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Will Stevens
starts the new season with an emphatic win in Italy
Will Stevens delivered an almost faultless weekend to
leave La Conca leading the Winning Series Karting [WSK] Championship - and his
rivals in no doubt that a major talent has arrived.
The 16-year old - who enjoyed an incredible season in
KF2 last year, winning the Asia Pacific, Italian Open Masters and European Championships
– dominated the KF1 class, almost from the outset.
In timed qualifying, just 0.005 prevented the
youngster from topping the time-sheets. His Tonykart team-mate Gary Catt
posting a 48.639 to Stevens’ 48.644. Going through to the Super Pole session [effectively
a shoot-out between the ten quickest drivers], Stevens finished in 3rd
place but garnered valuable points for his performance.
In the two elimination heats, Stevens further
under-lined his talent by winning both races and sealing pole position for the
pre-final. The Oxshott-based driver duly converted his advantage into victory
and claimed P1 on the grid for the main final.
With close friend Catt alongside, and reigning World
champion Marco Ardigo [also a Tonykart driver] behind on row two, Stevens could
be forgiven for displaying some nervousness prior to the off. If he did have
any concerns, they didn’t show. Stevens cruised to a deserved debut victory in
the premier category, ahead of Catt and Dutchman Jack Te Braak.
Afterwards, the Englishman – whose career is guided by
ITV F1 pundits and former GP stars, Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle - said: “I’m delighted to have won both finals and
to leave La Conca with an early lead in the Championship. The kart’s been very
fast all weekend and the team found a great set-up that helped me to conserve
my tyres. There’s a long way to go, and I’m sure that everyone will improve as
the season progresses. Our job is to make sure that we stay ahead of our
rivals.”
Stevens hinted at one of his principal goals for the
2008 season when he added: “My
performance and that of the team here [at La Conca], bodes well for the World Championship, when we return in September.”
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