Schumacher to race in Vegas! Of course, it will be in karts! Still, the news deserves an exclamation point or two. Or three! Apparently the Toro Rosso duo of Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari also will be competing. We are closing in on a USGP, people! The seven-time Formula 1 champ will be in Vegas in less than two weeks for a SKUSA Nationals event!

Seven-time World Formula One Champion Michael Schumacher will be a part of the Tony Kart Factory team line-up at next weekend’s (November 18-22) SKUSA Nationals in Las Vegas. Schumacher will be competing in the Super Pro (KZ2) category, six-speed gearbox 125cc engine, in the 13th Annual SKUSA Nationals that will take place in front of the Hotel Rio in the centre of Las Vegas. Schumacher will be joined in the line-up for Tony Kart Racing Team in the Super Pro (KZ2) category by 2007 winner and multiple world champion Italian Marco Ardigò and Englishman Gary Catt.

Catt boasts several prestigious international titles, such as the victory of the Italian Open Master, the victory of the Margutti Trophy and of the Winter Cup. He has been also vice European and World Champion. I believe I just heard Todd checking airline websites for cheap fares to Vegas. Don’t forget to catch Cirque du Soleil while you’re there!

By F1Blog

With the KF2 drivers title already settled, Paul Spencer’s Tony Kart Junior Racing Team had gone into the concluding round of the WSK championship in a relaxed, but focused, frame of mind. "Although Ben (Cooper) had already won the championship at Zuera in September, second place in the points was still up for grabs and I really wanted us to win the Euro Cup in KF2 and KF3," Paul said.

In the pre-final, the team’s trio of Cooper, Matteo Beretta and Chris Lock finished in 5th, 6th and 7th to score an impressive haul of points ahead of the main final. Cooper would end his year as it had begun - with a trophy. Runner up at La Conca in the opening round back in February, Ben returned to the podium at Lonato with an excellent third place. Lock delivered another mature performance to take the chequered flag in 6th position, which also secured the vice-champion’s title for him and the Euro Cup for the Tony Kart Junior squad. Unfortunately, a first lap collision deprived Beretta of a chance to improve his standing in the championship points.

In the Junior class, Carlos Sainz signed-off his karting career with 3rd place overall in the championship after another solid weekend. Finishing just out of the points in the pre-final, the ‘young matador’ as he is known in Spain, fought his way up the order in the main final to net 13th on the road, but 3rd overall in the points table.

His Brazilian team-mate, Guilherme Silva completed his first season in European competition with a brace of top ten finishes in the two finals – good enough for an excellent 6th place overall in the championship. Speaking from the historic circuit, located near the southern tip of Lake Garda, Paul Spencer said "I’m absolutely delighted! This has been a fantastic end to the season. For Ben and Chris to finish 1st and 2nd in KF2 and for the Tony Kart Junior Racing Team to win the Euro Cup in the two categories we compete in, is just superb. It is testimony to all the hard work that everyone has put in throughout the season - the drivers, the mechanics, and the guys back at our base in England. This has been another great year; I’m very happy and would like to thank everyone who has contributed to our success."

He added, "I would also like to wish all the very best to Carlos, who is now making the move to cars. He’s a super driver and undoubtedly has a very big future ahead of him".

By PaddockTalk

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

New Zealand KF3 Champion, 14-year-old King’s College, Auckland student Arie Hutton, has returned to Macau this week to prepare for this weekend’s 2009 CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship for Juniors (KF3) meeting.

Hutton will again drive alongside Tony Kart Junior Team member Gustavo Menezes (USA), one of two other drivers returning after competing with the team at the same event last year. The KF3 field includes drivers from Europe, USA, South America and Asia including the recently crowned 2009 CIK-FIA World Cup for KF3 Champion, Giuliano Niceta (Italy). This year the Asia-Pacific Championship for KF3 is the main support class to the 2009 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship. Forty three of the world’s top karters and teams will contest the 46th running of this Championship which is normally held in Europe. The event will be broadcast live on Eurosport TV.

"Last year we left Macau with a feeling of what might have been" said Hutton. "We were reasonably competitive, qualifying seventh and starting the Pre Final from Grid 4, however the crash on the first lap of the Pre Final was a big set back. With a full season of racing the KF3 in New Zealand plus the knowledge gained in Macau last year we are hoping for a better result in the Final this time. I wish to acknowledge the tremendous support we have received from the New Zealand Tony Kart distributor, Darren Biggs. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the event host, the Macau Autosports Club, which is providing hotel accommodation and meals in Macau.

I am also proud to represent the UTi brand again in Macau and would like to thank the team at UTi New Zealand for their ongoing support." UTi is a global company specializing in the provision of world class international forwarding, customs brokerage and logistic services. UTi has offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.

Hutton is a member of the Tony Kart New Zealand Racing Team. Tony Kart is distributed in New Zealand by Almond Engine Developments, Napier. Hutton is also supported by Spark Services, engine preparation.

By DriveSouth

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