Further cementing Macau’s reputation as the birthplace of motorsport champions, the Automobile General Association Macao-China (AAMC) today announced that Macau will host the 2009 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship from October 8-11 at the Kartodromo de Macau, the first time the event has been held in Asia.

The CIK-FIA World Karting Championship, which over the years has helped launch the careers of racing stars such as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica, is the sport’s most prestigious title. Next month, fans across Asia will have the opportunity to witness motorsport history, and watch potential Formula One champions in action. Entrance to the four-day event is free of charge.

One hundred and seventy karters from 20 countries and regions will take part in the event, one of many celebrations being held this year to mark the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Macau Special Administrative Region.

In addition to the headline events, the 2009 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship and the 2009 CIK-FIA Karting Asia-Pacific KF3 Championship, the programme includes numerous support races as part of the 2009 Macau International Kart Grand Prix.

All three of last year’s CIK-FIA World Karting Championship podium finishers will make the trip to Macau, with reigning champion Marco Ardigò (ITA) seeking a third consecutive crown. Libro Toman (CZE) and Gary Catt (GBR), who placed second and third respectively in 2008 also return, each looking to take their first title.

Four-time world champion David Forè (ITA) is hoping to supplant Ardigò from the top spot. The two compatriots have won five out of the past nine championships. Two-time Macau Karting Champion João Afonso will make his world championship debut on his home circuit, becoming the first Macau karter to compete at the pinnacle of the sport.

Young karting and single seater drivers David Zhu and Cao Hongwei represent China in the championship, while Wong Tim Wai and Vica Chong Chuen Yee are the neighbouring Hong Kong SAR entrants on the 42-kart field. Matthew Solomon will represent Hong Kong in the CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship KF3.

The headline races feature 58 competitors from 19 different countries and regions, further demonstrating the international appeal of the sport. In the supporting Asian Karting Open Championship races, a total of 112 competitors from nine different countries and regions will compete in Macau.

A sport in its own right, innovation is a priority for the CIK-FIA governing body. At a race meeting in Sarno, Italy in August, miniature on-board cameras were introduced in all heats and finals in the junior KF3 category, allowing race officials to better observe the drivers’ actions on track. The result was an intense KF3 final, featuring numerous overtaking maneuvers and, just as importantly, fair and sportsmanlike competition from the drivers.

Karting is one of just four motorsport disciplines designated FIA World Championship status, along with Formula One, rallying and touring cars. Organized by the AAMC, the historic first is supported by the Macau Sports Development Board and the Macau Government Tourist Office. The Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK) is the official commission of the sport for the Fédération Internationale de l’Automotible (FIA), the world governing body of motorsport.

Macau’s commitment to the development of motorsport, and its storied motor racing culture, aligns perfectly with the 2009 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship. Karting has long been the traditional first step in a motorsport career, with Formula One drivers such as Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton, Kubica, Kimi Räikkonen, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen and Vitantonio Luizzi all having competed in the CIK-FIA Karting World Championship.

Trulli won the championship in 1991, and finished second two years later, while Luizzi was the 2001 winner. Kovalainen finished third in 2000, and Senna, who became the first Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix champion in 1983, was second on the podium in 1979 and in 1980.

While it is impossible to predict who the future Formula One World Champions will be, it is likely that they will have come through Macau, competing in the Macau Grand Prix or, perhaps, the 2009 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship. Attracting this prestigious international championship is just the latest of many sporting achievements for the Macau SAR. In addition to its major annual fixtures such as the Macau Grand Prix, Macau Marathon and Macau Golf Open, the SAR has played host to a number of high-profile multi-sport events including the 2005 East Asian Games, the 1st Lusofonia Games in 2006, and the 2007 Asian Indoor Games.

By ETBB

Junior Max star Ed Brand completed a double at Shenington, near Banbury last weekend (26/27 September), by adding the British Open title to his Super 1 championship victory completed earlier in the month.

The event, known simply as the ‘O’ Plate - after the number plate bearing the letter O that is awarded to the winner - is one of British karting’s most prestigious and therefore hard fought for titles.

