Historical Event At Macau

press release

For the first time in its history started in 1964, the CIK-FIA Karting World Championship will be held in Asia. Its 46th edition will be run on 8-11 October 2009 at Macao on the local 1,203 metres long permanent Karting circuit located on the Coloane Island.

Macao, which became a “Special administrative region of the Popular Republic of China” in 1999, is celebrating this year the 10th anniversary of its new political statute. Situated on the southern coast of China and almost in front of Hong Kong, Macao can boast a rich and long motor sport culture, particularly through its traditional Formula 3 GP or, more recently, its rounds counting towards the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

The “Karting” activity taking place in Macao has gone crescendo as years went by with the organisation in 2005 and 2006 of the international Karting GP, followed in 2007 and 2008 by CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championships for the KF1 and KF3 categories. The granting of the World Championship statute is therefore the outcome of a constant progression for an event which we owe to the ASN (National Sporting Authority), the Automobile General Association Macao-China, which has the additional support of the highest local authorities, the Macau Government Tourist Office and the Macau Sport Development Board.

Forty-three Drivers will fight it out for the 2009 CIK-FIA World Championship, which will be filmed by the cameras of Eurosport International (there will be live TV broadcast of the final). 2008 World, European and Asia-Pacific Champion, the Italian Marco Ardigo is generally looked on as the favourite. But there will be fierce competition with, as often in Karting, Drivers who can be classified in two categories: very experienced or “professional” Drivers, in particular Davide Fore (I), Gary Catt (GB), Jonathan Thonon (B), Arnaud Kozlinski (F), Manuel Renaudie (F), Ben Hanley (GB) and Jason Parrott (GB) on the one hand, and, on the other, youngsters of the up-and-coming generation led by Aaro Vainio (FIN), Toman Libor (CZ), Brandon Maisano (F), Robert Foster-Jones (GB), Yannick de Brabander (B), Zdenek Groman (CZ), Miikka Kunranta (FIN) and Oliver Rowland (GB).

In total, 14 nations will be represented, including 7 Asian countries. And two ladies (Tereza Gomanová/CZ and Laura Tillett/GB) will be at the start. 42 out of the 43 Competitors will race on Bridgestone tyres while Dunlop’s interests will be defended only by Luca Giacomello (I). As a historical first, two Chinese Drivers (David Zhu et Hongwei Cao) and a Driver from Macao (Joao Afonso) will take part in the Karting World Championship.

The programme of the meeting will be completed by competitions counting towards the FIA Asian Zone Open Karting Championship and by the CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific KF3 Championship, in which another premiere will be worth noting, namely the very first appearance of Yokohama tyres in the CIK-FIA Championships.

Entry lists, time schedules and extra information are available on the CIK-FIA website (www.cikfia.com/News2009/Macau.htm), where all the results of the event will also be published in real time.

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