The fourth round of the Moravian Cup and the Slovak Karting Championship took place on 10–12 July at the Speedworld circuit in Bruck an der Leitha, Austria, marking the series’ second visit to the venue this season. The event was held under hot summer conditions with a dry track throughout the entire weekend. MS KART Racing Team was represented by drivers in four different categories.
In the Micro MAX category, Samuel Novák demonstrated excellent pace and competitiveness throughout the weekend. He qualified in fifth place and looked well positioned to fight for the front positions. Unfortunately, his first final ended prematurely after an opening-lap collision. In Race 2, Samuel produced an impressive recovery drive, charging from the back of the field to finish seventh. He confirmed his speed once again in the final race by taking fifth place. Although the retirement in the opening race cost him the opportunity to fight for a much stronger overall result, Samuel showed great potential, determination and impressive overtaking skills in the highly competitive Micro MAX field. He finished the weekend in eighth place overall.
In the Rotax DD2 category, Adam Leffler and Filip Valenta represented the team in different championship classifications. Competing in the Moravian Cup standings, Leffler qualified sixth before recording finishes of P4, P5 and P6, securing fifth place overall. He was satisfied with his performance and praised the kart’s excellent handling. Looking ahead, Adam identified improving his starts and first-corner performance as his main priority. He also took away the valuable lesson that both driver and equipment must continue to improve with every race and every test session.
Filip Valenta competed in the Slovak Championship classification and enjoyed a consistent weekend. He finished sixth in qualifying and in the opening race, improved to fourth in Race 2 and concluded the weekend with another sixth-place finish. In a highly competitive field, Filip fought hard for every position, and his consistent performances earned him sixth place overall, providing a solid foundation for the upcoming rounds.
In KZ2 Masters, Josef Barilla was the team’s sole representative. Despite racing alone in the category for MS KART Racing Team, he was consistently among the frontrunners throughout the weekend. He qualified fourth and immediately moved up to third in the opening race. A difficult start in Race 2 limited him to fifth place, but he bounced back with an excellent recovery drive to finish second in the final race. His results secured third place overall and a well-deserved podium finish. Josef showed excellent race pace all weekend, fought for every position until the chequered flag and confirmed the outstanding form he has maintained throughout the season so far.
In the KZ2 category, Matyáš Kučera competed in the Slovak Championship classification. His speed was never in question, but unfortunately his weekend was heavily affected by technical problems. Thanks to a well-prepared chassis and a strong engine supplied by Macháč Motors, he was among the quickest drivers from Friday practice onwards and qualified in an excellent fourth position. According to Matyáš, he compromised the opening race with a poor start and eventually finished sixth. In Race 2 he again lost positions at the start but fought his way back into the top ten before a gear linkage failure ended his race just four laps from the finish, leaving him classified tenth. Misfortune struck again in the final race. As he was making progress through the field and preparing to challenge the drivers ahead, his chain broke with four laps remaining, forcing another retirement. He eventually finished the weekend in eleventh place overall but still leaves Bruck with valuable experience and strong motivation for the races ahead.
The weekend in Austria brought MS KART Racing Team not only a podium finish thanks to Josef Barilla and several strong performances, but also its share of technical issues and racing misfortune. Nevertheless, every one of our drivers fought until the very end and once again proved that neither speed nor determination is ever in short supply.
A big thank you goes to all our drivers, mechanics, partners and families for their continued support. We look forward to the next race weekend!
FOTO: RACE.SK
