What a season for Zanardi!

Twenty-four years after Alessandro Zanardi became European Karting Champion (by grabbing all 5 Championship events), karts bearing his name made a clean sweep of all the available 2011 CIK-FIA World Champion titles.

Faithful to this brand since he arrived on the international scene, the Dutchman Nyck De Vries has been crowned World Champion for the second year running. Two titles won in very different circumstances: whereas the first one (2010) was conquered in a single-event held at Zuera (ESP) on KF2 karts, this one is the result of a course comprising 5 rounds of 4 races each with KF1 karts. In 20 races McLaren’s protégé climbed 13 times on the podium, including 9 times on the top step.

Entered for the first time as a chassis brand in the “U18” World Championship (where chassis are marked in advance and frozen for all the season’s races), Zanardi saw its colours defended by seven Drivers, and one of them imposed himself as natural leader right away: the Brit Matthew Graham. After winning the final of the Ortona event (ITA), he also made it to the podium – on its third step – at Essay (FRA) and Sarno (ITA). Such regularity at the front has enabled him to clinch the supreme title and thus give Zanardi the title of 2011 CIK-FIA World Karting Champion for Makes.

This success of Zanardi karts is also or even chiefly that of Chiesa Corse and is due to Dino Chiesa’s faculty to discover, promote and accompany young talents to the top. De Vries is only 16 years old and Graham, 15. These three will receive their world trophies at the FIA Gala scheduled to take place on 9 December 2011. This year, the Gala will not be organised in Monaco but in New Delhi, India.

Info CIK / © Photo KSP