Champion !!!

Racing to his third win in successive races, Sébastien Bailly took the 2007 France KF3 (Junior) crown with considerable panache. No-one was able to halt the progress of the Belgian tornado. While this was going on his brother Benjamin was also doing his level best and managed in the end to climb onto the third rung of the podium in the KF1 (Elite) class.

Four wins and two 3rd spots in eight races is good going! Sébastien Bailly has been exceptional in the French KF3 championships. Whether racing on the wet or the dry, whatever the circuit, the Kosmic-Vortex driver has been the scourge of his rivals, who were probably not expecting to find him in such great form this season. He wasn’t really thinking of the title when the season began but assumed the leader’s mantle with aplomb. “I must admit that I’ve improved a lot over the past few months. Last season I was making too many little mistakes, especially when overtaking. Today I am a lot more sure of myself. I think I’ve mastered the technique of kart racing now and am more able to concentrate on the race itself at the weekend. All that means I’m on an upward spiral. I finished 5th in the European semi-finals, I got on the podium of the Italian Open Masters and today I was crowned Champion of France, it feels fantastic ! Of course we really prepared well for this season, me and all the Kosmic team. We went off to race in some of the first big meetings of the Italian season, such as the Winter Cup and the Margutti Trophy, because we realised that we had some hard work to do on getting the new 2007 engines ready. That me helped a lot and I won in France, at Essay, in the opening race. We struggled a bit in Varennes but bounced back to win in Salbris and then of course here in Lyon”. The Belgian driver was heading the leaders’ board going into the race in France’s second city and he was in perfect control throughout the weekend, despite the best efforts of all his rivals to knock him off his perch. He kept a cool head under pressure and swept to victory in all three of his heats before going on to dominate both the prefinal and final races, pocketing 50 points each time. Once again, his fantastic driving paid dividends as he took the title. “Winning a title for the first time feels real good. It gives you an appetite for more !”was the man from Liège’s verdict.

A rookie reaches the podium

Both brothers were going for French championship crowns in Lyon. But while 14-year old Sébastien won in style, Benjamin, 17, was not so lucky despite never giving up hope. Getting the kart set up right for the awkward Lyon circuit proved to be harder than anticipated. “The track didn’t make our task any easier,” said Kosmic’s official works KF1 driver. “It had plenty of grip in some places but in others it was slippery and treacherous. With the technical guys we tried a number of set ups but it didn’t work out for us. In this race our main rivals were a bit better than us.” Armed with the cool head and combative spirit that have become his trademark, Benjamin set about trying to swing things his way as best he could. He got off to good starts each time, which enabled him to stay in touch with the leaders, but it wasn’t enough. However, his efforts were not entirely in vain. Two more runners’ up places ensured him 3rd place on the championship podium in the French KF1 class (Elite). “I’m pleased with what I have achieved in my first season racing in the top category. I won one race and finished second in two others. That’s not bad. But hey, my season is not over yet! I have two important international meetings coming up soon !”