SODI RACING TEAM [en] News

http://sodi.kartinside.com/en/news SODI RACING TEAM SODI RACING TEAM [en] News 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2012-05-14:358 2012-05-14T05:54:00+02:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 WSK: Abbasse Wins in KZ1 at Val d'Argenton

Anthony Abbasse has always been very fast in KZ1 since the beginning of the season, behind the wheel of his new Sigma KZ chassis powered by a top-performance Maxter engine prepared by Tec-Sav. After a long series of tests and some heavy training, the Sodi official driver and his kart arrived to the circuit of Val d'Argenton perfectly prepared for the second round of the WSK Euro Series. Anthony set the second fastest time in the rain, with slick tyres, and launched his attack starting from the heats on Saturday, by winning two qualification heats with a comfortable lead. A great victory in Final 1 rewarded the hard work done by both the driver and the team. Always in the leading pack the following day, Abbasse wasted time on the first bend of Final 2, but still thought he could regain ground, at least until his chain jumped off on a kerb. Sodi Racing Team performances at Val d'Argenton revealed excellent potential with a view to the European Championship at Wackersdorf, a circuit that has several similarities with the French track.Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2012-05-09:356 2012-05-09T15:23:20+02:00 2012-05-09T17:37:50+02:00 International Success for Abbasse and Sodi Sigma

The new 2012 Sodi range has definitely started under the best auspices. After the successes achieved in KF by the Celesta and in Mini-Cadet by the Delta, this time it was the new Sigma KZ chassis that allowed Anthony Abbasse to take an important victory in KZ1, at the WSK Euro Series meeting in Val d'Argenton against the best international teams, with another important achievement in a season full of excellent performances on all the circuits. Changing weather conditions - from dry weather to showers in just a few seconds - complicated the situation, but Anthony Abbasse could rely on the qualities of his Sigma chassis to stand out from his rivals during the WSK Euro Series. "Val d'Argenton is known for being one of the most technical circuits", explained the Sodi Racing Team driver. "Here, you need a very good chassis to go fast without destroying your tyres. We were already very fast during practice, and we repeated our excellent performances in the races".Abbasse started by setting the fastest time among the drivers who started with slick tyres in timed qualifying, when it began to rain. He then conquered the two qualification heats in quick succession on Saturday, in dry weather, with a very comfortable lead, which was all the more impressive considering that his rivals were the best international drivers. In Final 1, Anthony took again the lead alone during the 16 laps of the race. Victory was the logical reward for this excellent driver, as well as for the long development work done this winter by the French company. Sodi was proud to offer its engine preparer Tec-Sav its first international success of the season."The Sodi Racing Team has been working a lot recently. We are on the track every week to perform many tests, and this also enables us to continue to develop our chassis. We have acquired a good knowledge of our new chassis, which we exploit at best in all conditions. At Val d'Argenton, for example, we had a double advantage over our competitors: we were the fastest, but at the same time we preserved our tyres".In Sunday's final, Abbasse started again on the front line as the favourite, after his stunning performances during the weekend. "I did not take an excellent start", Anthony confessed at the end of the race. "I was boxed in on the outside of the first bend and I lost some time. Then I realised that everything was still going fine and that I could regain the lead. But on a kerb, the engine moved back and the chain jumped off. I had to go back on freewheel"."These things happen! For us, the most important thing is to be ready to catch the opportunity, and climbing onto the top step of the podium in WSK Euro Series is excellent evidence of that. We are confident for the European Championship, to be held at Wackersdorf in a month's time. The German circuit has some similarities with that of Val d'Argenton... We will be ready!" SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2012-02-23:353 2012-02-23T07:13:00+01:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Season Starts Well for Sodi

