20/10/2015
The eve premises were met in full and the 13th edition of the Rok Cup International Final closed with a formidable success. First of all we have to mention the four champions (the Mini Rok is sub judice) Szymon Szyszko (ROK), Giacomo Pollini (Shifter Rok), Danny Carenini (Junior Rok) and Danilo Albanese (Super Rok).
Four sensational champions who had the best on 350 Rok excellent drivers, who came from 35 countries and 5 continents, aiming at gaining the world most important titles for any Rokker. The Rok Final week, which has in the South Garda circuit in Lonato (Italy) its perfect location, took place with a healthy and joyful sport spirit. Anxiety rose with a perfect crescendo, until obtaining the highest peak during the Saturday afternoon finals and fell again during the Rok Party and prize giving.
CHAMPIONS CHOOSE THE ROK CHAMPIONS.
In the active Rok Final paddock we had true champions, signing autographs, giving interviews and following the show on and off the track. They shook hands and gave advice, champions such as Ralf Schumacher (F1 driver and DTM), Jarno Trulli (F1 driver and Karting World and European Champion), Giorgio Pantano (driver F1 and IndyCar), P.J. Jones (NASCAR, IndyCar, Daytona Prototipe), Alessandro Piccini (World and European Karting Champion), Johnny Mislijevic (World and European Karting Champion), Marco Ardigò (World and European Karting Champion) and Karol Basz (World Karting Champion).
RACES
JUNIOR ROK. CARENINI ACROSS WHITE AND PAGANO.
The Rok Italian champion Francesco Pagano (ITA) immediately gets the pole and manages to obtain the first position at the end of the heats, with a success and two good places.
Danny Carenini (ITA), Nigel De Sanctis (ITA), Maciej Szyszko (POL) and Stuart White (ZAF) are the other winners of the heats, with the future champion Carenini, able to win twice.
At the top positions we also have Alessandro Giardelli (ITA), Nicola Abrusci (ITA), Skeed (ITA) and defending champion Michal Kasiborski (POL).
In the pre-final Carenini waits until the last, giving vent to Pagano first and then Giardelli, before making the overtaking that takes him to the forefront at the start of the final. Pagano is lined up next to the leader ahead of the South African Stuart and Italian Giardelli. It seems clear that this poker of drivers has the best chance to play for the Junior Rok title.
The final of the Junior class will be remembered as the race with the most spectacular, uncertain, coloured arrival, with the winner, Carenini, who crosses the finish line completely sideways, between Stuart and Pagano.
Before the unforgettable final sprint, the race reserves a crescendo of emotions worthy of a race of great importance and of high-level drivers, which Rokkers are. Pagano at the second lap reaches Carenini and tries to escape, leaving behind White, Abrusci, Giardelli and the same Carenini.
On the tenth lap, after a period in favour of the leader Pagano, the pursuers fail to coordinate, do not bother, and recover the gap separating them from the leaders. The last laps were formidable with Pagano, White and Carenini, which, glued to one another, study on how to find the right moment. Abrusci and Giardelli follow the leading trio, hoping to be able to place the winning shot.
The final sprint catalyses all the attention, Pagano, White and Carenini cut the finishing line of the penultimate lap, starting a breathtaking tussle at the “spiral” curves already. White and Carenini exchange their placing many times and Pagano seems safe, but in the last two hundred meters pursuers reach the leader, better set the last bend and go straight to victory. A few meters from the finishing line the three drivers, side by side, close one next to the other, push on the gas and do not give up a centimetre. Carenini, in the middle, flies sideways and all three go under the chequered flag, with the stewards’ timing establishing the official response. Carenini is champion ahead of White and Pagano.
ROK. AGAINST SZYSZKO THERE IS NO HISTORY.
Since the qualifying it seems clear that Szymon Szyszko is the man to be fought in Rok category. The young Pole flies on the wet track and does the same during the heats, winning three out of three.
Yoshindo Baumgartner (SUI) is always fast, he wins a heat and the in the other goes head to head with Szyszko, aiming at battling number one to gain the title.
