The return of international competition to Val d'Argenton after a 12-year absence merits a special look back at the second round of the Champion of the Future Euro Series which has just taken place on the famous French circuit, now run by former European Champion and five-time French Champion Arnaud Sarrazin’s company PKF.
Created in 1996, the Val d'Argenton circuit has lost none of its appeal or its selectivity. Once you've got over the astonishment of discovering the huge covered grandstand with its panoramic view and the control tower, whose design is still futuristic today, the 1,280 m long track reveals its subtleties. With its fast bends, tight hairpins, esses, braking with support and long straights, the Val d'Argenton offers a varied range of difficulties that follow one another at a good pace. It's easy to see why Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen so enjoyed it in the 1990s and 2000s. Hamilton strengthened his legend by winning the two races of the Formula A European Championship in 2000 with a brace on his arm. In 2012, the clash between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in the WSK Euro Series will live long in the memory and in the web archives.
The track's width of 8m, which was common when it was first created, seems narrow compared to more recent circuits that are 10m or more. Despite the very good quality surface laid in 2022, it is all the more important to respect the racing line as the circuit is not often used by competition karts and therefore has little rubber. Attempting to overtake or being overtaken at Val d'Argenton can result in the simultaneous loss of several positions, which are not always easy to recover. The presence of dust following off-track incursions can amplify the phenomenon. However, grip tended to increase as the weekend's races progressed. Despite the great potential of Maxxis tyres in their first few laps, the best time in the OK-Junior Final was better than in Qualifying, with the trend reversing only slightly in OK.
The fine weather that prevailed during the Champions of the Future Euro Series had a positive influence on the overall impression left by the circuit, while minimising the disadvantage of an unpaved paddock. Overall, the feedback has been very favourable for Val d'Argenton.
The race layout of the Champions of the Future Euro Series continues to be appreciated by the entire international karting community. The fact that the racing finishes fairly early on the Saturday means that everyone can return home refreshed and ready to tackle the following week. There are calls for this pattern to become a more widely shared norm. Will they reach the ears of the CIK-FIA?
Another idea is in the air concerning the spacing between two meetings, which is currently more than a week. FIA Karting has exceptionally authorised RGMMC to organise the fifth round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series on the PFI circuit in England, the week before the OK & Junior World Championship. This decision was motivated by a late change of date in the FIA Karting calendar. This is not the first time that the subject has come up for discussion. Is it more interesting to allow the teams, drivers and technicians to stay on site between the Champions of the Future and the FIA Karting event by having them follow each other from one weekend to the next, instead of everyone going home for a short week? The CIK-FIA could take into account two recent parameters to again authorise two consecutive weekends. On the one hand, RGMMC now offers preparatory meetings for the FIA Karting OK & OK-Junior Championships five times a year with its Champions of the Future Euro Series with well-attended competitions. On the other hand, following the pandemic and due to very sharp inflation, the cost of air and road transport has increased significantly.
To return to the subject at hand, the Val d'Argenton FIA Karting meeting is shaping up to be an important event in the European season, with many lessons to be learnt before turning to the following round in Slovakia.
Created in 1996, the Val d'Argenton circuit has lost none of its appeal or its selectivity. Once you've got over the astonishment of discovering the huge covered grandstand with its panoramic view and the control tower, whose design is still futuristic today, the 1,280 m long track reveals its subtleties. With its fast bends, tight hairpins, esses, braking with support and long straights, the Val d'Argenton offers a varied range of difficulties that follow one another at a good pace. It's easy to see why Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen so enjoyed it in the 1990s and 2000s. Hamilton strengthened his legend by winning the two races of the Formula A European Championship in 2000 with a brace on his arm. In 2012, the clash between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in the WSK Euro Series will live long in the memory and in the web archives.
The track's width of 8m, which was common when it was first created, seems narrow compared to more recent circuits that are 10m or more. Despite the very good quality surface laid in 2022, it is all the more important to respect the racing line as the circuit is not often used by competition karts and therefore has little rubber. Attempting to overtake or being overtaken at Val d'Argenton can result in the simultaneous loss of several positions, which are not always easy to recover. The presence of dust following off-track incursions can amplify the phenomenon. However, grip tended to increase as the weekend's races progressed. Despite the great potential of Maxxis tyres in their first few laps, the best time in the OK-Junior Final was better than in Qualifying, with the trend reversing only slightly in OK.
The fine weather that prevailed during the Champions of the Future Euro Series had a positive influence on the overall impression left by the circuit, while minimising the disadvantage of an unpaved paddock. Overall, the feedback has been very favourable for Val d'Argenton.
The race layout of the Champions of the Future Euro Series continues to be appreciated by the entire international karting community. The fact that the racing finishes fairly early on the Saturday means that everyone can return home refreshed and ready to tackle the following week. There are calls for this pattern to become a more widely shared norm. Will they reach the ears of the CIK-FIA?
Another idea is in the air concerning the spacing between two meetings, which is currently more than a week. FIA Karting has exceptionally authorised RGMMC to organise the fifth round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series on the PFI circuit in England, the week before the OK & Junior World Championship. This decision was motivated by a late change of date in the FIA Karting calendar. This is not the first time that the subject has come up for discussion. Is it more interesting to allow the teams, drivers and technicians to stay on site between the Champions of the Future and the FIA Karting event by having them follow each other from one weekend to the next, instead of everyone going home for a short week? The CIK-FIA could take into account two recent parameters to again authorise two consecutive weekends. On the one hand, RGMMC now offers preparatory meetings for the FIA Karting OK & OK-Junior Championships five times a year with its Champions of the Future Euro Series with well-attended competitions. On the other hand, following the pandemic and due to very sharp inflation, the cost of air and road transport has increased significantly.
To return to the subject at hand, the Val d'Argenton FIA Karting meeting is shaping up to be an important event in the European season, with many lessons to be learnt before turning to the following round in Slovakia.
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