Grand finale in Belgium

Forget the Bastille Day fireworks and Christmas presents, the big time of the year for karting enthusiasts is when the World Championships take place. Excitement is mounting because rumour has it that a certain former multiple World Formula One champion will be there, but for today let’s concentrate on the FFSA Karting Team France, and what manager Franck Lagorce has to say. “The Team France staff will be out in full at Mariembourg to support our seven drivers so that they get maximum benefit from their participation on the world stage. We will have a camper at the meeting, where the drivers will be able to come for physical and moral support and get some good healthy food, for Mariembourg is going to be a stiff challenge for our drivers”

This year the Mariembourg track is celebrating its 20th anniversary and some 130 of today’s top drivers will be there to mark the occasion, with a full weekend of KF1 World Championship and KF2 World Cup racing on the menu. FFSA Team France will be represented by seven young drivers, all of them fired up for the finals at the season’s top meeting. What makes this type of competition so special, apart from the top-notch racing, is that anything can happen in the finals. Everything gets decided in one race. The stakes are high and, if history is anything to go by, there will be plenty of suspense and even high drama as the champions vie for top spot. Two of our young KF2 drivers, Loïc Réguillon and Norman Nato, will be making their debuts on the world stage. French rookie champion Charles Lacaze will be drawing on his ICA experience in 2006, when he finished in the top 10. Charles has sufficient potential to realistically aim for a podium place, while Loïc will be doing his best to live up to his French rookie vice-champion’s status. For Norman, as sharp as ever, this might be the occasion to show us what he is really capable of. He has had a pretty quiet season due to a kart that took ages to become competitive.

Our KF1 musketeers have already been blooded in world competition. More than anybody, Mike Courquin knows you can get results if you believe in yourself and never give up, as he demonstrated by winning the 2006 World Cup when he was certainly not one of the hot favourites for the race. Anthony Abbasse is itching to get back into international competition, this time with a machine that should see him back amongst the front-runners, especially after the master class he gave in Lyon in FFSA Grand Prix, a drive which earned him the French Elite class crown. Anthony won’t have to dig too deep to find inspiration, and he’ll be racing with plenty to prove. Jean-Philippe Guignet is still preoccupied with sorting out the mechanical problems that have dogged him all season, so he is under no illusion as to his chances. Still, he is hoping that all the effort that’s gone in to development will at last enable him to make a good showing. Alban Varutti has been one of the quicker drivers in the European championship this year, and he knows he’s in with a good chance of doing well at world level. He’s quietly confident, and is looking for a result in Mariembourg. Team spirit will be a big factor on the Fagnes circuit. Franck Lagorce will have facilities in place for all seven drivers to meet up regularly for advice, physiotherapy and motivation.

Let’s give the final word to Franck: “You can never tell what will happen at this level but I am really hopeful for the Team. It’s going to be hard; it’s a big event, and whatever happens it will be important and beneficial for us all. I’m feeling in confident mood!”