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| February 14, 2012 |
| 17th Annual Winter Cup of Lonato Set for This Weekend |
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 | | Start in KZ2 during last year's Winter Cup |
The great show of international karting starts this weekend with the 17th edition of the Winter Cup, in schedule from 17th to 19th February on the South Garda Karting track of Lonato (Brescia - Italy).
There are nearly 290 entrants in the three categories; KZ2, KF2 e KF3. The race is literally "sold out" and the event is going to be one of the most followed at world level. All the major official constructors and the top drivers are ready to gather the first responses before the beginning of theofficial championships.
This first "round" of the season is going to be very interesting. From a technical point of view, in fact, all the new products with new 2012-2018 homologations are racing for the first time on the track of Lonato.
Regarding drivers and teams, there are several novelties to be recorded about the top drivers who have just changed their teams and several interesting new teams such as ART Grand Prix team of Nicolas Todt and Armando Filini.
Lots of guests of international motorsport are expected; among them great protagonists such as Michael Schumacher, who has recently practiced on a kart with the new Tony Kart chassis on the track ofLonato before testing his new F1 Mercedes.
There are lots of drivers who stand more than a chance for victory in each of the three categories of theevent, from KZ2 where the important names are many, starting with the new world champion for CRG Jonathan Thonon. He will have to face rivals such as the winner of the last Winter Cup, the Czech Patrick Hajek, now racing for Praga, the KZ1 European champion Paolo De Conto, now in Birel, or Thonon's teammates in CRG, such as Fabian Federer, European champion of the category, the Italian Davide Forč and the young Mirko Torsellini, or the strong couple of Tony Kart with Rick Dreezen and Marco Ardigō. Among the candidates for the victory also Bas Lammers of the Praga Team, Yannick De Brabander of Formula K and Arnaud Kozlinski at his debut on PCR.
In KF2 the focus of the attention is on Charles Leclerc from Monaco, who has recently won the KF3 world cup, racing on Art GP and on theother U18 world champion Matthew Graham on Zanardi. Lots of expectations also for the debut of the Dutch Max Vestappen, winner of the WSK Euro Series KF3 and now in the higher category on Intrepid, and for other drivers of Verstappen's age who have just progressed from KF3 to KF2 and Antonio Fuoco (Tony Kart), Mattia Vita (Birel) and the strong Norwegian Oystein Helgheim (Formula K). Eyes also on Stefano Cucco, now in Maranello, and his teammate the Danish Andreas Hansen, third in last year's European championship.
The great number of entrants in KF3 (108!) makes the junior category the most uncertain one. The favourite drivers are Alessio Piccini and Luca Corberi, both on Kosmic, theRumenian Petrut Florescu on Zanardi, the American Santino Ferrucci and the Spanish Alex Palou on CRG, the Russian Robert Shwartzman on Intrepid, the Canadian Lance Stroll on Zanardi, Alessio Lorandi on TonyKart, Dorian Boccolacci on Intrepid.
Scrutineering starts on Thursday 16th February and, in the afternoon, time trials. On Friday 17th and Saturday 18th all the qualifying sessions, while the pre-finals and the finals are scheduled for Sunday 19th from 01.30pm. |
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