Next week will see the start of the Formula 1 season with several drivers having switched to different teams... or having disappeared from the F1 scene.
The same happened in karting during the inter season and with the first round of the WSK Euro Series taking place this weekend at La Conca we can now tell you who will be driving which go-kart this season...
SUPER KF
30 participants will enter the Super KF races this weekend at La Conca.
Stability is the word for the top teams.
Marco Ardigo, Gary Catt and Flavio Camponeschi are confirmed at Tony Kart. Jordan Chamberlain, Laura Tillett (ex-PDB) and Chris Robin Funder will also drive Tony Karts engaged by private teams (Williams Motorports, Millenium Motorsport, Norswed).
Arnaud Kozlinski, Davide Fore and Eddy Tinini will again race for CRG. Felice Tiene (ex Kosmic KF2, winner at Suzuka in 2009) is joining the top CRG team this season. Jonathan Thonon will focus on the KZ class it seems, he is not racing the Super KF class at La Conca.
Birel will rest on Sauro Cesetti and Libor Toman to defend their chances in 2010. Matteo Vigano (from KF2)will also drive a Birel for the MGM Racing team and Andrea Dale is with the KSB Racing team.
Intrepid renews an official link with 2 ... Intrepid drivers, Brandon Maisano and Yannick De Brabander. Brandon was driving an Intrepid but finished the 2009 season for LH (Lewis Hamilton) while Yannick was driving an Intrepid prepared by the EGP private team. They are now both part of the Intrepid Driver Program.
No LH engaged this season, which means that their other 2009 driver, Oliver Rowland, had to find a new team. He will race in 2010 for the Chiesa Corse team which uses Zanardi equipment. His teammate will be youg Nyck De Vries, straight from KF3 where he excelled last season. Also on a Zanardi Sinan Van Der Raad will race for the Keijzer Racing Team.
We also note the absence of the PDB team at La Conca (at least in Super KF). Manuel Renaudie switched to PCR (AVG racing) but in the KZ class. Simo Puhakka continues to be the official PCR driver in Super KF.
Only one official driver for the Maranello team, Ben Hanley. The other drivers using a Maranello chassis (Zdenek Groman, Tereza Gromanova, Mario Schettino) will do so in private teams.
Kosmic continues with Armand Convers but has also hired Ben Cooper (from... Tony Kart).
FA Kart will rely on private teams with Sala Adria Domenech (Genikart), Mark Litchfield (PF International) and Antonio Spavone (Spavone).
Davide Gaggianesi is racing on a RK.
30 participants out of which 16 engaged by factory teams. Budgets are tightening?.
After a brilliant 2009 season in Super KF young Aaro Vainio moved to single seaters. We wish him many more victories but will miss him on the karting scene.
Jason Parrott has retired from racing to concentrate on running highly successful Rotax Max team... Tim Parrott Motorsport.
After winning the 2009 British Super 1 KF1 Championship, Robert Foster Jones will now graduate to the Formula Renault UK championship in 2010.
KZ1 KZ2
There are 45 competitors engaged in the first meeting of the Euro WSK 2010 season. A majority are racing for private teams.
The factory teams:
CRG will rely exclusively on super KZ champion Jonathan Thonon. CRG Holland is racing again with the Pex family, Jorrit and Yard Pex.
Two other KZ specialists with the Intrepid team: Bas Lammers and Jeremy Iglesias.
Another top contender, Rick Dreezen has moved from CRG to Tony Kart. His Teammate is Riccardo Piccoli. Ardigo and Catt will focus on the Super KF class.
Anthony Abbasse will race for the official Sodi team and Jack Hawksworth for the Maddox team.
Energy Corse will have three drivers: Marcel Jeleniowski, Paolo De Conto and Joel Johansson.
LenzoKart has engaged two drivers: Roberto Toninelli and Giuseppe Annunziata.
As already mentioned Manuel Renaudie is engaged on a PCR with AVG Racing.
KF2
No problem here, there are 83 entrants at la Conca, it will be tough to make it to the pre final!
A summary table for this class (almost everybody but not everybody)
| Team | Drivers | Comments |
| Tony Kart |
|
Silva: from KF3 |
| Birel |
|
Basz was RK in 2009. Barrabeig: ex Intrepid KF3 |
| Energy |
|
Sirotkin: ex Tony KF3, Mitchell: ex Kosmic |
| CRG | Martinez, Curia, Gatting, Lefort, Kenny CRG Holland: Nordgard | Gatting: ex Maddox |
| Top Kart | Giovinazzi, Meier | |
| Sodi | Baron, Zeen, Bailly | |
| Zanardi |
|
|
| DR | Susilo, Luka, Vusurovic | Susilo: from KF3 |
| Intrepid | Heche, Suranovich, Reguillon, Karasev, Fraisse | |
| Maddox | Sathienthirakul, Smiechowski | |
| Maranello | Barrera | |
| LenzoKart | Mannozzi, Dragan, Arasi | |
| Kosmic | Grotz, Colome | |
| FA Kart |
|
KF3
90 entrants at La Conca and plenty of newcomers!
We will only pick a few names and wait for the season to develop to know who is at the top or near the top.
Max Verstappen is driving for CRG. Giuliano Maria Niceta is still with Chiesa/Zanardi.
Philopaz Armand from Indonesia is racing for the Tony Kart Junior Team! And Andhika Sasabone drives a Maranello for Jesolo race.
Alexander Albon, Egor Orudzhev and Peter Hoevenaars are with Intrepid.
Frenchmen Hubert Anthoine and Remy Deguffroy are with Bruneau Racing on Tony Karts while Pierre Gasly is with Sodi.
Dennis Jake is with Comer/Top Kart.
Hubert Anthoine, Pierre Gasly and Dennis Jake were the fastest in the La Conca time trials... which is the subject of our coming article: the results of the first round of the Euro WSK in Italy this weekend.
