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Birelart on the podium at Champions Of The Future in Sarno

Filippo Sala (CL Racing Team) finished on the podium in third position at the final round of the 2026 Champions Of The Future OK Senior season.

OK – Sala on the podium, Wolfe in the top five
The Champions Of The Future season ended on a very positive note for the Birelart Racing Team, with strong improvements throughout the whole weekend. Sala (CL Racing Team) showed consistency from the beginning with fifth place in his qualifying group, which later allowed him to fight at the front of the group during the heats, staying with the top five. His race pace was already strong in Saturday morning’s Super Heat, where he finished third after a good recovery. In the final, Sala’s consistency paid off again with third place and a perfect podiumto start the build-up to the KZ2 World Championship.
Noah Wolfe also had a strong top-five finish, returning to the OK Senior class for this event. After a difficult start to the weekend, he improved his performance thanks to the work with the team. The Super Heat was also a positive sign for the British driver, with fifth place and three positions gained. He finished fifth againin the final, this time gaining seven positions from his starting place. A not fullystraightforward but competitive round for Ivannikov, fifth in his qualifying group and showing good pace in the heats, including a third-place finish. The final wasnot ideal, but he was still fighting for the top ten. Mazzola improved throughoutthe weekend and gained nine positions in the final, while Sharp (VAR by Birel) was forced to retire, which does not take away from an overall competitive weekend.

OKJ – Rea and Fricker fighting and improving
Achille Rea completed his first Champions Of The Future season with Barrichello Kart by Birelart. The Italian driver was always fighting in the OK Junior field and had the chance to make further progress in his Super Heat. An important learning weekend for Fricker, making his first COTF appearance with the team, ending the event with good feelings and valuable experience.

Jordon Lennox, Direct Drive Team Manager: «I am very happy because the commitment of the whole team and all the work we have been doing since the beginning of the year has finally led to a result that shows all of this, the potential and the development we are making in Lissone with new material. Weare taking a good direction also looking ahead to next season, it is a process thatcontinues, we are writing new pages and all this new setup in the new group ishelping us grow and move in the right direction. The Sarno weekend would havebeen good overall anyway, with the podium even better. Sala had the pace to win, in the first few laps we could have been even more competitive but in anycase everything was more than positive. Noah Wolfe also had a great result after almost a full season in KZ2, returning for a weekend in OK Senior and immediately taking a fifth place after a strong recovery, confirming all the good work of the team. Of course, we keep going with the same spirit, keeping ourheads down, and we will face the World Championship in the best possible way, aiming for the result we hope for».

Birelart is ready to return to the track for one of the most awaited events of the season: the KZ, KZ2 and KZ2 Master World Championships at the Le Mans circuit, taking place this week from September 17 to 20, 2026.

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