Following an exciting season-opener in Spain last March, the Kart Planet circuit in Italy is the selected venue for the anticipated second round of the Rotax Euro Challenge this week. With just over 140 competitors from 26 different countries making their way to the Province of Cuneo 70km southwest of the Winter Olympic city of Torino, the event is gearing-up to be nothing short of fantastic if round 1 was any indication of what’s in store.

Kart Planet is yet another of the new locations introduced into the Rotax Championship in 2009, offering an alternative location to the previous tracks that have provided some impressive racing over the past five years. Considered a fast and technical layout, the 1450 metre anti-clockwise circuit will challenge the drivers to work hard. Built in 1998 in the Italian municipality of Busca, not far from the French border and glamorous Monaco, the combination of a compact, tight part on one side of the track and contrasting speed of the more flowing section, is expected to see the quicker Rotax DD2 gearbox karts circulating around the high 58-second mark, while the Senior and Junior Max will be fractionally off that lap time with the various regulation MOJO tyres.

The owners of the complex are the Speranza-Imani family, who are very much looking forward to hosting their first ever Euro Challenge event in association with series organisers and promoters RGMMC Establishment. To date, Kart Planet has been the chosen venue for the International Kart Open Masters, together with the Supermoto World Championship for the past three years. Like so many other kart tracks today, it offers an ideal location for more than one form of Motorsport. The brand new trackside building which includes a superb restaurant/bar, plus offices for event administration, race officials, timekeeping, race commentator, press room and more, delivers the expected standard of facilities that’s become an integral part of the Euro Challenge. The viewing areas and grandstands are perfect for spectators and supporters.

As the second of four rounds in the series, Busca is creating a lot of interest due to the growing competitiveness of the championship, as already seen from the Spanish round last March. Significantly, Tony Kart dominated the Senior Max podium, as well as having British driver Josh Webster comfortably claim the junior victory. The 15-year old running with the Strawberry Racing Team has been at the Italian circuit twice for some crucial testing leading up to this week’s event and says he’s admittedly quite confident coming into the second round.

“Winning the first race in Spain [and finishing 3rd at the Rotax Winter Cup] has given me a good feeling about this year’s championship, so I’m confident that I can do well here in Italy. The track is not the easiest and possibly going to be very demanding for drivers who are not that fit, which will become obvious as there’s more grip. Our team has a personal trainer and we follow a special program to help build up our strength and fitness for such long races like we have for the Euro finals. I’m hoping to qualify better than I did in Zuera and get a good starting grid position or the first corner could create some problems otherwise. We’ll see what happens.”

Fellow senior team mate Luke Varley has apparently been spending a lot of time in the kart in preparation for his Euro assault, having taken the honours at the first round as well. The former British junior champ is going to be one of the hot favourites no doubt, but he has some tough Max rivals to contend with; almost 60 drivers are entered for the senior class, including a long list of highly international-ranked competitors. Frenchman Jerome Bourquard returns as the series leader in the Max Masters, looking to secure another win to strengthen his European campaign. Ralph Odendaal is keen to fly the South African flag above the top step of the podium in the DD2 as he did at round 1, where he was unbeatable on finals day. It’s inevitably going to be great racing.

The Pan-American CIK-FIA Championship 2009 was won by the Ossola Tony Kart Team Argentina. On the Brazilian track of Velopark, the Argentinean Javier Merlo driving his perfect Tony Kart chassis won in the main class, the Sudam, gaining also the best lap with the time of 56.844. Besides the victory, there is also the third position gained by the other Argentinean driver Jose Olmedo. He led the final for the most part of the race, but in the end he was overtook by his team-mate and by Nicastro (Birel).

In the Sudam Jr class the Brazilian Guilherme Silva lost the possibility to win due to a small inconvenience occurred in the heats. Silva, in the final, did a great recovery ending the race in fifth position and underlining once again the great potential of our material, at the top also in the Junior class. For the whole technical staff of the Ossola Tony Kart Team Argentina the result reached on the track of Porto Alegre is the prize for the hard work carried out until this moment with the last homologated chassis, the Racer EVR and the Krypton KRX.

