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| September 04, 2008 |
| CIK-FIA KZ1 World Cup - Euro KZ2 & KZ3 Championships Preview |
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 | American Gary Carlton will contest his first KZ1 World Cup
(Photo: Chris Walker - kartpix.net) |
The entry lists of the Varennes sur Allier event scheduled for 5-7 September cut a fine figure, with no fewer than 224 drivers, hailing from different backgrounds and with different levels of experience and ages.
The top category of gearbox karts, KZ1, will have its World Cup in this event, the importance of which is shown by the number of entries: they will be 48 at the start, i.e. 11 participants more than in the European Championship. Winner of the 2007 World Cup and 2008 European Champion, the Belgian Jonathan Thonon is tipped as the favorite. After the show of force given by his team CRG in the European Championship, Thonon will chiefly have to keep an eye on his own team-mates, the Italian Alessandro Manetti and the Frenchman Arnaud Kozlinski. Second and third in the 2007 World Cup, Italy’s Marco Ardigo and Francesco Laudato will be the spearheads of their respective teams, Tony Kart and Birel, and serious title contenders. The wily “old” competitors of the category, Alessandro Piccini, Davide Fore, Roberto Toninelli, Arjan Kievitsbosch, Thomas Mich and Manuel Renaudie will be other drivers to watch, as well as the Dutchman Bas Lammers, who was a long time in contention with Thonon for the conquest of the 2008 European title, and the Frenchman Armand Convers. Although the elite category of gearbox karts often gives experienced drivers more than their due, a few young ones have shown how talented they were, in particular France’s Norman Nato and Belgium’s Rick Dreezen.
American Gary Carlton will be among the 48 drivers competing in the KZ1 World Cup. The CRG pilot has been on a hot streak on US soil, winning the last four Stars of Karting finals to put himself back in the hunt for the national championship. Carlton scored point in three of the four European Championship KZ1 finals to be classified 13th in the overall standings and will be making his first start at the World Cup this weekend.
The “second division” 125 cc KZ2 gearbox kart drivers will compete together for the third and last time of the season within the framework of their European Championship. The title chase should boil down to a battle between Frenchmen, namely Joffrey Demanse and Tony Lavanant.
 | Michael Vincec will look to move into the top-ten in the final KZ2 European Championship standings
(Photo: Chris Walker - kartpix.net) |
Canadian Michael Vincec will contest the third round of the KZ2 European Championship. The reigning Stars of Karting East and West Divisions champion has been the most consistent driver throughout the year. Like Carlton, Vincec has scored in three of four finals and sits 13th in the KZ2 standings. The CRG pilot will look to continue scoring points this weekend and possible move into the top ten.
The third category competing at Varennes will be KF3, reserved for the up-and-coming generation of 13 to 15 years old Juniors. In order to take part in this major European final, Juniors first had to pass via the regional qualifications simultaneously organized in July at Göteborg in Sweden, Alcaniz in Spain and Val Vibrata in Italy. These qualifications enabled the Finn Veli-Pekka Karttunen to make his presence felt in the Northern Region event and to finish ahead of the Belgian Clemente Picariello and of Finland’s Joni Wiman. In the Western Region, the final podium was taken by the Frenchman Brandon Maisano, the Swiss Michael Heche and the Briton Taylor Mackenzie. As for the Central Region, it saw Italians win the first three places, with Ignazio D’Agosto, Matteo Beretta and Vittorio Ghirelli. Among the 72 entered Juniors, it is worth noting the participation of the sons of the former rally champion Carlos Sainz and of the former Formula One driver Eddie Cheever.
With 57 practice sessions, 26 qualifying heats and 6 final phase races, this meeting held at Varennes will by far be the busiest in the year. Its results will be published live on the CIK-FIA’s website (www.cikfia.com) |
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