Nyck De Vries: KF1 World Champion
press release
His opponents put pressure on him until the end. But Nyck De Vries (Zanardi-Parilla) was good at staying focused, maintaining his determination and, most of all, his burst of speed, to win his second World Champion title in a row. On the fast track of Suzuka (Japan), the Dutchman from the Chiesa Corse Team ended his KF1 season in beauty, taking the top step of the podium for the 9th time in 2011. Supported by the "McLaren F1 Driver Development Programme", Nyck De Vries is ready more than ever to face a new challenge in 2012, with his single-seater debut.
The 2011 season was long, difficult and hard fought. It was a very high level World KF1 Championship, gathering the elite of karting. Nyck De Vries always gave the best of himself to stay in the lead, from the very beginning to the end of the Championship. His task was made a bit more complicated by a few technical and sporting problems, but one thing that will be certainly be remembered is his stunning list of achievements: 13 podiums including 9 victories and 15 best laps in 20 races, as well as six pole positions out of the 10 possible! Nyck won at least a race at each meeting. As a result, he scored 291 points and had a 45-point lead over his closest rival.
But the last round held in Japan also had its share of suspense. "The first qualifying session did not go as positively as I thought, so I had to be satisfied with the 14th time. But I was not overly worried, because Suzuka is a circuit where you can pass easily. I made a good start in Final 1 and was able to get up to 5th", Nyck commented. His best lap time in the race proved that Nyck could still improve his score. But he also knew that there was no room for mistakes and retiring was out of the question. He continued his progression behind the wheel of his Zanardi-Parilla and thanks to his talent and self-assurance he took the third step of the podium in Final 2.
The following day, Nyck De Vries stayed focused on his main goal: becoming World Champion. He set the second best time in timed qualifying, just 0.03 seconds short of the pole position. In Final 3, he managed to break away from the pack together with another driver. It was an ideal scenario, because he knew that he could go for victory without running excessive risks, knowing that with a second place the title could be his. And indeed he crossed the line in second position. The Chiesa Corse driver could then relax and go for a last success in this Championship, which he dominated.
