Preview: Euro Championship Events x2

This weekend sees the opening round of the European KF1, KZ1 & KZ2 Championships at Angerville (F) with 185 drivers entered. Two weeks later the second round of the European Superkart Championship will be held at Lausitz (Germany) with a full field of 60 drivers.

Entry lists for these events are already on the CIK-FIA website - see the links below. These pages are also scheduled to carry results, live timing, and even photos etc during and after the event.

press release

CIK-FIA Event Preview: European KF1 - KZ1 - KZ2 Championships round 1

It is the Gabriel Thirouin circuit located 70 km South of Paris which has the honour of opening the dancing of the CIK-FIA European KF1, KZ1 and KZ2 Championships on 3 and 4 May 2008. Compared to previous years, the number of entries has reached a new record with a total of 185 entered drivers, compared to 160 in 2007.

Entries are divided as follows: 44 in KF1, 37 in KZ1 and 104 in KZ2.

KF1, the showcase Karting category where the major works teams are omnipresent, pits experienced drivers who have been competing at the highest level of Karting for several seasons and young representatives of the up-and-coming generation. Some of the former have made Karting their profession, whereas the latter entertain the hope of climbing the Motorsport ladder and, if possible, all the way up to Formula 1, like Hamilton, Kubica and Rosberg, who all three competed at Angerville in 1999 in a European Junior Championship.

Among the seasoned KF1 drivers, the tops of the bill are the World Champions Marco Ardigo (2007) and Davide Fore (1998, 2000, 2004 and 2006), the Italian Sauro Cesetti, as well as the Britons Gary Catt, Jason Parrott and Mark Litchfield. 14 out of the 44 entered drivers will make their début in the top category but in view of the results they achieved in 2007 in the category below, KF2, several of them can from the outset aim at the podium and even at victory. The first names that come to mind are Britain’s Will Stevens, Belgian’s Yannick de Brabander, the Dutchman Jack Te Braak, the Czech Toman Libor and the Anglo-Belgian Michael Ryall. The nation with the largest number of representatives, France, boasts a few drivers capable of achieving feats, such as Anthony Abbasse, Armand Convers, Arnaud Kozlinski and Alban Varutti.

KZ1 brings together the upper crust of 125 cc gearbox karts and is usually the private hunting ground of Italian drivers. However, the likes of Laudato, Manetti, Piccini, Toninelli and Giulietti will have to come to terms with foreign opposition more assertive than ever, in particular from the Belgian Jonathan Thonon (winner of the 2007 World Cup of the category), the Frenchmen Manuel Renaudie and Thomas Mich, the Dutchman Bas Lammers and the American Gary Carlton.

The KZ2 125 cc gearbox karts category is in full expansion in Europe and on the North American continent. It will gather 104 drivers, i.e. 33% more than in 2006. Eighteen nationalities will be represented.

Considering the large number of participants, the first qualifying practice is scheduled for the Friday afternoon. Its classifications, as well as those of the whole meeting can be followed live on the CIK-FIA website (www.cikfia.com). With 11 practice sessions and 17 qualifying heats, the Saturday will relentlessly be a very busy day. Six additional qualifying heats will take place on the Sunday morning as an appetiser to the six finals scheduled for the Sunday afternoon!

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