Rotax World Final: Sodi Up to the Challenge

In 2010, Sodi was chosen by Rotax as official chassis supplier for its World Final organised in Italy. For this great human and technological adventure, the French brand has provided all its know-how and professionalism to equip the 72 entered drivers in the Rotax Junior category. The very tiny time gaps recorded during the meeting and the extraordinary final race that concluded this world event provided solid evidence of the indisputable quality of Sodi chassis and of its capacity to equip all entered drivers with the same high-performance chassis.

With its 252 qualified drivers from 61 different nationalities, the Rotax final meeting acquired an extraordinary world dimension, which is explained by the rock-solid success of the Austrian engine used by dozens of thousand kart drivers in all the continents. “It was both an honour and a pleasure for our company to give drivers from so many different countries the chance to discover the performances of our new ST30 2011 chassis, equipped with our brand new Tekneex Tube Technology (TTT)”, said Gildas Mérian, Sodikart CEO. “As major Rotax partner for over 20 years, we have many elements in common. We are proud to support the success of their concept and the quality of their organisation during this event, one of the most important and exciting races in the world”.

On site, the whole Sodi staff made themselves noticed for their management skills and flawless service. During the first free practice tests, all drivers started to drive their Sodi ST30 TTT chassis with a mix of expectancy and excitement. “The chassis has an excellent grip, it is very reactive… I have seldom driven a kart as good as this…”, a well-known American driver commented. “The braking system is very effective, I am pleasantly surprised”, confessed an Australian driver who did not expect to finish his time qualifying session in the top 15. “The Sodi team gave us a lot of technical details about its chassis and our driver could make rapid progress, though he did not know the circuit” said a Dutch mechanic. “Thanks to Sodi bright kart decorations, the Rotax Junior pack had definitely a distinctive style”, a Canadian photographer added.

With 53 drivers grouped in less than 8 tenths after the timed qualifying session, the race immediately proved to be a very hard fought one. It even went beyond all expectations, with very uncertain qualifying heats and a final phase marked by countless passes. The numerous public on the stands of La Conca was kept in suspense until the end, because a last grouping materialised… on the very last bend!

The first 12 drivers made a totally crazy final sprint and passed under the chequered flag in less than two seconds. Incredible! The Dutch driver Jordi Van Moorsel was the winner, preceding his compatriot Joel Affolter, who repeated his Rotax Euro Challenge success with a different chassis, and Australian driver Pierce Lehane. “This very close arrival proved that Sodi’s efforts to provide all the drivers with karts with identical performances were successful. Drivers were impressed by Sodi ST30 performances, its reliability and its manufacturing quality. We are proud to have them with us. It was a great success and drivers’ warm thank-yous that came from Africa, Europe, Oceania, America and even Asia are a real token of appreciation for Sodi”, concluded Robert Gumperberger, Rotax Marketing & Sales manager.

After Sodi’s huge success at this important premiere, 2011 promises to start under the best auspices for the French constructor, which has confirmed its growing momentum, everywhere in the world.