointment of the Italian GT championship.

The multi winning kart driver from Krakow who has just come from the European Clk-FIA championship round will return to the wheel of the black and orange Antonelli Motorsport Team Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup on the hunt for the season’s first success after having obtained pole position and a podium finish in the first round at Imola and having led the race in his stint on the track thanks to a lightning start.

It has been an exciting beginning to the season for the driver assisted by Minardi Management in which he has had the chance to test the ultrafast straights, together with his team mate, during the day of testing.

“I truly like this circuit very much and I can’t wait to take to the track in my Lambo. It is very fast and I hope to have a perfect weekend. But this will also need a touch of luck,” commented Karol Basz.

“Karol’s start in the championship has been more than positive considering that he began totally hungry even though, for the moment, he has missed out on a win. We will certainly try here at Monza. At Misano he went very close, making himself the protagonist with a perfect stint. Kasai’s penalty was a pity. He has adapted quickly to the Lamborghini and the team taking his place solidly in the top positions. Now we have to carry on with our job,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The two practice sessions of an hour each will start on Friday from 10.30am and 2.40pm in preparation for the official sessions programmed for Saturday 17th beginning at 9.30am. The first of the two races of the Super GT Cup will start at 5.00pm Saturday. Race-2 will begin at 5.30pm with direct streaming on www.acisportitalia.it.

At the Misano circuit, the stage for the second round of the Italian GT championship, Karol Basz once more put himself under the spotlight at the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup, even though the final result did not do him justice.

At his second excursion in the Italian championship and debut at the circuit named in honour of Marco Simoncelli the many times karting champion who next week will be one of the protagonists of the second round of the CIK-FIA European championship at the Spanish track owned by Fernando Alonso with the Kosmic Racing Team won a place on the front row of the grid with the second best time and just missed out on winning race-2 after having made the fastest race lap time.

At the start of the second race the Polish driver took a leading role with a perfect start which put him immediately at the head of the race where he dictated the rhythm until the pit stop. Karol handed over the wheel of the black and orange Lamborghini with the number 102 to his teammate Takashi Kasai who incurred a 25” penalty due to an error of judgment at the re-entry of the safety car and thus lost the race lead in the final laps, finishing the race in sixth place.

“I was very happy with my work in both qualifying and the race. The car was perfect and our rhythm was excellent. The penalty at the end was a pity. I was hoping for the first win. We will surely try once more at Monza, but first must come Spain for the European kart championship,” commented Karol Basz.
“Karol showed all his worth both on the track and by setting up his car. After the contact which involved Kasai during the first part of race-1 the Antonelli Team was very good at repairing the car, also following Karol’s indications for modifying the setup in light of the second race where he was perfect at the start, He would have deserved success. In his turn he did not commit the slightest error. It was a pity for the penalty,” was the analysis of managers Alberto Tonti and Giovanni Minardi.

As we await the round at Monza in programme for two weeks time, Basz will fly to Spain for the second round of the European karting championship.