Now in its sixth season, the championship that is easily considered one of the best worldwide in Rotax racing, takes the competition to sunny Spain for the first round of the series this weekend. Event organisers and promoters RGMMC Establishment, has continually looked for new, interesting circuits to introduce to the championship. Zuera offers the Rotax drivers the same opportunity to race where some of the CIK categories will also compete later this year, with the likes of the European Championship and WSK Series, followed by the World Championships in 2010.

Zuera International Circuit in the north-east of the country close to the city of Zaragoza will play host to the event that has become a benchmark for the four Max classes that are so closely contested. The relatively new track is an incredible 1700 metres in length, situated around half-way between the Spanish capital Madrid and Barcelona on the coast. Not only does it provide the ideal weather for some great racing at this time of the year, but with Zuera as the selected location, it gave many of the drivers and teams the advantage of being able to do some additional testing in conjunction with the recent Rotax Winter Cup in southern Spain.

Director of Operations for the outstanding venue Parco Arnal, together with his team, are looking forward to seeing the Euro Challenge competitors totally enjoying the experience. “We have a huge paddock area and restaurant trackside, but we also believe the safety aspect is vital in ensuring a successful event. Our circuit gives the chance to drive on a long CIK Homologated track with all the best facilities, which will hopefully encourage more drivers to want to participate in the Euro Challenge the following year.”

The level of racing has consistently grown, with this year being no exception. It’s really not surprising then to find 150 drivers from an extensive list of countries coming to round one of the championship, when 14 places will be awarded for the Euro qualifiers to go to the Rotax Grand Finals at Sharm El Sheik, Egypt (December 9-12). It’s a known fact that the majority of the podium winners all vying for the Rotax World titles have competed in the Euro Challenge series.

With a strong contingent lining-up in the Zuera meeting, there are some unfamiliar faces making their Euro debut in today’s qualifying practice sessions. The defending champions in each class have progressed to other levels of racing or pursuing their career in cars, while the Junior Max sees some of the youngsters stepping up as well to seniors or making the move to Formula racing. A fully subscribed field in the Rotax DD2 class should turn on some nail-biting competition in the 2-speed gearbox category, with the current Rotax Grand Finals and European number one looking to make 2009 a double-take on last season.

At its meeting on 17 March 2009 in Paris, the FIA World Motor Sport Council took in particular the following decisions regarding Karting:

Sporting Regulations

For the first time in its history (46 editions), the CIK-FIA World Karting Championship will be held in Asia, on the Coloane circuit at Macau, right next to China (on 11 October 2009). In order to favour the participation of Drivers, and especially Drivers from the Asian continent, the eligibility criteria to enter the World Championship are extended to any Driver having participated in at least one CIK-FIA Championship Event in the last three seasons, and to Drivers having participated in at least three FIA Asian Karting Zone Championship (AKOC) Events in 2008 or 2009 in a Senior category and having been classified in the first 33% of the participants.

As Drivers holding an international grade B Licence are now authorised to enter in Group I categories (Super KF and KF1), Appendix B to the International Karting Regulations stipulates that any B Licence-holder who is classified in the top 6 of a CIK-FIA Group I Championship must be issued with a grade A Licence the following year.

For safety reasons and to respect the environment, the starting up of engines in the Paddock will be limited to special periods and will have to be done in specifically scheduled locations.

Technical Regulations

As the CIK-FIA homologation of all engines of the categories concerned will expire on 31 December 2009, it has been decided to delete from the International Karting Regulations Articles 6 (Specific Regulations for Formula Super A), 7 (Formula A), 10 (ICA) and 11 (ICA-Junior).

Homologation Regulations

The validity of KZ engines and of ignitions to be homologated next winter by the CIK-FIA will be increased from 6 to 9 years.

The homologation procedure for engines, ignitions, carburettors and inlet silencers will be brought forward by two months with regard to the calendar of the previous homologation sessions. The Manufacturers of such equipment shall apply for homologation to the CIK-FIA via their ASNs at the latest on 1st August 2009.

The CIK-FIA Approval Regulations now stipulate that it is possible to update periodically the List of Lubricants approved by the CIK-FIA for one calendar year.

By PaddockTalk

Russian driving sensation Daniil Kvyat has put his stamp on the European Karting Scene by winning the prestigious Winter Cup in Italy. The Russian contingent were out in full force on the circuit of the world famous Garda track, which shares its name with the renowned Italian lake nearby.

The event itself featured three international categories – with Yury Grigorenko producing the 57th best qualifying time out of 112 in the KF-2 category.

His compatriots fared much better in the KF-3 class – with four Russians cracking the top 20. Daniil Kvyat was best out of that bunch, finishing second in qualifying.

The racers were then split into groups and sub-groups, with only the best out of the selection surviving the many heats to meet in the final race.

The complex format, which essentially features several competitions in one, is due to a large number of participants wanting to try their hand on the track.

Russian favorite Kvyat was pinned back to 10th place at the start of the group semi-final.

That didn’t stop the up and coming driver from finishing first to secure pole position in the final, recovering from a collision with teammate Eduard Fralenkov in the earlier heats.

And Kvyat led from start to finish in the ultimate race of that class – with Rafaelli Marchiello the only challenger coming close during those 28 laps, the same speedster who finished ahead of the Russian back in qualifying.

It was Kvyat however who raised the winter cup in Lonato, one of the most prestigious European race events.

“The fact that a Russian kid groomed in the local driving system won the Winter Cup is huge for Russian karting as a whole,” said Pyotr Aleshin from the Russian Karting Association.

Karting is often seen as a gateway to bigger and faster competitions, such as Formula One.

And with the Daniil Kvyat-led Russian contingent making a strong showing the lane could eventually be wide open into the higher echelons of motorsport.

By RussiaToday

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

Bulgaria’s top karting pilot for 2008 Mishel Georgiev made a remarkable performance in the races for the Griffone Cup in Lonato, Italy by ending third in the prestigious KZ2 class. The winner is the three-time world champion Alessandro Manetti and another Italian, Marco Zanchetta is runner-up. The 18-year-old Bulgarian became champion of South East Europe in the same class in 2008.

By RadioBulgaria