Anthony Abbasse, leading driver of the Sodi Racing Team, did a good job with his new Sigma chassis manufactured by the French company. On the first race of the year, this new product recently homologated by Sodi immediately showed its more than convincing potential during the prestigious Winter Cup. Abbasse relentlessly fought with the best drivers in KZ2, and even battled for leadership before claiming the third step of the podium in the final. Due to a slight delay caused by excessive tyre pressure in the pre-final while the track was beginning to dry out, he was forced to resort to all the resources of his kart to get back to the top 3 in the last race.Abbasse's success in KZ2 is not the only reason of satisfaction for the Sodikart company. In his maiden race in the KF3 international class, the young driver Arthur Lehouck effortlessly secured pole position in timed qualifying ahead of a pack of 103 competitors. This stunning performance was achieved thanks to his Sodi chassis, perfectly prepared by the SG Drivers team, and to his engine tune-up specialist Thierry Lépinne from IAME Belgium, but of course also thanks to an extraordinary driver, just arrived from the Minime class. What is more, Dorian Guldenfels showed a great performance and was the best French driver in the final, in 15th place, with the second fastest lap in the race. There is no doubt that the 2012 Sodi chassis have started under the best auspices and will make it possible for their drivers to fight for victory all along the season.Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2012-01-28:352 2012-01-28T07:15:00+01:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Sodi Racing Team 2012: Priority to KZ

The Sodi Racing Team (SRT) has decided to focus its energies on the most representative class of today's karting, that of great champions and extraordinary races: KZ. With Anthony Abbasse and Alex Baron as official drivers, the team will seek victories on the European tracks facing the best drivers in the world, as Abbasse did in Las Vegas in November 2011. Other talented drivers will race with their teams on Sodi chassis in KZ, such as the Italian Yuri Lucati as well as the French Pierre Ragues and Charles Fiault - the latter races for SRT in the GPOs.The official team programme in KZ will be focussed on the Winter Cup, the WSK Euro Series, the CIK-FIA races, the European Championship and the World Cup, the Monaco Kart Cup, and the SuperNationals in Las Vegas.SRT will also be present in U18, a class where the French chassis manufacturer has developed a liking for victory at the Essay round in 2011. Tests on materials for Sodi registration with the CIK-FIA are under way and drivers have not been selected yet. As for the Sodi Junior Team, its focus in 2012 will be on the Rotax Max Euro Challenge with, among others, drivers such as Antoine Lepesqueux and Henry Easthope, under Anthony Abbasse's technical supervision. Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-12-05:350 2011-12-05T13:54:29+01:00 2012-05-09T17:37:53+02:00 Sodi Triumphs in Las Vegas

"A dream weekend!". Anthony Abbasse's words perfectly sum up his performance in KZ2, at the 15th edition of the Supernationals in Las Vegas, the most extraordinary kart race in the world (over 550 drivers in 2011...). Behind the wheel of a next generation chassis, the Sodi Racing Team's official driver utterly dominated the elite category of the US meeting, against some of the toughest international competitors. Sodi conquered a major victory in the new continent, proving immediately the formidable effectiveness of its new 2012 chassis range.As for actual results, it would have been impossible to do better: pole position in timed qualifying, victory in the three heats, pole position for the race and final victory. Sodi made a grand slam in all its magnificence, in the city of gaming! By taking a closer look on how these results were achieved, performances look even more impressive."We never had to work so little on a kart!" Anthony Abbasse commented, pleasantly surprised. "Everything was in good order already in timed qualifying, and the mechanics had just some cleaning to do. My chassis immediately behaved well on the Vegas track and there was no need to look for extreme adjustments. Thanks to the new Sodi, you get the top already with the basics! I must confess I am pretty enthusiastic about the 2012 season with a chassis like this!"The 2011 winner was indeed very satisfied with his categorical victory, which crowned his 4th presence at the Supernationals. Last year, Sodi chassis had arrived late because they had been stopped at the Customs and that had not made the team's job easy. And this year, the Tec-Sav engines arrived late for the same reason. But the G-Phactory team reacted promptly to enable Abbasse to practice and adjust his kart, with some promising results. And naturally, when the Tec-Sav cavalry arrived at last, the Sodi/Maxter left everybody behind, without concession. The organisers slightly changed the Hotel Casino Rio track to make it more winding, but that did not hamper Abbasse's triumphal march, no more than the progressive evolution of the temporary track, heat after heat, due to rubber residue build-up. "I was really amazed by the versatility of the new chassis" Anthony added. "From early morning cold to higher temperatures during the day, without grip at the start of the meeting or with the strong grip found in the final, it always worked perfectly with no special adjustment required". The driver's sensations were also confirmed by data acquisition: everything was great from the beginning to the end of the meeting.Undisputed leader of the qualifying heats, Abbasse fought hard in the final against worthy competitors. It was Bas Lammers, on a Praga by Intrepid, who first made life difficult for Abbasse, and then came Marco Ardigo's turn on Tony Kart, towards the end of the race: no less than two of the best drivers in the world. Despite these very strong opponents, Abbasse gave Sodi the satisfaction of an important victory, by perfectly controlling the situation up to the finish line. This superb result bodes well for an exciting 2012 racing season for the new Sodi range. SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-12-03:348 2011-12-03T09:37:00+01:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Great Victory in Las Vegas