"It was a dogfight all weekend," said the HRS Motorsport driver. "I really had to work hard for the win, and I did think it would end in tears a few times - but that’s what makes it all the sweeter. To add the British Open to my Super 1 title is just fantastic”.

The weekend had begun well for Ed - who competes on the HRS-designed CRG Dark Knight - chassis when he carved his way from 21st on the grid up to 6th place at the finish, setting the fastest lap of the race. In the following encounter, he finished 2nd but suffered a small reversal of fortune in his next two races, when he crossed the finishing line in 9th and 15th positions. Albeit that he again recorded the quickest lap in the third heat and powered his way up the order from 21st place in his last encounter.

These results were good enough to give Brand fourth place on the grid for the winner-takes-all final.

A steady start saw him maintain his starting place for the first two laps, before he saw a gap and was able to move into 2nd. He trailed the leader for a further tour and briefly assumed the lead before dropping back a place. On lap 8, Ed launched his bid to put the victory beyond doubt. With a furious scrap for the remaining podium places developing behind him, Brand was able to open a gap over his nearest rival and maintain it for the rest of the race, taking the chequered flag over a second clear of the runner-up. The victory has further boosted Ed prior to his appearance at the Rotax World Finals at Sharm el-Sheik in December, where he is hoping to add the international season’s biggest victory to his domestic triumphs.

“I came second in the Euro Max championship and by doing so, earned my place at the World Finals. It will be the biggest race of my life so far but with the team I have behind me and the form I’m currently in, I’m going to Egypt with the aim of winning, not to make up the numbers.”

Lydd-based Wavertree Motorsport is celebrating a victorious conclusion to the British Super 1 championship, after its drivers won the Mini and Junior Max finals at PFi last Sunday (20 September).

Jack Barlow led the team’s assault in the Mini Max class and showed that he is a huge talent for the future by fighting his way from 20th on the grid, to win the pre-final. He then went on to dominate the main final, taking the chequered flag more than five seconds ahead of his nearest challenger. Team boss, Matt Napolitano said, “Jack was brilliant. He didn’t make a mistake all weekend”. Jack’s Mini Max team-mate Aidan Hills also enjoyed a strong conclusion to the season, scoring his first top ten finish in his maiden Super 1 campaign, with a fine 8th place.

Lee Napolitano was also in sparkling form, in what was one of his last races in Junior Max. Fastest in timed qualifying, the 2008 Junior Max GP winner won both his heats before completing a perfect weekend for himself and his family’s team, by leading home the field in the two finals.

“Lee was just fantastic,” beamed Matt, who is also his uncle. “He won every time he went out on track. It was a superb way to round off the season, especially after such an awful start. The Lee that won Kart Masters last year, is back!”

Fellow Junior, Ashlee Whiteman delighted his team boss by achieving his target of a top 15 position in the points table - finishing 13th overall. “Ash got a seeded number, which is what we all wanted at the beginning of the year,” Matt said. He also expressed his pleasure at seeing Super 1 debutant Jack fighting for the championship. “I am absolutely over the moon. We weren’t expecting to be challenging [for the championship] in Jack’s first year. Going into that last round was incredible. The pressure we were under was immense. But it says a lot about him and the equipment under him [Alonso chassis and WMS-prepared engines], that he has been a consistent front-runner all season”.

The team is now turning its attention to clinching the Formula Kart Stars title with Jack. “We really want to win it. It’ll be a big shame if we don’t because we’ve pretty much been leading it from the start. But we’ll go to Whilton Mill [on 3/4 October] with a ‘what will be, will be’ attitude. What we have achieved so far this year has been amazing, all the boys have shone, so I’ll be saying ‘just go out there and do your best’.”

Matt knows that Jack will be feeling the heat, but has several methods to relieve anxiety. “We’re a family-run team and my belief is, if the kids aren’t having fun – what’s the point? We enjoy a lot of banter in the awning, have a laugh and use silly hand-signals in testing to try and take the driver’s mind off the pressure. It’s a much nicer way to go racing.” For drivers looking to run with a multiple championship winning team, in a friendly and positive environment, Wavertree Motorsport has opportunities available right now.