JULIA ANGELARD EIGHTH IN THE OPENING OF THE POLISH KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

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  • The inaugural round of the Polish Karting Championships, held last weekend at Kartodrom Bydgoszcz, was marked by changeable weather conditions and strong competition in each age category.
  • Fourteen-year-old Julia Angelard, after qualifying sixth in the OK Junior category, started Friday’s competition with a solid fourth place. Unfortunately, a bit of bad luck in subsequent races meant that the ORLEN Motorsport Academy protégé ultimately after four races was classified in eighth place, only one point behind the competitor ahead of her.
  • There are still three rounds ahead of the KMP (Kartingowe Mistrzostwa Polski) participants – in June at the Poznań Circuit, in August at the Autodrom Słomczyn and in September at the facility in Biłgoraj.

Karting competition in Poland last weekend has entered its main phase – the competitors have begun their fight for the title of best and fastest. It was at Kartodrom Bydgoszcz on May 15-16 that the inaugural round of this year’s Polish Karting Championships and the Children and Youth Sports Competition kicked off. The inaugural round’s undoubted success was the surprising, large turnout – Bydgoszcz hosted both drivers who normally compete in Poland and stronger fields competing in Italy or European karting series. Most categories were full – which undoubtedly demonstrates how popular motorsport is becoming in Poland, and the Polish elite consists of top European drivers. Among the drivers who entered the competition in the highly competitive OK Junior category there was also Julia Angelard, a member of the Junior National Team and participant of the ORLEN Motorsport Academy.

Solid qualifications and a good Friday
During Friday’s qualifying practice, in which drivers managed between two and six laps, Julia Angelard improved her time lap by lap, closing the gap to the fastest driver on track. As a result, the sixth and final lap of the session proved crucial – Julia’s time of 58.416 seconds placed her sixth in the 28-driver field of OK-Junior drivers, a promising sign for the rest of the race weekend.

In the first race of the inaugural round of KMP, taking place in rainy conditions, Julia confirmed her potential, moving up two places to finish fourth. However, the second race scheduled for Friday had to be moved to Saturday due to weather conditions, leaving Julia Angelard fourth in the field on the first day of competition.

Demanding Saturday and TOP8 at the end of the round
Saturday’s competition, unfortunately, did not go entirely according to the Polish competitor’s expectations – considering the KMP regulations, according to which the results of one race determine the start of the next, an unfortunate result of one of them could affect the entire racing weekend.

Finishing eleventh, twelfth and tenth on Saturday, Julia Angelard ultimately collected 28 points, placing eighth in the individual competition standings and just one point behind her rival.

Julia Angelard: I was hoping for more
“Eighth place is a really good result, although I was hoping for more. Both qualifying and Friday’s race showed that I have the pace to fight among the very top. However, motorsport is unpredictable, and the regulations of the Polish Karting Championships punish those who, for random reasons, even beyond their control, finish lower in individual races, being carried off the track by a rival, or being involved as a passenger in a collision. Well, that’s life, and the rules apply to everyone – I’m happy with eighth place in the overall standings and I hope that the next rounds will allow me to climb higher,” emphasizes the driver of Minardi Management powered by Dag Ltd.

The teenage competitor now has a week off from racing, after which she will have an intense period of competition in the Champions of the Future Academy, Champions of the Future and FIA Karting European Championship series, before taking part in the second round of the Polish Karting Championship, scheduled for June 19-21 at the Poznań Circuit.