Always in on it on American soil at the famous SuperNationals, this year Anthony Abbasse did not let his chance go. Thanks to a new 2012 range chassis, with remarkable ease of setup, the SRT driver dominated his very strong opponents and claimed a historic victory.But the late arrival of the Tec-Sav Maxter engines, which were stopped at the Customs, brought back to memory the worries of the 2010 edition, when the chassis arrived late on the track for the exactly the same reasons. However, Abbasse was not worried when the free practice session started thanks to an engine provided by the G-Phactory team: he was already aware that the 2012 Sodi equipment had some solid chances. Once he got hold of his racing engine, he clinched the pole position in timed qualifying and then won his three heats. The final race was not all rest for him due to the threat posed by drivers such as Lammers at the start of the race and Ardigo in the last few laps. But Anthony held on to the lead and took the chequered flag as overall winner, offering a sensational success to the French make. This magnificent result rewards the work made by Sodi on its new 2012 range, which looks awesomely promising for the season to come.Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-11-10:346 2011-11-10T14:17:00+01:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Sodi Takes 3rd Place at U18 World Championship with Hubert

Regardless of track conditions - dry, wet or mixed - on the circuit of Sarno, Sodi chassis showed again a very high performance level. Indeed, there were 3 Sodi karts in the top 6 in timed qualifying. And then Anthoine Hubert set the fastest time in the first qualifying heat, while the Briton Henry Easthope twice crossed the line first, although he received a heavy penalty after one of his victories. In the meanwhile, Hubert took two second places, despite some problems with the starter.In the first pre-final, Easthope took the flag in second place with the best lap in the race while Hubert set the second fastest time. In the most dreadful race, pre-final 2 and its reversed starting grid, Hubert showed an impressive performance by conquering victory after a start from 29th, while Easthope claimed second place with another fastest lap in the race. The final did not bring the results expected after such performances. Slick tyres had got worn after the previous races on an increasingly dry surface, so the Sodi boys could not keep the pace until the end, despite some excellent places at the start of the race. Then Léo Roussel took over and battled hard for a podium place. Unfortunately a penalty pushed him down to 6th.Efforts by Anthoine Hubert and the Sodi team were finally rewarded by a fantastic third place in the final classification of the U18 World Championship, the CIK-FIA formula that looks to the future.Info Kartcom / © Photos KSP SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-11-04:344 2011-11-04T14:18:00+01:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Abbasse Finishes the GPO Season in Beauty at Essay

Efforts made by the Sodi Racing Team were rewarded at the last GPO of 2011, held at Essay, thanks to its most important driver, Anthony Abbasse, undisputed leader of KZ2 in Normandy. Abbasse left only the crumbs to his rivals, with his two pole positions and his victories in all the races, often combined with the fastest lap time. This stunning performance allowed him to conquer the title of French Vice Champion. After a 4th time in timed qualifying on Saturday morning, Alex Baron put in a noteworthy performance with his second place in Sunday's timed qualifying session, was second in the pre-final and came at the foot of the podium in the final. Sodi also won the Constructors' Championship in KZ2.Anthoine Hubert staged one of his best performances of the year in GPO, with very convincing results. Poleman in KF2 on Saturday, he won the pre-final and just missed out on a victory in the final after an unfortunate crash at the end of the race. He recovered the following day and concluded with a 4th place in the final. This year Sodi won again the Constructors' Championship in KF3 and the team's second place in KF2 enabled it to wear the crown of Champion of Champions, i.e. the best constructor of the year, all categories included, for the second time in a row.Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-11-03:340 2011-11-03T17:20:24+01:00 2011-12-05T15:37:49+01:00 Sodi Season Ends in a Blaze of Glory