The South African Jonathan Aberdein wins a heat, as well as the Italian Alessio Baldi, and he gains the second row in the pre-final. Third placed is the Irishman John Norris ahead the pair of young Italians made up of Baldi and Matteo Chiari. Michael Mueller (SUI) and Angelo Cutrupi (ITA) complete the third row.
In the prefinal is still Szyszko the leader ahead of Norris and Aberdein. More detached are Baldi and Lodovico Laurini (ITA) after a good recovery. The prefinal sets forth the way out of a protagonist, Baumgartner, who loses places in the tussle of the top drivers and thus he is relegated to twelfth place.
At the start of the final the very good performance of Szymon Szyszko is now put into practice in the best way following the advice of his friend, the World Champion, Karol Basz, always at his side.
Aberdein and Norris try to chase the unreachable Szyszko, but soon (lap 3) the South African is overtaken by the Irishman Norris and sees the big group of pursuers becoming closer and closer, composed by Baldi, Laurini, Alessandro Di Cori (ITA) Muller, Giuseppe Gaglianò (ITA), Alessandro Trombelli (ITA), Cristian Comanducci (ITA), Leonardo Pelosi (ITA), Cutrupi, Chiari, Manuel Gritti (ITA), Luca Clerici (ITA), Paolo Baselli (ITA) and Igor Lejko (POL), Florindo Riccardo (ITA), Cristiano Colafrancesco (ITA) and the fury Daniel Barbero.
The first two run fast, lonely and distant from each other while the tussle for the podium is unbelievable. Seventeen drivers run nailed to one another, defending and attacking simultaneously. The scorching situation of this group of Rokkers ignites on twelfth lap when a collision between Comanducci and Florindo causes a loss of water from the radiator of the first. On the slippery asphalt some top drivers fall, such as Baldi and Colafrancesco.
The fight, lap after lap, is getting tougher and spectacular, Barbero is overwhelming and the on fifteenth lap completes his masterpiece (19 positions recovered), taking the podium behind Szyszko and Norris.
The South African Aberdein in the final path is not able to leave behind Laurini and Mueller, who overtake and win, respectively, the fourth and fifth place.
The best lap of the race it signed by the élite 30 Paolo Baselli (ITA), returned in marvellous form after a season of break.
The last laps of the race are a parade for the young Polish Szymon Szyszko who is able to close the race with a substantial gap on the fast and expert Norris.
SUPER ROK. ALBANESE BENDS STICHT AND WINS AGAIN
In qualifying, the first best performance is of the German Josep Seppi Sticht, but his joy for the pole is frozen during the checks with a relegation to last place. So the champion Riccardo Cinti (ITA) takes the pole ahead of the Rok champion Danilo Albanese (ITA), Lorenzo Travisanutto (ITA) and Dominik Weibel (CHE).
In the heats Stefano Villa Zanotti (ITA) is leader and with two victories he is ahead the young Cinti, author of a success, Albanese and the American Ryan Norberg.
Already at the end of the heats we can record some interesting recoveries, such as those of Kyle Kirkwood (USA), from the twenty-fourth to ninth, Fabrizio Boldoni (ITA), from the twenty-fifth to twelfth, and Ondrej Kocka (CZE), from the seventeenth to the thirty-first place.
Even more powerful are the recoveries performed by Cosimo Durante (ITA) and Michele Imberti (ITA), able of taking more than twenty positions. But the comeback that heightens the whole paddock is of the tough Josep Seppi Sticht who from the last position (fifty) closes the heats in eleventh, recovering forty positions!
In the prefinal we lost immediately, unfortunately, a likely hero, Villa Zanotti, ending out after two bends. Durante dominates the whole race and is not dismayed at re-start after a "slow", by the fearsome Sticht. Albanese, Norberg, Cinti and Travisanutto complete the top three rows.
After seeing what has been done in the heats and in the prefinal, at the start of the final all eyes are on Sticht. Durante is not intimidated and takes the lead by overtaking Albanese, second, and Sticht.
