The 2009 International ROK Final concluded with a series of fireworks worthy of the title of the greatest annual event for ROK Racing. The Eastern European countries confirmed their enormous and growing potential with Yan Midrla taking the Senior ROK title back to the Czech Republic with the podium completed by Polish drivers Hubert Cebulski and Daniel Fuchs.

In the Super ROK class the Italian Alessandro Vantini was simply uncatchable in taking the title after winning this race last year. Right behind him was countryman Lorenzo Caponi with the Argentinian driver Martin Acosta taking a surprising but very positive third place.

The Junior ROK final was a nailbiter decided on the line with a photofinish in which the young South African driver Roman De Beer bravely held out the Italian Damiano Fioravanti with third place going to the Swiss driver Levin Amweg.

The Mini ROK title went to the Italian Luca Corberi followed Sweden’s Robin Hansson and Italian Tommaso Mosca. There were consolation finals for drivers who did not among the final 34 drivers for the four ROK categories in which the racing was as spectacular as ever. Mika Laiho took home the Dell’Orto Trophy to Finland, the South African Lourens Dunn won the Super ROK Sparco Cup, Italian Gabrielle Volpato won the Junior Bridgestone Cup and Thailand’s Sasakorn Chaimongkol won the TKart Magazine Mini ROK Title.

The ROK International Final was held in grand style with driver numbers that broke all records (more than 300 in total), from more than nations than ever (35 countries in total) and spectacular racing that will be remembered for years to come.

By ROK

The newly formed Stargate Dubai sponsored Karting Team, managed by XSPORT Motorsports, had a successful performance at the ROK World Championship, held in Lonato, Italy over the weekend.

Twenty two countries qualified to participate this year, where each country sends pre-qualified drivers to compete amongst the very best drivers in the world, all competitors race with the same make of Vortex ROK engines and are allowed to use their own choice of professional racing chassis.

Fabienne Lanz, the Stargate Dubaismost successful karting star, impressed spectators and fellow competitors alike as she lit up the track on the damp Friday practice sessions, topping the time sheets with a fastest lap time amongst 60 fellow competitors in the Super ROK 125cc category.

During Friday and Saturday, more practice and qualifying heats allowed Fabienne to fine tune her kart placing her consistently in the top three places. An unfortunate engine failure on the second qualifying heat, two laps from the end, knocked Fabienne back in the overall average rankings that dictate the final race start positions and she had to settle for starting in a disappointing twentieth place out of thirty four on the grid.

On race day all the hard work and preparation throughout the week seamed to be in vain as Fabienne would now have a mountainous task to pick her way through the rest of the grid to gain as many places as possible in the 20 lap race. My main aim was to keep clear of any incidents to have the best chance of overtaking the slower drivers, commented a frustrated Fabienne. Finally after an exhausting race, Fabienne managed to steer clear of incidents and picked her way through the grid to claim 14th place with a fastest time of 44:28 seconds, which was 4th fastest lap time overall. Fabienne was still placed ahead of all other fellow South African nationals from her country. I’m satisfied that I managed to show the full speed in the kart although I could never prepare for such an engine failure, I am disappointed but that’s racing as they say – I’m happy that I had a safe race and I’m looking forward to next year, continued Fabienne.

We are extremely happy that Fabienne once again proved her skill and determination by topping the timesheets against all her rivals. We are looking forward to welcoming her to Dubai where we will start a programme to coach future young karting stars at Stargate Dubai, where UAE will soon to have its own UAE ROK Championship, placing us firmly on the motorsports map in karting, commented Lex Akehurst, Managing Director, XSPORT Motorsports.

By EyeOfDubai

Check the Photo SlideShow here!

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