Forman missed the finals in Italy by just four spots

Another racing event of the WSK series took place in Sarno, Italy, from 17 to 20 July. To a certain extent, the atmosphere at these races was influenced by the setback at the qualifying for the European Championship and, despite the enormous efforts exerted in the scorching heat, the engines were not optimally adjusted for the individual races. Likewise the qualifying for the European Championship, this WSK series race proved that the crucial item had been missed in the preparation, and it was not possible to make up for that at a later stage.

Our team's driver Jiří Forman comments on this issue as follows: 'In the Thursday and Friday free practice sessions, I was doing very well, running among the top ten drivers. But it was not possible to complete the adjustment of the engine in a manner that would allow it to run at the top power at the final stages of the practice or qualifying. In Saturday's timed practice, I only finished in 43rd place, when, just five minutes before the end of this session, I was running between the 10th and 15th positions!!! On Saturday, in the first race, I finished in 18th place. In the second race, my kart was hit when I was running seventh, and I dropped down to the 13th place. On Sunday, in the first race, I came only nineteenth, after a collision, and in the final, decisive one, I only finished in the 20th place, owing to the failure of the sprocket wheel. Despite that, I managed to qualify for the correcting session, in which I claimed the tenth place, after starting from the 20th position. So, I missed the finals by only four spots.'

Jirka proved once again that he is an excellent driver and a tough opponent to his rivals. The MS Kart chassis, traditionally, was excellent, and the same applies to the engine of the Scottish company GFR. The team was just a step from a success, as explains mechanic Josef Bodurek: 'At the start of the season, when we were beginning, we were in an optimistic mood. Our experience of the previous year suggested that we could aim at a top placing this year. However, we underestimated the fact that races in continental Europe, as opposed to those in Great Britain, are much more demanding as regards the adjustment of the engine in the course of the particular racing event. It is a shame, because our driver really is excellent and the kart is running perfectly. I have drawn a lesson from this. In future, we must conduct tests in a team, not in an individual manner. And, if we are to achieve a success, we must get involved in the exchange of experience and information in the course of the races. These conclusions suggest that, if we are to move up, we must expand the team. These top class races can not be contested in an independent manner any more.'

The next race ahead of Jirka Forman is the racing event of the Super 1 series in Scotland. In this series, Jirka is among the top ten drivers, which is an excellent placing. Let us hope that he will even be able to improve it.