From the center of the group there is Michele Imberti (ITA) emerging in a fury and quickly getting rid of expert rivals such as Norberg, Daniele Bartoletti (ITA), Mattia D'Abramo (ITA), Alessandro Vantini (ITA) and Travisanutto, chasing now the leaders.
On sixth lap Durante is forced to withdraw and this way the race loses another pretender to the title, so in the lead are now paired and solitary Albanese and Sticht.
When the comeback of Imberti comes into action and all people now sees a three-way battle for the International Super Rok title, the young Italian stops, leaving the field open to Albanese and Sticht.
The twists and turns are not finished because while the first two talented actors are sharpening their weapons and share the leadership of the race, the sign "347-3" is shown. Sticht receives a penalty of three second for an infringement at the start.
The title is at this point of Danilo Albanese, who controls the opponent, does not attack him and takes home the second consecutive Rok International title, ahead of another two-time-champion, Vantini. Third place is Travisanutto, before the hero of the weekend Seppi Sticht.
With the great success achieved by Danilo Albanese he is also the second driver in the Rok Cup history winning two titles in two different categories, Rok and Super Rok. In the past only the South African Wesleigh Orr gained the same record, King of Rok and Super categories.
In such a category where wonderful comebacks took place, the greater number of overtakings in the final goes to the lady Tanja Mueller, who closes in seventh place, after placing twenty-four overtakings and the best lap of the final.
SHIFTER. POLLINI IS A STEAMROLLER
Paolo Bonetti (ITA) takes the pole in qualifying by virtue of the fact that his group is on track with slick tires, despite the first group, forced to run on a wet track and rain tires. Giacomo Pollini is the fastest of the first group and joins the rival Bonetti in the front row.
In the heats Pollini gains two wins in two races and he leads the grid of the prefinal in front of the American Austin Garrison.
Federico Squaranti (ITA) and Alessandro Buran (ITA), precede Bonetti, the English Jaime Rush and Mattia Lugli (ITA).
In the prefinal Pollini it is fast and unreachable, while behind him Buran fights and gets the better of a tenacious rival such as Federico Squaranti. Bonetti finished fourth before of the excellent American Austin, while the defending champion, Gianmarco Ercoli (ITA), though very fast, is not able to emerge from the center of the group.
In the final Pollini performs a perfect solo, jumps very fast and leads undisturbed for all twenty laps. The tussle behind him is lively and sees Squaranti going off the track already on the fourth lap. Bonetti and Buran come closer on the seventh lap, while they fight for the second place and leave now out of contention.
Mattia Vita (ITA), quite far, recovers vigorously and neither the excellent Lugli manages to block his way to winning the runner. From his turn Lugli has no trouble in controlling Austin and Nathan Parkins (SZA) for the win of the third step of the podium.
Andrea Tonoli (ITA) wins the special 30 élite ranking, finishing in eighth place and Ercoli leaves and gives the Champion title, winning the best lap of the final.
MINI ROK. MARSEGLIA OR MICHELOTTO?
In order to thin out the endless group of more than 120 Mini Rok drivers six heats are necessary for each of the two groups of the crazy Mini Rokkers.
At the end of the first phase leaders of the first group are Mattia Michelotto (ITA) and Leonardo Marseglia (ITA) winners, respectively, of three and two heats. A heat goes to the South African Saood Variawa.
The heats of the 2 Series see a better balance with a win each for Timotheos Dimitriou (GRE), Carlton Crawford (USA), Giardelli Luca (ITA), Francesco Pizzi (ITA), Leandro Anderruti (SUI), Gustas Grinbergas (NOR) .
In the prefinal the fight gets tight and are five the drivers showing to be better than the rest of the platoon, Marseglia, Jakub Szablewski (POL), Giardelli and Dimitriou, who close in this order. Michelotto loses some positions only after a collision made in the tussle and finishes eighth but he shows off he can aim to win the top step.
The final takes place with a close comparison between Marseglia and Michelotto that fires up in the final moments. Marseglia after leading the entire race, is crashed by Michelotto. The latter wins but is then penalized for the contact caused on the tenth lap. Victory goes to Marseglia, who suffered the contact, but the appeal lodged by the team of Michelotto makes the ranking sub judice, with the title which will be awarded after the sporting authority’s decision.
