2015 CIK-FIA Best-Of: Kees Van de Grint, Vice-president of the CIK-FIA

« It has been a very busy year for the CIK, not only on the track but especially behind the scenes. Many meetings took place during the year with representatives from various movements within the karting industry.

I believe that the hard work conducted by the CIK office, the input of the working groups, the Commission members and the Promoter will be noticeable in years to come.

Approval for a Cadet class for 11 to 13 year olds was received from the FIA WMSC and common sense has prevailed so that Article 2.3.5 has finally been deleted and Karters with a national licence can now enjoy their sport at nearby circuits just over the border of their native country.

The final tests have been conducted and regulations for the new direct drive engines have been drafted and no less than six manufacturers have committed themselves and completed the homologation process. As was promised demonstration runs with the new engine took place in England and Sweden and the vast majority of comments were very positive. 11 ASN have already confirmed that they will use the new engine for their national Championship. On top of that the world famous ACO Le Mans organisation has adopted the new engine for their 24 hour kart event and the winning team will be the CIK-FIA Endurance Champion. But it will not be the only champion to use the « OK » engine in 2016. The winner of the Karting European and World Championship will do as well.

Last year I mentioned that the late publication of the calendar was not acceptable any more as national federations need to be able to plan their own events in time. Therefore I am satisfied that the 2016 calendar became available as early as August. As far as I am concerned it is the best in the given circumstances. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, there will be no events in England and Germany next year. A great pity especially when one considers that the Trent Valley Kart Club (PFI) has been awarded Organiser of the Year for the second time within three years. I hope the absence of those two countries will only be for a short period.

The hottest item that kept people talking this season was of course the new front fairing.

Interestingly those in favour and those against had one common view. The rodeo driving style of the past should not continue. Fine-tuning of the fixing, the penalties and the approach of the officials was needed. Judging from the drivers behaviour during the World Championship events one can say that the mission has been accomplished.

Mentioning the officials, one of CIK’s longest serving Stewards, Mr. Horst Seidel, left the CIK after many years of monitoring that competition was fair and by the book. For his dedication and contributions to Karting he deserves a big thank you!

There is no denying that winning any Championship is an achievement by itself. However the CIK-FIA World Championship is really the title everyone is dreaming off. During the event you can feel the buss, the pressure, it is just that little bit extra and this year was no exception. The Compétitions at Le Mans and La Conca boosted the highest entries of the season.

Those in attendance, including FIA President Jean Todt, watched fierce competition between established and future stars. Concerning the stars of tomorrow in KF-Junior, we could welcome drivers from 28 different nations and the top three finishers represent three continents North – South America and Europe. Do I need to say more!

As a young man I had the pleasure to meet Umberto Sala. Ever since that day I have the highest respect for three generations of his family and the products from Lissone (ITA). Birel one of the most famous names in Karting has been involved since 1960 and is still going strong today. As a token of appreciation the CIK honours Oscar Sala for the life long contribution to Karting, made by the company founded by his father.

Last but not least I like to congratulate the 2015 CIK-FIA Champions and whish them all the best in their future careers. See you next year. »

(Extract from CIK-FIA 2015 Best-of)

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