Mert Dalkıran Impresses on Academy Trophy Debut

At the opening round of the CIK FIA Karting Academy Trophy, held at the Zuera International Karting circuit in Spain, our national driver Mehmet Mert Dalkıran represented Turkey with distinction.

In the timed qualifying sessions, run in two groups, with 51 entrants from 36 countries on the grid, our driver took ninth place in the group. In the first of the heats to earn a place in the semi-final, Mert finished 16th; in the second heat, despite receiving a 10-second penalty, Mert came home 19th.

Making it into the 34 drivers who progressed to the semi-final, our driver made a quick start to the race. Mert climbed into the top ten within the first three corners, but was caught up in a crash with a Japanese and a Czech driver they were battling with and was unable to finish. The damaged kart was repaired at the last moment, allowing Mert Dalkıran to take the start in the Final, where the driver gained just nine places to finish 23rd.

Competing in the KF Junior category after stepping up this season, and among the youngest in the field, our national driver impressed with a combative drive among experienced rivals. We wish our champion driver every success in the second round of the championship, to be held in Belgium on 11-12 July.