OTK M&C
Four sensational champions who had the best on 350 Rok excellent drivers, who came from 35 countries and 5 continents, aiming at gaining the world most important titles for any Rokker. The Rok Final week, which has in the South Garda circuit in Lonato (Italy) its perfect location, took place with a healthy and joyful sport spirit. Anxiety rose with a perfect crescendo, until obtaining the highest peak during the Saturday afternoon finals and fell again during the Rok Party and prize giving.
CHAMPIONS CHOOSE THE ROK CHAMPIONS.
In the active Rok Final paddock we had true champions, signing autographs, giving interviews and following the show on and off the track. They shook hands and gave advice, champions such as Ralf Schumacher (F1 driver and DTM), Jarno Trulli (F1 driver and Karting World and European Champion), Giorgio Pantano (driver F1 and IndyCar), P.J. Jones (NASCAR, IndyCar, Daytona Prototipe), Alessandro Piccini (World and European Karting Champion), Johnny Mislijevic (World and European Karting Champion), Marco Ardigò (World and European Karting Champion) and Karol Basz (World Karting Champion).
RACES
JUNIOR ROK. CARENINI ACROSS WHITE AND PAGANO.
The Rok Italian champion Francesco Pagano (ITA) immediately gets the pole and manages to obtain the first position at the end of the heats, with a success and two good places.
Danny Carenini (ITA), Nigel De Sanctis (ITA), Maciej Szyszko (POL) and Stuart White (ZAF) are the other winners of the heats, with the future champion Carenini, able to win twice.
At the top positions we also have Alessandro Giardelli (ITA), Nicola Abrusci (ITA), Skeed (ITA) and defending champion Michal Kasiborski (POL).
In the pre-final Carenini waits until the last, giving vent to Pagano first and then Giardelli, before making the overtaking that takes him to the forefront at the start of the final. Pagano is lined up next to the leader ahead of the South African Stuart and Italian Giardelli. It seems clear that this poker of drivers has the best chance to play for the Junior Rok title.
The final of the Junior class will be remembered as the race with the most spectacular, uncertain, coloured arrival, with the winner, Carenini, who crosses the finish line completely sideways, between Stuart and Pagano.
Before the unforgettable final sprint, the race reserves a crescendo of emotions worthy of a race of great importance and of high-level drivers, which Rokkers are. Pagano at the second lap reaches Carenini and tries to escape, leaving behind White, Abrusci, Giardelli and the same Carenini.
On the tenth lap, after a period in favour of the leader Pagano, the pursuers fail to coordinate, do not bother, and recover the gap separating them from the leaders. The last laps were formidable with Pagano, White and Carenini, which, glued to one another, study on how to find the right moment. Abrusci and Giardelli follow the leading trio, hoping to be able to place the winning shot.
The final sprint catalyses all the attention, Pagano, White and Carenini cut the finishing line of the penultimate lap, starting a breathtaking tussle at the “spiral” curves already. White and Carenini exchange their placing many times and Pagano seems safe, but in the last two hundred meters pursuers reach the leader, better set the last bend and go straight to victory. A few meters from the finishing line the three drivers, side by side, close one next to the other, push on the gas and do not give up a centimetre. Carenini, in the middle, flies sideways and all three go under the chequered flag, with the stewards’ timing establishing the official response. Carenini is champion ahead of White and Pagano.
ROK. AGAINST SZYSZKO THERE IS NO HISTORY.
Since the qualifying it seems clear that Szymon Szyszko is the man to be fought in Rok category. The young Pole flies on the wet track and does the same during the heats, winning three out of three.
Yoshindo Baumgartner (SUI) is always fast, he wins a heat and the in the other goes head to head with Szyszko, aiming at battling number one to gain the title.
The South African Jonathan Aberdein wins a heat, as well as the Italian Alessio Baldi, and he gains the second row in the pre-final. Third placed is the Irishman John Norris ahead the pair of young Italians made up of Baldi and Matteo Chiari. Michael Mueller (SUI) and Angelo Cutrupi (ITA) complete the third row.
