Karting driver for over eight years now, Sami Luka has become, season
after season, one of the most promising Belgian drivers of his generation. After many victories in his country and the title of Belgian Champion in 2007, this pilot from Brussels has quickly made his debut in international competitions and has reached the top of the ranking in numerous occasions.
Indeed, he brilliantly won the qualifying race for the European Championship in 2006, on the very selective Thy-Hanstholm circuit,
in Denmark. “That race remains a wonderful memory” Sami said. “I also had an excellent 2006’ season with VDK Racing Team. This is why I had
high hopes for 2007. But this year was marked by the arrival of new engines and tuning was longer than expected. I was fourth in the highly competitive French Championship but I was not as successful as I wanted.
That happened, for example, at KF2 World Cup in my country, Belgium. I set the best lap in race, at the final, but owing to a few problems
during qualifying, I ended up far back in the starting grid, just when I was hoping to fight for a podium”.
At 18 years old (he will be 19 on 11 July), Sami Luka feels ready for new challenges. “A few weeks ago, I talked with Giancarlo Tinini, team manager of CRG, which has been my favorite brand for several years. I told him that I wanted to take on new challenges in karting, over the next few years. He listened to me and then proposed me to join his official team in KF2. Currently the CRG Team is in charge with the development of Maxter engines, of which the team is partner, and this is an adventure that thrills me and motivates me a lot”.
The first races in 2008 have proven that Maxter has a strong potential and Sami expects a lot from his collaboration with the Italian team. “We met in April, during the second day of the French KF2 Championship at Salbris, but it was at the WSK meeting at Lonato (Italy) in May and also at Mariembourg (Belgium) in june that we really talked about the subject. My first impression is that racing with this team is great. Everybody works really hard, from the mechanic to the team manager, and their work is unceasing. Our performances are already good, as shown by the pole position and the
best lap in a heat that I achieved in Belgium; I believe that results will follow”.
The Belgian driver is beginning to acquire some valuable experience in karting and team members pay a lot of attention to Sami’s impressions about the equipment. “I was lucky to be able to bring with
me my mechanic Thomas Richez. We know each other very well, therefore our integration within CRG was faster and more productive”.
Sponsored by Brussels Expo, Sami Luka is now getting ready for fast approaching European deadlines: qualifying race for the European Championship at Göteborg (Sweden) in July and final at Braga (Portugal) in August.
And after that, it will be time to think about the much awaited World Cup, which will be held in Southern Italy. “We are going to organize a lot of tests in the next few weeks. I will have to frequently go back and forth between Belgium and Italy, but it will not be a burden, because this new challenge promises to be very interesting and exciting. Working with motor engine mechanics for data acquisition is very exciting and I am certain that soon progress will be visible. My partners and my team have trust in me and I will do everything I can to repay them with good results”. |
