The entry list for the CIK-FIA World Cup for KZ1 reserves a few major surprises worthy of the event’s status, the 125 cc gearbox kart season’s most important competition in the world. It will be held on 3-6 September 2009 at the international circuit of Sarno-Napoli (Italy), on a 1,700-metre track particularly adapted to this type of karts. In addition to gathering 76 Drivers (i.e. 50% more than in 2007 and 2008), the CIK-FIA World Cup will be entered by two prestigious competitors: the Pole Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber Driver in F1) and the Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso Driver in F1). Despite their status of Formula One Drivers in active employment, Kubica and Alguersuari are preparing to face directly the current Karting specialists called Jonathan Thonon (Belgium, winner of the last two editions of this World Cup), Davide Fore (Italy), Marco Ardigo (Italy) and Bas Lammers (Netherlands). In the last decade, only Michael Schumacher had dared to challenge the young kartmen, when in 1996 he won the CIK-FIA Monaco Kart Cup and was runner-up in the last round of the 2001 CIK-FIA Karting World Championship on “his” Kerpen circuit in Germany.
The merit of Kubica and Alguersuari is that they are taking up a difficult and daring challenge. Not only do they have the courage to enter the most competitive KZ1 event in the year but, additionally, during their international Karting career they never competed in the gearbox kart category. One does not drive KZ1 karts, which are more powerful as well as heavier, the same way as the direct-drive karts with which Kubica and Alguersuari respectively raced until 2001 and 2005.
Robert Kubica’s commitment to Karting is well known: he willingly trains at the wheel of a kart and never hesitates to invite his Formula One colleagues to join him. And, quite recently, at his invitation, Schumacher, Massa, Vettel, Glock, Piquet, Liuzzi and Klien enjoyed themselves on a Karting track. Just like Alonso and Hamilton, the Pole has launched his own make of chassis, named after his initials, “RK”. At Sarno, he will obviously drive a kart of his make and will be entered by Birel Motorsport, the team of the Manufacturer whom he has entrusted with the production of RK chassis. His engines will be Maxters.
Already entered in the European KZ1 Championship last June, Jaime Alguersuari had only taken part in practice as on that weekend he was called by Toro Rosso in view of his great Formula One débuts. The Spaniard is entered by the Intrepid team with which he already raced in 2005. His engines will be TMs. |
