NEWS

04.02.10 - 04.00 pm

NYCK DE VRIES, THE 2009 KF-3 CIK-FIA EUROPEAN CHAMPION, THE GERMAN CHAMPION & THE WSK CHAMPION

                                    

He is a hard worker and a driving force within his team. Though only 14, Nyck De Vries understood a driver must be all-round in order to win and repeat success over time. His 2009 performances proves it. In each race, the Dutch driver fought for victory. At the wheel of his Zanardi-Parilla, he fulfilled most of his objectives. “I wanted the European Championship and I got it, and I also won the qualifying round held two months earlier” Nyck recalled. “I also have a very pleasant memory of the German Championship. I won the nine races I entered and each time I was in pole position. Of course I had some disappointments, but these things sometimes happen in motor sports. Collisions and mechanical problems are part of the game, though you do everything you can to avoid them! I was also very close to conquering the World Cup, but my performance was compromised by a wrong choice of the transmission. Luckily enough, I took my revenge quickly and I maintained my WSK title, I won in Italy twice and was also successful in France and Spain. In addition to that, I was crowned champion one round before the end of the Championship, so I could race in Lonato with less pressure on my shoulders”. At the WSK final race in Italy, the driver from Chiesa Corse was determined to finish in beauty. And once again, he had the means to do it: second best time in timed qualifying, just four one-hundredths of a second from the pole position, two victories in the heats and a second place, but also a stop due to a mechanical problem. “Honestly victory was still possible, because I posted the best lap both in pre-final and in final. I managed to race in 44"298 in the final race, while nobody else could do better than 44”5. Unfortunately I was hit at the start of the pre-final and I slipped back at the end of the pack. Then some broken reed-valves stopped me in the final, while I was fast approaching the leading pack. But I do not want to brood too much on this disappointment; I want to look, rather, to the wonderful season I had in 2009 with my team, Tom (my mechanic), Chiesa Corse, Zanardi and Iame with its Parilla engines. I feel ready to face an even greater challenge next year, still in karting, at least for now".

03.02.10 - 04.00 pm

NICO ROSBERG, LEWIS HAMILTON AND CHIESA CORSE AT LONATO       

                                   

                                   

                                   

 "It has been a great day. We had fun”, said the current Chiesa Corse Team Manager at the end of the day. “Nico had already coming karting several times, but despite the invitations, Lewis could never manage to free himself from his numerous commitments”. And that’s how things were until Friday. "Hamilton called me to say he wanted to come karting with his brother and I immediately told Nico who had been waiting for a chance to go karting since the beginning of the year. Friday was the right day”, added Dino Chiesa. So just like the old days, the two of them did some individual sessions, raced each other and compared notes with Dino Chiesa with regards to their times and the kart set-up. Which karts? They used two single gear karts: a Zanardi/Iame for Nico Rosberg and an LH/Maxter (and just a few with a Iame) for Lewis Hamilton who, just before it got dark tried an LH/Maxter with gears. So it turned out to be a special day. A day that twice WSK KF3 Champion (with Chiesa Corse equipment) Nyck De Vries couldn't miss. He tested his new Zanardi/Iame SuperKF for the entire day as his debut in the new category for next season draws closer.

30.01.10 - 04.00 pm

NYCK DE VRIES SIGNS MCLAREN YOUNG DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME                          

                                  

McLaren announced on Thursday that they have signed Dutch karting star Nyck de Vries to their young driver development programme. Fourteen year-old De Vries will be managed by Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony, and the Hamilton Management Group as he makes his way through motorsport’s junior ranks. “McLaren has a long-held commitment to assisting young talent - we believe it’s part of the responsibility of the motor racing community to encourage and nurture junior racers, and we are committed to doing just that,” said team principal Martin Whitmarsh. "Nyck appears to be a very exciting prospect, and we are looking forward to assisting his junior career, providing him with the support and training he requires to succeed.” Commenting on the signing, Anthony Hamilton said: “Nyck is an extremely promising youngster. His father Hendrik has been fantastically supportive of Nyck’s career, and has been instrumental in raising him up to not just be a great young racing driver, but also a fine young man. Together, we both believe that, with the right level of support, we can take his career to the highest level. “We'll be working very closely with Dino Chiesa, who will be running Nyck in Italy this year. Dino is an old friend, who previously ran Lewis and Nico (Rosberg) in Team MBM, so he knows everything about nurturing and developing young talent. We believe this is a very exciting and dynamic partnership.” De Vries added: “My visit to the McLaren Technology Centre has been a fantastic experience and I am very honoured and grateful for the support of McLaren in helping to develop my career. The resources they have are incredible, and I believe they’ll be able to provide me with the perfect framework for improving my skills, my fitness and my motorsport experience.”

10.01.10 - 04.00 pm

THE 2010 ZANARDI KZ-1 CHASSIS

                                        

The design of the 2010 KZ-1 frame is quite radical comparing to the previous version.  Information of the new chassis will be released soon.