Even now that the end of the season is approaching, Sodi is definitely not resting on its laurels. On the contrary, there is some intense work going on at the Nantes factory, which is actively preparing a whole series of racing novelties for 2012. But even so races have not been left aside... Sodi continues to regularly collect its achievements, both in France and abroad: Anthoine Hubert won the Essay round of the U18 World Championship, then Sodi conquered the Japanese Championship in Super KF with Yuuya Suzuki, the Belgian KF3 Championship with Florian Latorre, and Anthoine Lepesqueux has just won in DD2 at the Zuera Open Rotax, while the French chassis has monopolised the top of the classification at the Essay GPO.The last round of the 2011 French Championship, held at Essay, gave many satisfactions to the Sodi team. In KZ2, Anthony Abbasse staged a superb performance by winning all the winnable, behind the wheel of his Sodi/Maxter: two pole positions, two pre-finals, two finals... the perfect score was even improved by his best lap times in the race. Progress made by the Sodi Racing Team and the performances of its driver were also rewarded by the title of French vice champion in KZ2. Anthoine Hubert was more convincing than ever in KF2 on the first day of this GPO, while Léo Roussel's turn came the following day, with a second place in the final. After Paolo Besancenez, it was young Jérémy Demarque who exploited at best his kart and just missed out on a podium in KF3, at the end of a season in full progression.All these performances allowed Sodi to conquer the much envied title of Constructors Champion of Champions, with a considerable lead over the other companies. The French make was also awarded the title of Constructors Champion in KF3 and KZ2 and vice Champion in KF2. It would already be more than enough to say that the year is ending well, but this is not all... Held at Essay in parallel with the GPO, the French Cup crowned Gautier Becq and Sodi, already French Champions in Cadet, while in Minime Arthur Lehouck was second, in the lead of a group of 5 Sodi ranking in the top 10. Considering all the results achieved at the meeting held in Normandy, Sodi walked away with as many as 7 pole positions out of 8, thereby proving again the competitiveness of its chassis, regardless of the category involved.All this bodes very well for next season. But Sodi has not intention of stopping there and the preparation of its new chassis homologation for 2012 has already started several months ago. New models will not disappoint all Sodi customers eager for victory. The Sodi Team has performed a long series of tests to validate its technical choices on the track and so far the outcome has been very promising, with a very advanced development phase. Rumours say that performances are stunning... Before the end of the 2011 season, Anthony Abbasse will go to Las Vegas in mid November to race at the Super Nationals in KZ2 with some solid ambitions. This incredible event will gather this year about 500 drivers coming from all over the world for a great celebration of karting. Anthony, your turn to play! SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-10-21:336 2011-10-21T08:16:00+02:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Sodi: Japan Super KF Champion with Yuuya Suzuki

Sodi win the Super KF 2011 Japan Championship (the most prestigious category in Japan) with the Sodi Racing Japan and his driver Yuuya Suzuki.Info Sodi / © Photo DR

Sodi win the Super KF 2011 Japan Championship (the most prestigious category in Japan) with the Sodi Racing Japan and his driver Yuuya Suzuki.Info Sodi / © Photo DR SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-09-13:342 2011-09-13T07:13:22+02:00 2011-11-03T18:22:03+01:00 Magnificent SODI-RTKF Duo: Double Success in Third Victory in a Row at 24H of Le Mans