Martin Acosta – Team Manger

“The technical material was perfect during the whole week-end. This is the most important race in South  America and the victory, especially in the main class, is the proof of the high quality of Tony Kart. I am happy both for Merlo and Olmedo. I am afraid for Silva because, for a  small inconvenience, lost the possibility to win. Thanks to the result gained in the CIK-FIA Pan America, the Tony Kart is considered the best chassis in South America”

Javier Merlo – Tony Kart driver, CIK-FIA Pan America Sudam Champion 2009

“I am really happy, this is my first International title… moreover I am glad to give to Tony Kart another CIK title”

Jose Olmedo – Tony Kart driver, 3rd  class. CIK-FIA Pan America Sudam 2009

“Unfortunately I wasn’t able to overtook the two first drivers in the last lap. I led the final for the 85% and that’s why I am a little bit afraid. However I am happy that Tony Kart gained such an important victory”

Gulillharlme Silva – Tony Kart driver, CIK-FIA Pan America Sudam Jr 2009

“I could not prove all my potential, however it can happen. The technical material is perfect and I am already thinking to the next European event”

By Tony

The name Micro clearly denotes that the renewed model has been created for the youngest drivers, it has been studied and realized in order to satisfy all children’s needs.

The Micro has been manufactured paying great attention to every single detail, so that the youngest drives can enjoy themselves in a thoughtless and safe way. The Micro is provided with apposite systems which allow to adapt the seat place to drivers having a different height. Tony Kart technical department has developed a system of slides which allow to adjust the pedals and the seat with a few easy and fast movements.

Thanks to this systems of adjustments the Micro can be used by the same driver for a long time without any problem. The frame is Ø 25mm and all the components, in aluminium machined by OTK, will be similar to the top model, the RACER EVR. The style is modern and technologic with the WTD Wind Tunnel Design.

The Micro is available with two different engines: the Honda GX35 or Comer C50.

By Tony

Coles Racing’s Junior Max star takes second British Championship victory.

Just two rounds in to this year’s British Super 1 Championship, and already Ed Brand is shaping up to be a serious contender for overall honours at the end of the season.

The CRG Dark Knight driver took his second victory at the spectacular Rowrah circuit in Cumbria last weekend (25/26 April).

Brand was too hot to handle in Timed Qualifying and duly posted the fastest lap to secure pole position for his two eliminatory heats. The first of which he won comfortably, crossing the line over two seconds ahead of his closest rival.

A tougher second heat saw Ed just pip the third-placed driver by four one-hundredths of a second - but it was enough to secure the number one position on the grid for the first of Sunday’s two finals.

“The circuit has been resurfaced recently, making it much smoother and faster - but almost impossible to set the kart up perfectly for prior to racing. I was fortunate that my kart felt very good from the word ‘go’ and again in the final, it was ballistic,” Ed explained.

Although he was chased hard, Ed romped to a dominant win – his second of the campaign.

“Once I’d survived the opening corners, I was quickly able to get my head down and open a gap. With everyone fighting hard behind me, that gave me the opportunity I needed to make the break.”

However, there is a phlegmatic saying in the sport to sum up the unexpected lows, ‘that’s motor racing.’ As the field streamed out of the pits and onto the undulating Cumbrian circuit, Ed discovered that his engine had developed a mystery gremlin.

“It just wouldn’t run properly at all. I think something in the carburetor had broken and I had to quickly return to the pits to see if my team could fix it. Unfortunately, in the few seconds they had available before the start, nothing could be done and I had to get out of the kart and become a spectator.”

He added, “I sulked for a few minutes, but then got over it. I’ve had three podiums out of four, so we’re going quite well - but I’m 5th in the points now and this shows that consistency will be crucial over the rest of the season.”

The Super 1 Championship next visits Buckmore Park, in Kent (13/14 June) where Ed will be hoping that another strong performance will put him top of the table.