2019 FIA Karting Best-Of: Questions for the tyre manufacturers

In the 2019 FIA Karting Competitions, Bridgestone equipped the KZ and KZ2 categories in addition to the FIA Karting Academy Trophy, LeCont the OK category, MG Tires the FIA Karting Endurance Championship and Vega the OK-Junior category.

Many thanks to Annemiek Bonenkamp for Bridgestone Motorsport, Paolo Bombara for LeCont SrL, Marino Albrecht Junior for MG Indústria e Comércio S/A and Paolo Mantese for Vega SrL for answering these questions.

What is the outcome of your 2019 FIA Karting season?

Bridgestone: This year has been a very positive one. We supplied the KZ, KZ2 and Academy categories and saw an increase in the number of Drivers over the previous year. We like to think that the choice of Bridgestone tyres and the quality of our service have contributed to this. The schedule was almost perfect, the promoter RGMMC gave us very good visibility and the races were very competitive.

LeCont: It is a very positive result thanks to the high levels of participation. In the difficult conditions of the World Championship in Finland, our tyres met expectations perfectly, delivering excellent performances despite the rain and cool weather. We are proud to have provided fast, consistent and identical tyres.

MG: We are very pleased with our 2019 results. This was the first time we have been an official supplier of a FIA Karting Championship and our tyres were highly appreciated for their performance and durability.

Vega: We specialise in karting tyres. Once again, in 2019, the FIA Karting Competitions gave us, like few others in the world, great international visibility, making our brand known worldwide, in our reference market of racing.

What do you think of the experience of tyre allocation at the most recent FIA World Karting Championships?

Bridgestone: The CIK-FIA’s decision to allocate an additional set of tyres was not necessary for our categories. The consistency of our Prime and Option tyres did not justify this overall decision, which was not in line with the philosophy of homologating durable tyres. But this was only a special case, the tyre allocation rule will be different in 2020.

LeCont: We welcome the CIK-FIA’s decision to allocate a set of tyres for the finalists, which gave unanimous satisfaction during the OK World Championship in the changing conditions of Alahärmä. Next year, this rule will be adjusted to reduce the number of tyres in the Qualifying Phase, which is a good thing for drivers.

Vega: We understood and supported the decision to guarantee both safety and sporting equality for the OK and KZ World Championship Final using Prime tyres. We are less concerned because we supply Option Junior tyres that are much less sensitive to degradation and peak performance.

What do you wish for in the future in the field of racing tyres?

Bridgestone: We dream of having at least one category with free (non-homologated) tyres like there was until 2013. Teams, chassis and engine manufacturers compete with each other, so why not tyre manufacturers? However, this is only a wish and it will probably remain so.

LeCont: Rather than Le Cont’s own wishes, it is what all tyre manufacturers consider positive for the development of karting that counts. I therefore hope that we can all continue to work with some harmony with useful and mutually beneficial cooperation between manufacturers and the CIK-FIA, as was the case this year.

MG: We want to be able to continue to develop durable and high-performance tyres that will provide Drivers with enjoyment and safety. This is what MG is constantly looking for in its work.

Vega: Our wish, which corresponds to that of the top-level Drivers, is not to go too far in the hardness of the tyres. We believe that a good level of grip increases both the ease of overtaking and safety, especially at low temperatures.

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