According to experts, this 26th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Karting was one of the hardest, due to intermittent heavy rain during the race. Drivers and karts were put under severe strain and the victory of the two RTKF teams on Sodi chassis has even greater value, considering all these difficulties. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is first of all a great team's race, where the technical partner Sodi has shown once again its formidable effectiveness.Competing and winning in a competition like the 24 Hours of Le Mans remains an incredibly complicated challenge for everybody. The level of kart preparation reaches peaks that are not always apparent. To face such a challenge, the choice of the right partners is of the utmost importance. From this viewpoint, Claude Jamin, "Mr. RTKF", was full of praises for his collaboration with Sodi. «It must be said that we use Sodi production chassis» he explained, still excited for the outcome of the 24H. «Of course, we have made a few changes for the race, but these are just small details, to allow changing some elements quickly during the race. The frame itself is strictly standard. We can rely 100% on the Sodikart factory for kart adjustments. Technicians answer all our questions and do the impossible to give us the perfect material. Just to give you an example, we have been completely satisfied with the Itaka brakes».The very difficult weather conditions of the 2011 edition caused quite a few troubles to the RTKF team. First of all, the strategy to change tyres according to track conditions was a real brainteaser, and the solutions adopted often resembled a poker strike. Team no. 1, the one composed of the most experienced drivers, suffered the consequences of this situation more often than the others. In addition to that came some minor, but annoying technical problems concerning the spark plugs, the starter wiring and the radiator mountings. Kart no. 72, driven by young karters David Martine, Adrien Bloyet, Théo and Maxime Bidard led the race since the first laps thanks to an excellent tyre conservation strategy. Their leadership faltered during the night after an engine breakage and it was kart no.1, driven by Wilfried Lecarpentier, Charles Fiault, Antoine Poulain and Antoine Lepesqueux, poleman in timed qualifying, that came to threaten them after a stunning 11-lap recovery! During the last four hours of the race, the "fratricidal war" became the centre of attention. The one-lap lead for no. 72 soon melted away and it was no. 1 that took back the lead 30 minutes before the conclusion of the race. Unfortunately, it could not avoid a driver in trouble and broke a tie rod. No. 72 regained the leadership and the young drivers won their first 24 Hours after 1447 laps covered, i.e. almost 1,700 km, followed by No. 1, which completed the triumph of RTKF and Sodi. It must be said that in Claude Jamin's team, no instructions about the order of arrival are given: «I think it is inhuman to impose orders to drivers. The young drivers from Normandy did a great race with a lot of determination and lucidity, I am very happy with their result and I am also delighted to see the youth on the top step of the podium. Congratulations! RTKF 1 had more troubles, it's the race. We have collected a wealth of experience in these difficult conditions and we will continue to work hard to strive for a zero fault level. It is our third victory in a row with Sodi, a fundamental partner for us. A big thank you to Gildas Mérian for his unfaltering professionalism and his intact passion for competition». Before concluding, mention must be made of the IAME KF engines mounted on Sodi chassis, which provide both power and reliability, and of the irreplaceable support of engine tune-up specialists of genius such as Marc and Gérard Boulineau. RTKF is proud to dedicate this double success to the 30 years of Sodikart, celebrated this year, and is looking forward to reaching its other goals in the Endurance Euro Serie. SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-09-09:338 2011-09-09T06:47:00+02:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Three Sodi Drivers in World Championship Top 5 at Genk

Sodi chassis raised the tone at Genk during the third round of the World KF1 Championship.Indeed, the three drivers racing for the French manufacturer entered the top 5 during a hard fought and difficult competition, proving the high level of performance of their karts despite adversity. Abbasse was instantly on the pace of the World Cup for KZ1 before being heavily tackled in the final.During the whole Belgian CIK-FIA meeting, Léo Roussel proved to be the most regular driver among the front runners, performing each time some stunning recoveries. 4th in Saturday's timed qualifying, he had to regain some of the ground - as many as 13 places - he had lost in Race 1 during the squabble at the start. His 7th place in Race 2 was his less positive result, since he moved up again in Race 3 after a difficult timed qualifying session to conclude with a 4th place and fought bravely in the last race to enter again the top 5. Saturday was the day with the best performances for Loïc Réguillon, with a nice progression from 9th to 5th place in the two races of the day. On Sunday he found himself stuck too often in an aggressive pack to be able to repeat his excellent results. Finally Anthoine Hubert staged a superb race on Sunday afternoon, climbing up from the 21st place he occupied after his retirement in Race 3 due to a crash. Both incisive and clear-sighted at the wheel of one of the most effective karts, he concluded his remarkable performance with a 4th place.Anthony Abbasse's momentum was stopped in the final race of the World Cup for KZ1, after he had proven highly competitive and had been often among the 5 fastest drivers. Unfortunately a crash stopped him from defending his chances in the decisive race. Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-09-01:334 2011-09-01T10:23:00+02:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Hubert on Top Step of World Podium

It was during the French round of the U18 World Championship that Sodi achieved its best result of the year thanks to Anthoine Hubert, who won the final race at Essay. Sodi chassis showed excellent performances since the start of the CIK meeting, whose peculiarity is that all drivers must race with the same type of engine assigned by random draw. Léo Roussel remained in the top positions of the standings, was second in timed qualifying, twice second in the heats, before Hubert opportunely got the holeshot in the pre-finals: 4th in pre-final 1, he also managed to finish 5th in pre-final 2 despite the reversed starting grid. It was a brilliant performance that propelled him to pole position. Hubert continued to dominate during the final, after a few laps under the yellow flags for a series of crashes at the start, and perfectly managed his lead up to the finish line, with a memorable victory. Roussel completed Sodi success with his 4th place, after an exciting catch-up race. The British driver Henry Easthope concluded with a 6th place. Thanks to this stunning result, Hubert has made a jump forward from 7th to 3rd place in the World Championship classification and has reached an interesting position when there is still one round to go before the end of the U18 Championship, at Sarno, in November.Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-08-30:332 2011-08-30T16:17:10+02:00 2011-11-03T18:22:05+01:00 U18 World Success for Sodi at Essay

