CIK-FIA Best of 2016: Words from the Vice President

The balance of 2016 leaves me with a mixed impression. Not because the CIK-FIA competitions were unsatisfactory, on the contrary. The debut of the new OK and OK-Junior engines has exceeded our expectations, both nationally and internationally. The Academy is again full and the partnership with OTK has set new standards. Why the mixed emotions? Two problems have preoccupied me throughout the year. In January, my friend Randolph Bath, the CIK-FIA coordinator and the president of the sporting working group, was paralysed after a stroke. We are greatly lacking and the paddock has not been the same without him.

Kees van de Grint, Vice-President of the CIK-FIA

My second concern relates to the attitude of some competitors and manufacturers towards the front fairings. There is no doubt that the system is not perfect, but it is the best way to fight against reckless driving. Some try to bend the rules to defend their own interests which is beyond me, and we were forced to take measures against this.

But what a racing season we had, with the return of the best of Original Karting. Young hopefuls have overtaken the stars during fierce confrontations and the best have found their place in tomorrow’s motor sport. It is the vocation of Karting in general and the CIK-FIA Championships in particular.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Karting inaugurated the status of CIK-FIA Endurance Championship this year in a very successful way. The ACO has invested in this project with great efficiency and I was very satisfied with the organisation of this great classic. I extend my congratulations to the winner, the team Sarthe RTKF, who has mastered this specific area perfectly. I also want to thank CRG, who had had the courage to meet the challenge. I hope that the Italian brand will be back next year and that other factories will dare to join them. For me the greatest victory was that of the OK concept, which has proved that this new generation of high-performance, reliable and affordable engines can win not only in sprint, but after a double turn of the clock.

After an absence of nearly four decades, next year the CIK-FIA World Championship will return to England (OK and OK-Junior) and Germany (KZ). It is best to book a place in advance, as there were 4,000 spectators this year at the Åsum Ring (SWE).

My expectations were very high for the 2016 World Championship at Kristianstad, but the organisation surpassed my wildest dreams. The promotion of the event, the effectiveness and friendly atmosphere were comparable only with the enthusiasm of the early days of the sport.
The choice was therefore not difficult for the best event of the year. Congratulations to Jesper, Tobias, Jörgen and all the members of Kristianstad Kart Klubb. In fairness the Bahrain event was a serious rival, especially thanks to the generous financial offer from the organiser to the competitors.

It was harder to decide on the honour for an extraordinary contribution to karting until I spoke to a longtime member of the CIK Commission and the working group, and Superkart commissioner and representative. Now in his eighties, Thom Meylink can enjoy a well deserved rest after working for Karting since the pioneer days.

This year the 5th Coppa dei Campioni and the CIK-FIA Historic Super Cup, two traditional events that I’m a big fan of, have uncovered extraordinary machines.

Finally, turning to the future this time, the proposed changes for 2017 allow drivers to enter international competitions a year earlier in the direct drive categories and adding a points system to count for the FIA super license, promising a bright future for Karting.

CIK-FIA Best of 2016 / © Photo KSP

Publié le 14/12/2016