TONY KART RACING TEAM preview: 4th Round of the 2007 International Open Master – Lonato (BS)
After the wonderful, double victory in the KF1 World Cup and the KF2 Asia-Pacific Championship, our drivers go back to the track for the Open Master. On the South Garda track, we are clearly at the top of the KF1 class rating with Gary Catt; thanks to Marco Ardig̣, we are leaders in the KF2 class as well. In the other categories, our drivers are strongly fighting for the victory, first of all Will Stevens, in KF2 class. In the KF1 category, our material showed such a competitiveness, that all the official drivers are playing their victory chances, for different reasons. Gary Catt, from his high position, can afford to race waiting for his rivals moves, all of them very far from him in the rating. Our standard-bearer has already proved to be able to wait for the right time and to be implacable, when he wants to attack. For Francesco Antonucci and James Calado it is very important to leave their mark with a victory and the possibilities to gain this goal are concrete. The Suzuka World Cup poleman, Tomoki Nojiri is making experience and he is ready to dispute the second part of the season, playing a leading role. Ardig̣, in his first Championship in the KZ class, is exploiting the material in a perfect way and for sure, he will race with the usual determination, convinced to leave the umpteenth mark of the season, also in Lonato. Before the week-end of this Open Master meeting, Ardig̣ is standing important tests in Salbris with the KF1, in view of the European Championship. The meetings are passing by one after the other, our Racing Team drivers are working non-stop, but their excellent organization and the perfect work carried out by our engineers enable us to face the races in the best way. In the KF2 class, Will Stevens, after winning the important race in Suzuka, will try to reach the Championship leader, Burkard. Our English driver will be able to count on the support of his team-mate Antonio Felix Da Costa: protagonist of a positive Asiatic race, in which he centred the pole, our young Portuguese is now determined to get very good results in the next races. In the KF3 class, Alessio Costantini is doing well, our colours are well represented also by the satellite teams, such as Imparato-Strawberry with Vita Kouzkin. On Sunday a new telemetry will go down to the track on Gary Catt kart: it is a new system, which will be available on all our karts starting from the European Championship in Varennes. Another important news concerns the stub axle, which Marco Ardig̣ will use in the KZ class; this technical innovation, produced by OTK, enable us to further grow in performances. Everybody is working non-stop and in our Racing Team nobody can relax after the numerous victories during this seasonal period.
Giacomo Aliprandi - Tony Kart Racing Team Manager:
“The Suzuka race went well, it was a good result and an excellent confirmation. Our drivers behaved in a very good way, starting from the qualifying and the final victory was the crowning achievement of all our efforts. Also the satellite Team drivers gained good results, all of them were in the first ten positions… Now we are looking for the fourth round of the Open Master in Lonato, but before… We will have to stand the tyres tests in Salbris in the best way. This is a very hot period for our Racing Team, we are carrying out everything in the best way. The Team works very well, there is a beautiful atmosphere and a wonderful relationship among everybody, both drivers and mechanics. Among drivers there is friendship and respect, everybody realizes that they have at their disposal excellent karts, which allow them to take part to important races and they also know that what makes the difference is their different driving style and their ability to exploit the kart in the best way, since they all have the same top material. This allows us to have a calm and relaxed atmosphere, enabling us to concentrate ourselves to our work, this is important since there is still lots of things to carry out, in order to achieve the summer break in August in the best conditions and… Then we are going to take part to the World Championship.”
Eng. Alberto Viglino – Development and Research Tony Kart Racing Team:
“There are a lot of new things to try and lots of tests to do, the telemetry is one of the aspect, on which we are concentrating the most, since it gives us responses, in order to work in a better and faster way. Actually, in the next race in Lonato, we will have new sensors, enabling us to get further information. For the European Championship, then we will attend another evolving step, to exploit on all our karts. Among the last items we have, there is a new stub axle for the KZ class: this technical particular required a hard work and now it is finally included in our products range. This stub axle has different diameters and structural features. For its realization we exploited some information coming from the KF class, allowing us to have a further solution for the set-up.”
Marco Ardig̣ - Driver Tony Kart Racing Team, CIK-FIA WORLD CUP FOR KF1 WINNER:
“The next event of the Open Master Championship, taking place in Lonato, will be a very important race to us, since we are leading the Championship and we have to try and gain as much scores as possible, in order to strengthen the leadership. I am going to have some other meetings before the race in Lonato this week; in fact I will have to do some tests for the tyres with KF1, in Salbris, France, where the third round of the European Championship will take place. During the week-end, I will be busy in the race of the Open Master with KZ. Hopefully, I will fight for the victory, as always. This Championship is very important to me, since it is the first one, in which I race with KZ. We hope to gain a good result, since we play at home: Lonato is Tony Kart’s and my house.”
Gary Catt - Driver Tony Kart Racing Team KF1 – 1st in the Open Master rating:
“I am confident that I will gain a good result. Both engine and chassis worked very well in every race so far, I hope it will be the same also in Lonato. For sure, I have to think about the Championship, but I will try to forget this and concentrate myself on the race, in order to aim straight at the victory. I raced many times in Lonato and I like the track very much, I was good in the Winter Cup, I was in the first position until I had an electrical problem. I am sure that I can get a good result next Sunday and strengthen my leadership.”
Official formation of Tony Kart Racing Team on the International Open Master
Category KF1:
Francesco Antonucci - Ita
Tomoki Nojiri - Jap
James Calado - GB
Gary Catt - GB
Category KZ2:
Marco Ardig̣ - Ita
Category KF2:
Antonio Felix Da Costa - Por
Will Stevens - GB
Category KF3:
Alessio Costantini - Ita |
