The most important meeting of the karting season is just around the corner. The World Championship involving the KF1 class will be taking place next Sunday on the Italian track in Muro Leccese.
The Tony Kart Racing Team trained during last week, testing very hard; the whole team is looking forward to go down to the track. The World Championship taking place next weekend is the 45th edition of the CIK event, the F1 only awarded a higher number, 50, of official titles.
Our Racing Team is the current World Champion with Marco Ardigò and vice-champion with the other driver of ours, the English Gary Catt. Also, during last season, our team gained the Manufacturers Title and everybody now is looking at us with particular attention.
The technical work carried out in order to develop the material and harmonize every mechanical component, has been perfected and the team is just waiting to go down to the track for the first practices taking place Thursday, the 16th.
Marco Ardigò will have to bear his World Champion Title at the end of a season, in which he already conquered the WSK Trophy in KZ2 and the fourth European Championship; the English Gary Catt, current vice-champion, after the victory at the beginning of the season at the Margutti Trophy, won the first round of the European Championship and fought for the Continental Title until the end.
Also the two young drivers of the team, Will Stevens and Matias Laine are strongly motivated. The race is extremely important to Stevens, since he desires showing off in the CIK FIA races survey and he won the WSK Series opening on the Italian circuit in Muro Leccese.
Matias Laine’s performances were really great as well: he stepped onto the European podium in Angerville and now he will participate in his last race of the karting scene. Actually next season Matias will be racing with cars.
Together with the KF1 World Championship, also the most important race dedicated to the KF2 category will be run. Our standard-bearers taking part in it will be Oliver Rowland and Petri Suvanto, together with the current European Champion, Flavio Camponeschi, who will be bearing our Junior Team colours. All these drivers have all their papers in order to do well and the staff is confident they will have the great possibility of a victory.
Only the weather is uncertain this weekend: it could be raining, although it seems there will be a gradual improvement.
Protagonists’ comments
Giacomo Aliprandi – Team Manager Tony Kart Racing Team
“We did everything possible, giving always our best. Considering last week tests and the results of this season, I just expect a closed fight, I cannot say anything else.”
Marco Ardigò – driver Tony Kart Racing Team current KF1 World Champion
“I am looking forward to participating in this race in Muro, after the innovation we discovered during the tests. The material worked perfectly, as always, engines and chassis are highly performant.
The innovation regards the tyres, Bridgestone gave us some tyres having different characteristics compared with what we have been using so far, they are just softer… By now we are at the height of the event, so we just have to wait for the response of the track.”
Flavio Camponeschi – driver Tony Kart Junior Racing Team 2008 KF2 European Champion
“Now I am ready, last week I did a great work during the tests, we tested some solutions without trying to reach impressive performances, but everything we did was in view of the race.
I always liked this track and last year, in Mariembourg, I reached the third step on the podium: this year I am trying to do even better.”
Petri Suvanto – driver Tony Racing Team KF2 category
“This is my first race after the European Championship and I’m really greedy for victory, for myself and the team. During the two days testing last week, we tested lots of different solutions.
I am confident we will get good results.”
Info et photos Tony Kart