In the prefinal is still Szyszko the leader ahead of Norris and Aberdein. More detached are Baldi and Lodovico Laurini (ITA) after a good recovery. The prefinal sets forth the way out of a protagonist, Baumgartner, who loses places in the tussle of the top drivers and thus he is relegated to twelfth place.
At the start of the final the very good performance of Szymon Szyszko is now put into practice in the best way following the advice of his friend, the World Champion, Karol Basz, always at his side.
Aberdein and Norris try to chase the unreachable Szyszko, but soon (lap 3) the South African is overtaken by the Irishman Norris and sees the big group of pursuers becoming closer and closer, composed by Baldi, Laurini, Alessandro Di Cori (ITA) Muller, Giuseppe Gaglianò (ITA), Alessandro Trombelli (ITA), Cristian Comanducci (ITA), Leonardo Pelosi (ITA), Cutrupi, Chiari, Manuel Gritti (ITA), Luca Clerici (ITA), Paolo Baselli (ITA) and Igor Lejko (POL), Florindo Riccardo (ITA), Cristiano Colafrancesco (ITA) and the fury Daniel Barbero.
The first two run fast, lonely and distant from each other while the tussle for the podium is unbelievable. Seventeen drivers run nailed to one another, defending and attacking simultaneously. The scorching situation of this group of Rokkers ignites on twelfth lap when a collision between Comanducci and Florindo causes a loss of water from the radiator of the first. On the slippery asphalt some top drivers fall, such as Baldi and Colafrancesco.
The fight, lap after lap, is getting tougher and spectacular, Barbero is overwhelming and the on fifteenth lap completes his masterpiece (19 positions recovered), taking the podium behind Szyszko and Norris.
The South African Aberdein in the final path is not able to leave behind Laurini and Mueller, who overtake and win, respectively, the fourth and fifth place.
The best lap of the race it signed by the élite 30 Paolo Baselli (ITA), returned in marvellous form after a season of break.
The last laps of the race are a parade for the young Polish Szymon Szyszko who is able to close the race with a substantial gap on the fast and expert Norris.
SUPER ROK. ALBANESE BENDS STICHT AND WINS AGAIN
In qualifying, the first best performance is of the German Josep Seppi Sticht, but his joy for the pole is frozen during the checks with a relegation to last place. So the champion Riccardo Cinti (ITA) takes the pole ahead of the Rok champion Danilo Albanese (ITA), Lorenzo Travisanutto (ITA) and Dominik Weibel (CHE).
In the heats Stefano Villa Zanotti (ITA) is leader and with two victories he is ahead the young Cinti, author of a success, Albanese and the American Ryan Norberg.
Already at the end of the heats we can record some interesting recoveries, such as those of Kyle Kirkwood (USA), from the twenty-fourth to ninth, Fabrizio Boldoni (ITA), from the twenty-fifth to twelfth, and Ondrej Kocka (CZE), from the seventeenth to the thirty-first place.
Even more powerful are the recoveries performed by Cosimo Durante (ITA) and Michele Imberti (ITA), able of taking more than twenty positions. But the comeback that heightens the whole paddock is of the tough Josep Seppi Sticht who from the last position (fifty) closes the heats in eleventh, recovering forty positions!
In the prefinal we lost immediately, unfortunately, a likely hero, Villa Zanotti, ending out after two bends. Durante dominates the whole race and is not dismayed at re-start after a "slow", by the fearsome Sticht. Albanese, Norberg, Cinti and Travisanutto complete the top three rows.
After seeing what has been done in the heats and in the prefinal, at the start of the final all eyes are on Sticht. Durante is not intimidated and takes the lead by overtaking Albanese, second, and Sticht.
From the center of the group there is Michele Imberti (ITA) emerging in a fury and quickly getting rid of expert rivals such as Norberg, Daniele Bartoletti (ITA), Mattia D'Abramo (ITA), Alessandro Vantini (ITA) and Travisanutto, chasing now the leaders.
