F1 drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, who used to race together for CRG and Dino Chiesa’s team a few years ago, went back on a kart last Friday, both to get some fun and for a small training session for next F1 season. The two drivers met on the ‘South Garda Karting Circuit’, welcomed by their former team manager Dino Chiesa, for a full immersion day in karting.

Both Hamilton and Rosberg, before their debut in car-racing, used to race together for the MBM team (acronym of Mercedes Benz McLaren) in 2000 and 2001, with CRG chassis; in those years they even took part in the Italian Championship Open Masters. With Dino Chiesa and CRG, Hamilton became Formula A European Champion in 2000, with Rosberg crossing the line for second. Hamilton, who turned 25 few days ago and is about to race for McLaren for the 4th season, could test the ‘LH’ chassis, recently developed by CRG thanks to 2008 F1 World Champion’s advice and technical specs.

Rosberg, who is racing for Mercedes this year, raced on a ‘Zanardi’ chassis; he already had the occasion to appreciate it last November, on the very same circuit of Lonato together with Michael Schumacher and the young Dutch star Nyck De Vries. De Vries, who was together with the two F1 drivers on this occasion too, has recently been included in the McLaren young driver development programme. Also Lewis Hamilton’s brother, Nicholas, got on a kart: he had lot of fun testing a CRG-Rotax Max.

Lewis Hamilton concentrated on the driving of his ‘LH’, both in the KF and KZ version with gears and Maxter engine. "I really had lot of fun said Hamilton after racing for almost a whole day. Above all, I enjoyed the kart with gears, which I had never tried before. I’ve always raced on a 100cc without gears, and it’s been hard for me to adjust to the driving style the KZ requires. I need to get the knack of it, but I’ve already seen that it’s total fun. I obviously felt at ease with the KF, quite similar to my old 100cc. Anyway, it was wonderful to meet again with my old team, my brother and all my Italian friends."

Dino Chiesa was very satisfied too: "Meeting again on a track after almost ten years was a great experience. First of all, both Hamilton and Rosberg wanted to have fun, without trying to get first rate performances, even though they raced at full throttle. Nicholas Hamilton had lots of fun too: he didn’t want to get down of the kart. I think he completed almost 200 laps… I hope to repeat this experience in a few months."

By MotorSport

Arnaud Kozlinski was awarded his first CIK-FIA World Karting Championship winner’s trophy at the FIA Gala in Monaco this evening. This marked a positive step up for the 28-year-old who had won second place in the 2003 and 2004 Championships. The 46th edition of the CIK-FIA World Karting Championship, which is run over a single event, took place for the first time ever in Asia, at the Macau Motorsports Club. There were 43 entries and among them, for the first time in the history of the CIK-FIA Karting Championship, there were two Chinese drivers at the start of the event.

Kozlinski, driving a CRG Kart with Maxter engine and Bridgestone tyres, started in pole position, comfortably winning the pre-final before starting again in pole position for the afternoon final. Although the championship was halted five laps early due to heavy rain, this did nothing to detract from the exciting on-track action. Being the first Frenchman ever to win a world championship in the sport’s highest category, Kozlinski was ecstatic to have been crowned at the FIA Gala.

Kozlinski said: "Winning the World Championship in Macau was a huge relief. In 2008, I was really disappointed when my engine let go, as it did a month earlier when I was on my way to being European Champion. These two failures were very difficult for me to get over. Fortunately, I was well surrounded by friends and family and it gave me the desire to come back even stronger. That’s why I dedicate this victory to all those who supported me, especially my parents."

Giancarlo Tinini, President of winning constructor CRG, said: "The 20 minutes of the Karting World Championship finale are always the most intense of the year, never failing to bring on a huge adrenaline rush. No other race could be compared to the World Championship, and for a constructor, securing a win is obviously very exciting. Winning changes everything from one day to the next: the company’s image is strengthened overnight and the publicity generated is incredible, benefiting our entire network."

By MotorSport

Paul Spencer and his Tony Kart Junior Racing Team have won the WSK championship’s KF2 title for the second year running. Last year, the partner squad to the factory Tony Kart Racing Team swept to the title with Flavio Camponeschi. In 2009 they have retained the crown with English star, Ben Cooper with a round remaining.

Spencer’s delight was compounded by the performances of his other KF2 stars; Chris Lock and European vice-Champion, Matteo Beretta. In the KF3 category, the team’s Carlos Sainz Junior scored a brace of runner-up finishes, with his Brazilian team-mate Guilherme Silva joining him on the pre-final podium. Having performed well in the heats, Gustavo Menezes had a far tougher time in the two finals - but stuck to his task and returned home to America having done enough to keep him in the top fifteen of the championship table.

