FORMULA 7 · Finale Race⏱ 51 min

The Finale endurance race at South Garda Karting in Lonato del Garda took place on 26 September 2026 over 50 minutes on the 1,250-metre circuit, with 24 drivers taking the start. What unfolded was a masterclass in strategic racing, with the final classification telling a very different story from pure pace.

Lorenzo Esposito (kart #26) took the victory after 39 laps, crossing the line 30.681 seconds ahead of Karol Wylupek (kart #30), who finished second. Matteo Protti (kart #29) completed the podium at 41.515 seconds. Positions 4 through 15 were all separated by less than a minute and a half, with the top 15 all completing 39 laps — a sign of the intense density of the field throughout the race. Gianluca Boido (kart #10) was the only driver to complete just 37 laps, finishing 24th and two laps down on the leaders.

The fastest lap of the race was set by Karol Wylupek in a time of 1:04.941, the only driver to dip below the 1:05 barrier across the entire event. All 24 drivers made exactly two pit stops during the race.

The strategic dimension of this final was decisive. Lorenzo Esposito is the standout example: his median race pace placed him only 18th in pure speed (1:06.612), yet he won the race outright. His first stint of 6 laps showed a clear acceleration trend of 0.83 s/lap as he found his rhythm, before settling into a remarkably consistent 28-lap second stint with a median of 1:06.502 and a tight standard deviation of just 0.45 s — his strategy and consistency more than compensating for a lack of outright pace.

At the opposite end of the strategy spectrum, Nicola Tomasoni (kart #7) produced the best pure race pace of the field with a median of 1:05.789, yet finished only 5th. Similarly, Marco Pizzi (kart #27) posted the 2nd best pure pace (1:05.835) but crossed the line 4th. Karol Wylupek combined the 3rd best pace (1:05.862) with the fastest lap of the race, making him the most complete performer on pure speed — his final 7-lap stint was his sharpest, with a median of 1:05.216 and a regularity of 0.46 s.

Luca Bambara (kart #23) was the most consistent driver of the race with a standard deviation of just 0.90 s across his laps, finishing 12th. Matteo Protti (3rd) and his second stint of 9 laps showed exceptional regularity (0.24 s deviation), underpinning a solid podium finish. At the back, Gianluca Boido — despite finishing last — held the 16th best pure pace on the timing sheets, suggesting his race was compromised by factors other than raw speed.

Key takeaways for teams: At South Garda Karting, pure lap time alone does not win races. Esposito's victory with only the 18th-best median pace shows that pit stop timing, consistency, and traffic management can outweigh raw speed in a 50-minute final. Teams with strong pace but mid-field results — Tomasoni, Pizzi, Wylupek — should review their strategic sequencing. Conversely, teams seeking pure speed can benchmark against Wylupek's 1:04.941 and his 1:05.216 median final stint as the reference for this circuit and this configuration.