On sixth lap Durante is forced to withdraw and this way the race loses another pretender to the title, so in the lead are now paired and solitary Albanese and Sticht.
When the comeback of Imberti comes into action and all people now sees a three-way battle for the International Super Rok title, the young Italian stops, leaving the field open to Albanese and Sticht.
The twists and turns are not finished because while the first two talented actors are sharpening their weapons and share the leadership of the race, the sign "347-3" is shown. Sticht receives a penalty of three second for an infringement at the start.
The title is at this point of Danilo Albanese, who controls the opponent, does not attack him and takes home the second consecutive Rok International title, ahead of another two-time-champion, Vantini. Third place is Travisanutto, before the hero of the weekend Seppi Sticht.
With the great success achieved by Danilo Albanese he is also the second driver in the Rok Cup history winning two titles in two different categories, Rok and Super Rok. In the past only the South African Wesleigh Orr gained the same record, King of Rok and Super categories.
In such a category where wonderful comebacks took place, the greater number of overtakings in the final goes to the lady Tanja Mueller, who closes in seventh place, after placing twenty-four overtakings and the best lap of the final.
SHIFTER. POLLINI IS A STEAMROLLER
Paolo Bonetti (ITA) takes the pole in qualifying by virtue of the fact that his group is on track with slick tires, despite the first group, forced to run on a wet track and rain tires. Giacomo Pollini is the fastest of the first group and joins the rival Bonetti in the front row.
In the heats Pollini gains two wins in two races and he leads the grid of the prefinal in front of the American Austin Garrison.
Federico Squaranti (ITA) and Alessandro Buran (ITA), precede Bonetti, the English Jaime Rush and Mattia Lugli (ITA).
In the prefinal Pollini it is fast and unreachable, while behind him Buran fights and gets the better of a tenacious rival such as Federico Squaranti. Bonetti finished fourth before of the excellent American Austin, while the defending champion, Gianmarco Ercoli (ITA), though very fast, is not able to emerge from the center of the group.
In the final Pollini performs a perfect solo, jumps very fast and leads undisturbed for all twenty laps. The tussle behind him is lively and sees Squaranti going off the track already on the fourth lap. Bonetti and Buran come closer on the seventh lap, while they fight for the second place and leave now out of contention.
Mattia Vita (ITA), quite far, recovers vigorously and neither the excellent Lugli manages to block his way to winning the runner. From his turn Lugli has no trouble in controlling Austin and Nathan Parkins (SZA) for the win of the third step of the podium.
Andrea Tonoli (ITA) wins the special 30 élite ranking, finishing in eighth place and Ercoli leaves and gives the Champion title, winning the best lap of the final.
MINI ROK. MARSEGLIA OR MICHELOTTO?
In order to thin out the endless group of more than 120 Mini Rok drivers six heats are necessary for each of the two groups of the crazy Mini Rokkers.
At the end of the first phase leaders of the first group are Mattia Michelotto (ITA) and Leonardo Marseglia (ITA) winners, respectively, of three and two heats. A heat goes to the South African Saood Variawa.
The heats of the 2 Series see a better balance with a win each for Timotheos Dimitriou (GRE), Carlton Crawford (USA), Giardelli Luca (ITA), Francesco Pizzi (ITA), Leandro Anderruti (SUI), Gustas Grinbergas (NOR) .
In the prefinal the fight gets tight and are five the drivers showing to be better than the rest of the platoon, Marseglia, Jakub Szablewski (POL), Giardelli and Dimitriou, who close in this order. Michelotto loses some positions only after a collision made in the tussle and finishes eighth but he shows off he can aim to win the top step.
The final takes place with a close comparison between Marseglia and Michelotto that fires up in the final moments. Marseglia after leading the entire race, is crashed by Michelotto. The latter wins but is then penalized for the contact caused on the tenth lap. Victory goes to Marseglia, who suffered the contact, but the appeal lodged by the team of Michelotto makes the ranking sub judice, with the title which will be awarded after the sporting authority’s decision.
OTK M&C
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