Dark Angel
Still kickin' it!
...Encouraged by his increasingly competent outings in one of Ferrari's Formula One machines, multiple MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi decided to try his luck against one of the world's leading kart racers when he visited the second edition of the Champion Show, organised by his father Graziano, in Pesaro.
The seven-time motorcycle world champion arrived at the show - held from November 10-13 - straight after three days of testing with Ferrari at Mugello and Fiorano. The Italian promptly jumped into World Cup winner Francesco Laudato's Super ICC kart to take on another multiple champion, Sauro Cesetti, in a head-to-head battle.
Rossi has previous karting experience from his childhood, and already owns a 100cc Birel machine, but this was his first time in a gearbox kart and, at first, the 40hp TM engine caught him off-guard, as he took a while to learn how to use first and second gears at the hairpins, but the #46 immediately showed little fear on the straights.
'The Doctor' didn't have much time to adapt, however, as, after a few minutes of warm-up, the anticipated five-minute duel was to be shown live on the Italian RAI network.
"This kart goes really fast - I didn't expect that much power," Rossi admitted, "I had a lot of fun and Cesetti proved to be an excellent trainer for this test. Now I have asked Birel for another opportunity to run on a 'real' circuit, so that I can get the most out of this superb kart."
Cesetti was impressed with his latest rival, especially considering that the kart was new to Rossi.
"Valentino was brilliant - testing a 125 ICC for the first time on such a bumpy track was not an easy job," he said, "Moreover, the very short gear ratios forced him to work more on the gears whereas, on a standard track, he could have adjusted more gradually. However, he achieved considerable times and, next time, if he runs on a real track, I am sure he will perform amazingly."
After ten neck-and-neck laps, Cesetti recorded a best time of 26.710secs against Rossi's 26.805secs - but the MotoGP star crossed the line first after a series of passing moves.
Of course, this was only a show, even if the pace remained high but, for karting, the event was an excellent showcase.
"We supported this initiative with great enthusiasm, aware of its great promotional value both for our business and for karting in general," confirmed Birel vice-president Ronni Sala, "Valentino has owned one of our 100cc karts for seven years and, on this occasion, we liked the idea of having him try the 125cc, which won the world and European titles this year.
"Once more, Valentino proved to be a very special and co-operative guy - with an inborn talent. Hitting it off at once with such a demanding kart is not everybody's job, and we have discussed a possible follow-up to this experience with some test sessions on regular circuits. That, obviously, excites us."
Meanwhile, Rossi's most recent four-wheel outing was at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRC car, which he guided to second overall at last weekend's Monza Rally.
Report courtesy of Mary-Ann Horley/www.kartlink.com
The seven-time motorcycle world champion arrived at the show - held from November 10-13 - straight after three days of testing with Ferrari at Mugello and Fiorano. The Italian promptly jumped into World Cup winner Francesco Laudato's Super ICC kart to take on another multiple champion, Sauro Cesetti, in a head-to-head battle.
Rossi has previous karting experience from his childhood, and already owns a 100cc Birel machine, but this was his first time in a gearbox kart and, at first, the 40hp TM engine caught him off-guard, as he took a while to learn how to use first and second gears at the hairpins, but the #46 immediately showed little fear on the straights.
'The Doctor' didn't have much time to adapt, however, as, after a few minutes of warm-up, the anticipated five-minute duel was to be shown live on the Italian RAI network.
"This kart goes really fast - I didn't expect that much power," Rossi admitted, "I had a lot of fun and Cesetti proved to be an excellent trainer for this test. Now I have asked Birel for another opportunity to run on a 'real' circuit, so that I can get the most out of this superb kart."
Cesetti was impressed with his latest rival, especially considering that the kart was new to Rossi.
"Valentino was brilliant - testing a 125 ICC for the first time on such a bumpy track was not an easy job," he said, "Moreover, the very short gear ratios forced him to work more on the gears whereas, on a standard track, he could have adjusted more gradually. However, he achieved considerable times and, next time, if he runs on a real track, I am sure he will perform amazingly."
After ten neck-and-neck laps, Cesetti recorded a best time of 26.710secs against Rossi's 26.805secs - but the MotoGP star crossed the line first after a series of passing moves.
Of course, this was only a show, even if the pace remained high but, for karting, the event was an excellent showcase.
"We supported this initiative with great enthusiasm, aware of its great promotional value both for our business and for karting in general," confirmed Birel vice-president Ronni Sala, "Valentino has owned one of our 100cc karts for seven years and, on this occasion, we liked the idea of having him try the 125cc, which won the world and European titles this year.
"Once more, Valentino proved to be a very special and co-operative guy - with an inborn talent. Hitting it off at once with such a demanding kart is not everybody's job, and we have discussed a possible follow-up to this experience with some test sessions on regular circuits. That, obviously, excites us."
Meanwhile, Rossi's most recent four-wheel outing was at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRC car, which he guided to second overall at last weekend's Monza Rally.
Report courtesy of Mary-Ann Horley/www.kartlink.com