A big foot up the ladder

Benjamin Bailly proved that he is by no means out of place amongst karting elite. After joining the official Kosmic works KF1team, the Belgian rookie notched up his first major achievement when, in the Andrea Margutti Trophy, he raced superbly up through the field from 12th to 4th place.

Benjamin Bailly is showing an enviable blend of talent, application and determination as he progresses smoothly up through the motor racing categories. ICA French vice-champion in 2006 and a revelation on the international scene, Benjamin was rewarded for his hard work when the prestigious Kosmic factory named him as one of their two official drivers for the world’s premier karting class, KF1. “I had a good season in 2006, finishing on a high note with my 6th place in the Macao Formula A grand prix”, said Benjamin. “That excellent result showed that I’ve got what it takes to race in KF1”.

What a responsibility ! But the 16 year-old from Liège is up for it, despite his tender years. “This winter I’ve been working really hard on my physical fitness. In 2007, I am looking to be consistent as well as fast. I know I don’t have as much experience as the other drivers in this category but nevertheless I want to be up there with leaders as often as I can and maybe spring a few surprises”. Focussed and determined, Benjamin soon put his first run out of the 2007 season, where luck was not with him, behind him. “We started our season with the Winter Cup in Lonato in February. We had worked hard throughout the weekend and I was up to 7th place in the semi-final race. I was pretty confident for the final because we had the performance to go all the way. Unfortunately I got shunted off the track and was forced to abandon”.

But, on the weekend of 3/4 March, Benjamin Bailly bounced right back in the Margutti Trophy. The race was run on the tricky Parma circuit, reputed to be one of Europe’s toughest. “Once again, the new Vortex engines proved to be top rate. On the other hand, we had a few problems getting the chassis properly set up during qualification. After a good meeting with Roberto Robazzi, boss of Tony and Kosmic, and Olivier Maréchal, my team manager, we managed to hit on the right set-up”.

With some fast driving and sharp overtaking, Benjamin carved his way through the field from 28th to 12th spot, clocking up the second fast lap of the race in the process. He continued to climb during the final race, finishing in a highly-promising 4th place. “KF1 drivers fight every inch of the way, they don’t make it easy for you to get past them ! Overtaking Davide Fore, for example, is no mean feat”. But Benjamin did manage to get past the 5 times world champion, once again lapping 2nd fastest in the race, before coming up against James Calado. “With just two laps remaining in the race I managed to get on his tail but he shut me out. It was too risky for me to try to get past him, especially as I didn’t want to spoil what was already terrific result for me, or the triple win for Tony, with Catt, Ardigo and Calado”. So it is in cool and confident mood that Benjamin Bailly attacks a hectic 2007 season, which will see him racing in the World, European, Italian and French championships.

Unlucky for Seb
Sébastien Bailly is starting his second season racing in the KF3 class (ex Junior) with his sights set firmly higher than before. But the race gods were not with Benjamin’s brother, either in the Winter Cup or the Margutti Trophy. “Still, he did show how fast he is and I think he will soon show us what he’s worth”, was Benjamin’s considered opinion. “In Parma, he got caught up in a crash and overturned. Nothing serious, fortunately, although it did shake him up a bit and set him back a lot. In KF2, the same thing happened to my fellow-countryman Laurens Vanthoor. Unfortunately he wasn’t so lucky and ended up with several broken bones. My thoughts go out to with him and I sincerely hope he’ll soon be back behind the wheel of a kart”.