Sodi is one of the best represented makes in the CIK-FIA U18 World Championship, with as many as 8 chassis in the race for the title. The French karts did wonders in Normandy: Anthoine Hubert won a thrilling final, Léo Roussel climbed to 4th and Henry Easthope finished 6th.The U18 World Championship is a high level event with a new conception: all the competitors use the same engine and the same tyres. Regulations only allow limited equipment set up, in order to prevent excessive use of expensive parts. Therefore parameters are simple: to gain the upper hand, a good driver and a performing chassis are needed. On this subject, Sodi know-how speaks for itself: the team performances were stunning all over the weekend.Léo Roussel was the fastest to move to action on the circuit of Essay by setting the 2nd best time during timed qualifying, while Hubert was 6th. Roussel kept his momentum going with two victories and a 2nd place in the qualification heats. He could have reached the top of the standings, instead of a 6th place, if a recalcitrant starter had not forced him to a catch up race from 34th to 14th place in his third heat. Hubert did not dawdle along either, twice second and 5th, but had a few problems too in his third heat due to a crash, so he was 10th at the end of the qualification phase. Equipment worked perfectly and drivers were confident before they started the difficult final phases. In the first pre-final, Roussel ended on the outside line at the start and lost a few places, while Hubert made an excellent start and took 4th place. He was followed by the young Dutch driver Joel Affolter in 5th place. Roussel made it back to the top 10 and Henry Easthope regained 13th place. Antoine Lepesqueux and the Belgian Sébastien Bedoret were also in for it, raising to 6 (out of 8) the number of Sodi drivers among the 34 best drivers among the 74 entrants. In the second pre-final, drivers started in reverse order of their intermediate classification, a formidable exercises that is not immune from risks. Hubert made again an excellent start and pushed hard to 5th place, gaining a stunning 20 positions. At this level, it is not an easy task! Bedoret entered again the top 10 with Roussel, who drove a fantastic race moving up 18 places.Anthoine Hubert started the decisive final in pole position. The start was marred by a crash, but Hubert maintained his leadership when the race restarted. He escaped in the first few laps, and then brilliantly held back an attack from the Championship leader to conclude with a great international victory, in front of a crowd of appreciative spectators. It was an accolade! Sodi triumph was completed by Léo Roussel's 4th place at the end of a very exciting race. The British driver Henry Easthope made his contribution by finishing 6th. Hubert is now third in the World Championship provisional standings before the last round in Sarno, near Naples, to be held next November, where he will show his firm intention of taking Sodi colours as high as possible. Both regular and fast, Easthope is not far behind, 5th with same points as the 4th. SODI RACING TEAM tag:sodi.kartinside.com,2011-08-25:330 2011-08-25T05:45:00+02:00 2012-05-17T12:37:37+02:00 Laval: Sodi Raises the Tone in GPO

The Sodi Racing Team returned to the Laval GPO full of confidence after their increasingly convincing performances in the KZ2 and KF2 categories; this is a favourable situation, considering that there are three important international meetings to be held in the weeks to come. Anthony Abbasse and his official Sodi/Maxter kart reached the top of the standings in KZ2 on the circuit of Laval after winning Final 1 with a master's stroke. The icing on the cake in his weekend came with a podium on Sunday and thanks to these results he could gain 3 places in the Championship where he is now taking 2nd. Alex Baron made his GPO debut in this category. He set some stunning times throughout the weekend, especially during Sunday's final, although the final result did not do him justice.In KF2, Anthoine Hubert (Sodi/Parilla) raised the pace during the whole meeting and had the satisfaction of being able to fight in the lead pack. He gave his best on Sunday and was rewarded with a podium in Final 2 that lifted his spirits! The Junior drivers showed great performances in KF3, with both Valentin Moineault (Ludo Racing) and Paolo Besancnez (Win Max Kart Racing) taking their turns on the Laval podium. Antoine Lepesqueux took pole position in KF2 qualifying practice on sunday.Info Kartcom / © Photo KSP