It all rests on Brandon’s shoulders!

As the solitary member of the FFSA Karting Team France driving in the Europe KF3 (Junior) Championship finals, Brandon Maïsano will be carrying French hopes on his young shoulders at the meeting in Sarno. The responsibly doesn’t seem to trouble him much. He’s looking forward to the challenge after a brilliant start to the season and he is as hungry as ever for victory.

The European Junior KF3 Championship Finals in Sarno (near Naples) will bring together the 72 drivers who qualified in the three regional meetings which were held simultaneously in mid-July: one in Essay (France) for the Western Region, another in Genk (Belgium) for the Nothern Region and the other in Sosnova (Czech Republic) for the Central Region. Fourteen different nations will be represented and the 72 drivers entered constitute the elite of the up-and-coming generation in international karting. With such a high standard it goes without saying that competition is going to be stiff out there on the 1700-metre track in Italy. All the big kart teams will be there with either one or two drivers racing for them. It goes without saying that a number of talent scouts will be watching from the stands!

Brandon Maïsano recently secured the runner-up spot in the French championships. He had to overcome mechanical problems and some unfavourable race conditions in order to make a decent showing in the FFSA Grand Prix. He qualified comfortably for Europe in the Essay race, finishing 4th out of 60 entrants, after having clocked up the fastest lap during timed practice. The other Team France driver in the KF3 class, Christopher Quillet, suffered a big disappointment when he failed to make the cut (only 25 drivers were able to qualify for the finals). The only other Frenchman to qualify was Kevin Mourey. Team captain Franck Lagorce has every confidence in Brandon’s talent. You can never predict the final outcome in such a hotly-contested race but Brandon certainly merits his place on the European championship scene. He may be only 14 years old but the young driver from Vallauris has already got 10 years of competition kart racing under his belt. He was French ‘Minime’ Champion in 2005 and came a very good 5th in the 2006 French Junior championship standings at the end of what was his first season racing in the category. Brandon is just the right size for the KF3 class. Off the track he can be deceptive, you wouldn’t think he was such a tiger once behind the wheel! He’s a true fighter who just never gives up. He stays focussed all the way through from start to finish and laps with astonishing regularity. Being selected for Team France was a matter of great satisfaction to him and he intends to make the most of Franck’s invaluable advice in order to progress even more quickly. His favourite expression is “where there’s a will, there’s a way” which gives you an idea of how motivated he is. Brandon is alreadyin Italy, practicing out the track in Sarno. “The circuit is a long one, with a long fast straight where I can drive with my foot down on the floorboards for a full 16 seconds!” He’s currently testing both chassis and engine. He says “I’m mad with myself for not winning the French Championship so I really have something to prove here.”
Good luck Brandon!