A look at the paddock in Varennes Sur allier (Pic: press.net Images)
THE FIRST WORLD TITLE OF 2013 TO BE AWARDED IN VARENNES. Tomorrow, in Varennes sur Allier (France), spotlights on the CIK-FIA World KZ Championship. The event will award the first World karting title of the 2013 season. Always on the Auvergne circuit, the top KZ2 drivers are giving chase to the CIK-FIA International Super Cup. Last but not least, the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy, one of the most sought-after one-make series reserved to drivers aged 13-15 who, for this third and last round, will be behind the wheel of a Parolin-FIM-Vega kart. The icing on the cake of the French event is the performance of the vintage karts of the Historic Super Cup. In few words, the circuit of Varennes is going to host an outstanding event, which can boast the participation of all the top drivers and teams at world level.
THRILLING FINALE FOR THE KZ CHAMPIONSHIP.
The KZ category raises its prestige awarding a full-fledged World Championship, after the World Cups awarded in the past seasons. That’s the reason why the 38 entrants are so committed and ready to battle against the former KZ1 World Cup winners, the Dutch Bas Lammers (Intrepid-TM-Bridgestone) and the Belgian Jonathan Thonon (CRG-Maxter-Bridgestone). In the battle between the two winners of the past six seasons there might be a third pretender, Arnaud Kozlinski (Birel-TM-Bridgestone), at his comeback after a convalescence which had started last spring. There are great expectations for the French driver’s performance, as well as for the performance of the reigning European champion, the Dutch Max Verstappen (CRG-TM), without forgetting all the top drivers that each manufacturer has brought in France: official drivers such as the Italian Marco Ardigò (Tony Kart-Vortex), Paolo De Conto (Birel-.TM) and Sauro Cesetti (Top Kart-Comer); the French Anthony Abbasse (Sodi-TM), Jeremy Iglesias (Lenzokart-LKE) and Gianni Gazzurelli (FA Kart-Vortex), Charles Leclerc (Art GP-TM) from Monaco, the Czech Patrik Hajek (Praga-Parilla-Bridgestone), the Dutch Dylan Davies (First-TM), the Finnish Henry Kokko (DR-TM) and Aleksi Tuukkanen (Ninar-TM); the Belgian Yannik De Brabander (Maranello-TM) and the Austrian Andreas Schrangl (Oberon-Seven). Special mention for the Spanish Jaime Alguersuari (Tony Kart-Vortex), former Toro Rosso’s driver. Thanks to him, the race of Varennes will experience the thrill of a F1 event.
GREAT TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGE IN KZ2 TOO.
The holder of the 2012 KZ2 World Cup, the English Jordon Lennox-Lamb (CRG-Parilla-Bridgestone), has entered the World KZ Championship; so, it is the Norwegian Emil Antonsen (DR-TM-Bridgestone), the recent winner of the European Championship, the favourite for the CIK-FIA International KZ2 Super Cup. Also in this category, lots of talented drivers are ready to challenge each other, among the 92 entrants: the English Ben Barnicoat (Art GP-TM), the Swedish Joel Johansson (Energy-TM), Douglas Lundberg (LH-Maxter) and Viktor Oberg (Gillard-Parilla); the Italian Riccardo Negro (DR-TM), Marco Zanchetta (Maranello-TM), Alessandro Manetti (Praga-Parilla), Simone Brenna (Tibi Kart-Modena), Alessio Piccini (Tony Kart-Vortex), Matteo Viganò (Top Kart-Comer), Alessandro Giulietti (Intrepid-TM) and Massimo Aceto (Righetti-Parilla); the Czech Jan Midrla (Birel-TM), the Belgian Kenny Charles (Merlin-TM), the French Thierry Lolmede (RK-TM) and Romuald Beauvois (Oberon-TM); the Dutch Ricardo Romkema (Zanardi-TM) and Jordi Van Moorsel (Maddox-TM); the Finnish Jan Kuovi (Rosso Korsa-TM), the Russian Philipp Buznikov (GP-TM) and the Romanian Tomi Dragan (Lenzokart-LKE).
THE SUPERPOLE IGNITES THE WEEKEND OF VARENNES.
The big novelty of the CIK-FIA World Championship is the Superpole. In the paddock everybody is looking forward to taking part in this first challenge between the 12 fastest KZ drivers of the first qualifying session.
