FIA Karting World Championship: Strong, diverse entry for exciting programme in Wackersdorf
The Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship - KZ will be held on the Pro Kart Raceland circuit in Wackersdorf, Germany from 7th to 10th September, 2023. The programme also includes the KZ2 World Cup and the 2nd edition of the FIA Karting International Super Cup - KZ2 Masters for drivers aged 35 and over.
The entry list features over 245 drivers for these three gearbox kart categories, in which 36 nations will be represented. The 8th edition of the FIA Karting Historic Super Cup completes the event's line-up. 34 karts selected for their role in the history of the discipline will be on display, and will have the opportunity to take to the track in demonstrations.
The flagship event of the season for gearbox karts has been particularly well prepared with the support of the German ASN, the DMSB. A special event, the Road to Wackersdorf, was organised at the end of July to enable all interested participants to familiarise themselves with the 1190 m Bavarian track, which had not hosted an international race of this scale since 2017. In addition, the third round of the German Kart Championship was held in Wackersdorf at the end of August.
LeCont is the exclusive tyre supplier for the three FIA Karting categories at Wackersdorf.
KZ: Gustafsson's succession is open
Among the high number of 49 entrants to the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship - KZ, titles abound. In addition to 2022 champion Viktor Gustafsson (SWE), five other former World Champions will be competing this year, as well as a dozen former European Champions, starting with 2023 winner Danilo Albanese (ITA). The list of contenders includes Jérémy Iglesias (FRA), Dutch drivers Senna van Walstijn and Stan Pex, Italians Paolo Ippolito, Matteo Vigano and Riccardo Longhi, French drivers Emilien Denner and Tom Leuillet, and KZ2 World Cup winner Arthur Carbonnel. In this highly professional category, the factories call on their best drivers to defend their colours in an incredibly competitive field that also includes some talented amateurs, attracted by the aura of the World Championship.
KZ2: record World Cup entry
With the exception of 2023 prodigy Freddie Slater (Great Britain), all the protagonists of the European Championship - KZ2 will be among the 125 competing in the World Cup. The next generation is well represented, with young talents alternating between KZ2 and OK, such as 2022 European Champion Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR) and runner-up Alex Powell (JAM), Tomass Stolcermanis (LVA), Maksim Orlov and 2022 OK World Champion Matheus Morgatto (BRA). Italy is well represented by Cristian Bertuca, currently 3rd in the International Karting Ranking (IKR), and Alex Marigliano. Romanian Daniel Vasile, runner-up in the European Championship, Spain's Jorge Pescador and Finland's Paavo Tonteri remain the category's strong points. Four women will be in the running: Eliška Simonová (CZE), Hannah Lang (GBR), Emma Felbermayr (AUT) and Laura Bourguet (FRA).
Rising power in the 35+ age group
Launched in 2022, the FIA Karting International Masters Super Cup - KZ2 is attracting more and more participants. Italy's Davide Fore' remains the most successful driver on the list, but his compatriot Alessandro Manetti's track record is equally impressive. Former Inter driver Thomas Mich (FRA) joins the KZ2 Masters competition this year. The participants cover a wide range of experience and motivation for a very open event.
8th FIA Karting Historic Super Cup
It's now a tradition for the World Karting Championship to be accompanied by a veritable museum of static and mobile historic karts. 2023 is no exception, and for the eighth time the CIK has managed to assemble a complete grid of 34 karts covering the history of the sport from its beginnings to 1985, with participants of eight different nationalities, representing 22 different chassis and 19 engine manufacturers. Among them, some "Made in Germany" products such as Hess, Mach 1, Taifun, JLO, Petry, plus two rarely seen K-Wagens produced in the former DDR and a Formel K kart with full bodywork that raced for the first time exactly 50 years ago in Germany.
Provisional schedule for the Wackersdorf event
Friday, 8th September
08.00 - 10.55: Free Practice (1x15')
11.05 - 13.19: Qualifying Practice (1x6')
14.05 - 19.35: Qualifying Heats
Saturday, 9th September
08.00 - 09.39: Warm-up (8')
09.45 - 19.00: Qualifying Heats
11.45 and 16.40: Historic Karts demonstration (20')
Sunday, 10th September
08.30 - 09.55: Warm-up (10')
10.00 - 10.20: Historic Karts demonstration
10.25 - 12.50: Super Heats
12.55 - 13.15: Historic Karts demonstration
14.05 - 14.35: Presentation of finalists on the track
14.45 - 16.55: Finals
17.00 - 17.30: Podiums