Knowing that he simply needed to go for points rather than outright podiums, Cooper came through the heats strongly and improved on his pre-final starting grid position to take the chequered flag in fourth place. Lock battled to a hard-fought 11th, whilst Beretta recovered to 21st after being knocked off the circuit during the race.

With one hand on the trophy, Ben’s objective for the main final was simply to finish ahead of his nearest rivals - Matteo Vigano and Joel Johansson - and he delivered in fine style. A measured and mature drive saw him avoid any unnecessary battles to put the championship beyond doubt. Chris’s stirring drive up the order to an excellent 2nd place saw him move up the points table and the 2008 European Rotax Max champion has a chance of making it a Tony Kart Junior one-two at the closing round at Lonato.

With a total of ninety points available for wins in both finals, Matteo (Beretta) will also be keen to improve his position in the standings. He took points away from Zuera thanks to his 14th position and will be keen to end his WSK season on a high, on home soil.

In the KF3 class, Carlos, Guilherme and Gustavo all made it safely through the eliminatory heats, to qualify for the pre-final. Sainz opened his account with a fine drive to 2nd with Silva putting in another exciting drive behind for 3rd.

Another quality display from Carlos saw him steer clear of trouble, finish 3rd and close the gap on Danil Kvyat in the championship standings. Guilherme dropped places in the race, but not in the points table, and will return to Lonato – the circuit where he first burst onto the European scene with a hugely impressive Winter Cup debut. Gustavo demonstrated true American grit and fought hard for his three points in 13th place.

Commentating on the weekend, Spencer said, “It was really, really good. All the drivers did a brilliant job. Ben just had to sit and watch the battles ahead and that’s exactly what he did. His maturity under pressure was just fantastic”. Acknowledging that the team built from a solid if unspectacular start to the event, Paul added “It was something of a progressive meeting in the end. The boys had to cope with endless variables, such as the ever-changing track conditions. We just kept chipping away and it all came good”.

Looking to the final round, he said, “We can go to Lonato and enjoy it. We’d like to finish in first and second in KF2 and improve each of the drivers’ points positions overall. And of course, win the Euro Cup (for teams) in both classes. That would be really, really good for me, the mechanics and of course everyone at Tony Kart and Vortex who have worked so hard to give the drivers the kit with which to consistently be able to fight for trophies.”

By PaddockTalk

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Update: Michael Schumacher said two days of karting in Italy had given his body a good workout as he stepped up his physical training programme ahead of his Formula 1 comeback. The seven-time world champion spent Wednesday and Thursday at a favourite karting haunt in Lonato near Lake Garda, where he was joined by Ferrari’s long-serving test driver Luca Badoer. The high grip levels generated by ultra-light shifter karts makes them physically demanding to drive and gives them similar handling characteristics to F1 cars, which is why many F1 drivers use them regularly to stay fit and race-sharp.

Schumacher said the two days in Lonato had been not only enjoyable but an important physical tune-up in preparation for his F1 return. “Arms, upper body, shoulders, neck – it was simply excellent training,” he told his website. “Over the next few days I will continue working at home.” Schumacher is poised to come out of retirement and stand in for Felipe Massa while the Brazilian continues his recovery from a skull fracture sustained at last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The 40-year-old German will undergo fitness checks to ensure that his neck – injured in a motorbike accident in February – is strong enough to withstand the rigours of F1 competition.

Michael Schumacher may have been prevented from testing a current Ferrari Formula One car in his build-up to the European Grand Prix. But here he is fulfilling his need for speed… in a go-kart! The German great took to the track in Lonato, Italy, yesterday in a mini-machine light years away from the brutal F1 car he will pedal in Valencia on August 23. Maybe Schumacher, who will replace the injured Felipe Massa at the Spanish event, thought it would help him exercise his dodgy neck. The 40-year-old, retired for nearly three years, needs to build up muscle and G-force resistant tendons before his much-vaunted F1 return.

By Sun and ITV and AP and MS

RED Bull Racing driver Mark Webber has been secretly taking a spin on the local go-karting track to prepare for the new Formula One season.

The Australian driver spent time at Daytona in Milton Keynes as part of his rehabilitation to return from a broken leg.

Webber, 32, fractured his leg during a charity bicycle race in Tasmania last year and faced a race against time to make it back for the 2009 season.

But his return was perfectly timed for the unveiling of Red Bull’s new car thanks to some help from the Daytona racetrack.

With limited practise sessions in F1 Webber asked bosses at Daytona if he could squeeze in a few laps in their new DMaz 2-stroke Birel karts.

Webber was able to test the strength of his right ankle to see if could handle constant pressure from the accelerator and brake before stepping into Red Bul’s RB5.

General Manager, Lee Jackson, said: “What a thrill to see Mark Webber tearing around our international circuit. He really gave our new DMax karts a shake down and proved to himself that his leg has healed superbly. A win for all.”

The new Formula One season starts in Melbourne on March, 29.

By MKNews