THE EXCLUSIVE STORY OF EVERYTHING (ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING) THAT HAPPENED ON THE LAUNCH DAY OF THE CS55 RACING KART, THE CARLOS SAINZ KART BRAND

Although it may not seem like it at first glance, Formula 1 has a strong connection with karting: most of the manufacturers invest, through the so-called "Academies", in young talents from an early age, while all twenty protagonists of the world championship took their first steps and cut their teeth in this class. And some of them, taking advantage of the winter season or the days off between one Grand Prix and another, take the wheel again to relive the same sensations of the past, to keep fit or, simply, for pure pleasure and fun (some examples are Alex Albon in "VIP & Kart | Alex Albon and Nick Cassidy: karting and carbonara, for a return to the origins", or George Russell in "VIP & Kart | George Russell's return to karting"). Others go further and take the lead with their own brand, such as Lando Norris (which you can learn more about in "VIP & Kart | Lando Norris' first time at the wheel of his LN Four"), Charles Leclerc, Robert Kubica and Daniel Ricciardo, just to name a few. Now, however, it's up to a Spaniard to take this step. His name is Carlos Sainz and now he has his own kart brand: the CS55 Racing Kart.

Monday, 5 February 2024. At Cremona Karting, located not far from the city of the same name in northern Italy, a thick fog envelopped the entire circuit from the first light of dawn and showed no sign of abating. The paddock was not empty, on the contrary: the second round of the WSK Super Master Series was scheduled for that weekend and almost all the teams had already set up their tents or were about to finish the preparatory work. Among these there was also the Tony Kart Racing Team, the official team of the "flagship" brand of the manufacturer OTK Kart Group and, if you spied inside one of their three tents, you could see three karts with an unusual livery. Black, red and yellow and dominated by the brand name "CS55 Racing".

The mystery was soon revealed. At 1 pm, Carlos Sainz (official driver of the Scuderia Ferrari F1) arrived in a grey Alfa Romeo Tonale, accompanied by his management, his staff dedicated to communication and his two "usual playmates", Roberto Merhi and Felix Porteiro. They were welcomed by Roberto Robazzi (Chairman of the OTK Kart Group), the communication department of the company based in Prevalle (in the province of Brescia, about 90 km away from the Cremona circuit) led by Erica Robazzi, Giacomo Aliprandi (team manager of the Tony Kart Racing Team) and the staff of the Tony Kart Racing Team and Vortex Engines i.e. the engine division of OTK Kart Group. And then there were us at TKART, together with other journalists, invited for the launch of the CS55 Racing Kart. Well, yes, because after a year of work, Carlos and the OTK Kart Group, whose relationship began in the Spaniard's early years on karts, when he raced first for FA and then with the Tony Kart Junior Team, a structure parallel to the official team and dedicated to future promises, were ready to unveil the new project to the public. Carlos was beaming, friendly and helpful to everyone present: one would expect the opposite from him, given that the previous week he was the focus of media attention due to the announcement of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari from 2025, a market move that coincided with his upcoming farewell to the Prancing Horse team. On the contrary, Carlos didn't seem to give the impression of thinking about all this and was visibly excited to see his kart. The Spaniard headed to the conference room of the racetrack, where a photo studio was set up for official photos, to be distributed to the press later on.

CARLOS IS VISIBLY EXCITED AT THE SIGHT OF HIS CS55, THE FIRST MODEL IN THE CS55 RACING KART RANGE, LYING ON THE BLACK BACKDROP FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.

The Spanish driver could finally admire, for the first time live, his CS55, the first model of the CS55 Racing Kart range, lying on the black backdrop for photographs. The Ferrari driver asked if he could get close first, and when he did, he walked around it, observed it, bended on his knees to study it more closely, and turned to Roberto Robazzi to satisfy his curiosity from a technical point of view. After the first analysis, Carlos was called back to the most "institutional" phase of the day. He posed next to his kart for the official photos to be used, later on, for the press release: he was self-confident, carefully followed the photographer's instructions and did not back down from requests. He is a professional, of course, but at the same time the more human side emerged, that of a simple and friendly person, far from the stereotype of the "superstar" or of those who, given his curriculum, could put on airs. Far from it: he proved to be frank and sincere in the face of the questions posed by the OTK Kart Group's communication office about his connection with karting. And the attitude was the same during our "particular" interview, where he had the opportunity to express himself freely in front of a selection of photos. There were no ready-made answers to which, unfortunately, we are accustomed nowadays, only spontaneous and authentic words. If you want to find out what he told us, watch the exclusive video clip. After all the "medium" activity, we moved with Carlos to the hospitality of the Tony Kart Racing Team, a structure present at all races and reserved for drivers and staff, for a quick lunch, after which it was time for Carlos to change clothes and put on the clothing that suits him best: overalls, gloves, shoes and helmet.

Наконец-то пришло время официально вывести CS55 на трассу, но это было непростое испытание. Сесть на карт – это не просто прихоть: это еще и способ потренироваться и наилучшим образом подготовить свое тело к новому сезону, как он сам рассказывал нам в 2021 году. Но вы не можете определить тренировку как таковую, если не применяете ее на практике... До предела! И чтобы добиться успеха, как всегда, в игру вступили два других профессиональных гонщика на трассе: Мерхи и Портейро. Больше, чем просто два друга, потому что первый участвовал в гонках Формулы-1 с Marussia в 2015 году и до сих пор соревнуется в Японии, а второй участвовал в WTCC (бывший чемпионат мира по шоссейно-кольцевым гонкам) в период с 2007 по 2009 год. Всего год назад на картинговой трассе Франчакорта (недалеко от Кремоны) они стали главными героями двух напряженных дней, полных непрерывных испытаний (мы рассказывали вам об этом здесь: «VIP и картинг | Сайнс, Мерхи, Портейро: незабываемая трехсторонняя битва с Tony Kart Racer 401 RR Shifter"). Карлос, Роберто и Феликс направились в сторону закрытого парка трассы в Кремоне, где в одном из боксов стояли их соответствующие карты CS55 в версии Shifter, оснащенные системой Vortex VTZ. OTK Kart Group также приготовила сюрприз для некоторых присутствующих журналистов, которые также смогут опробовать новую модель линейки CS55 Racing Kart, но в односкоростном варианте и с новым двигателем ROK SV, последним дополнением к линейке ROK, всегда производимым Vortex, который будет двигателем во французском чемпионате KFS, начиная с 2024 года. Тем временем слух о присутствии Карлоса в Кремоне быстро распространился и испанца начала окружать большая группа болельщиков и зевак, которые не стеснялись любых просьб о «селфи» или автографе.

While adjusting their respective driver's seats, the three continued to joke with each other and with those present inside the garage. It was above all Roberto who "teased" Carlos in every way, just like two ordinary friends before a challenge. And it became a challenge because, from the very first laps of the first session, the atmosphere on the track heated up: Carlos started in front, Roberto first remained firmly placed behind him, then overtook him and took the lead in what seemed to be a race in all respects. Felix, on the other hand, watched the two from a few metres away. When they returned to the parc ferme, everyone immediately consulted the first times achieved with the used Vega XM4-CIK Prime tyre sets: 48"62 for Felix, 48"32 for Roberto and... 48"50 for Carlos! The challenge, at least for the moment, seemed the former Marussia in the lead. Carlos, like a kid who doesn't accept being beaten by his best friend, tried in every way to understand the reason for the defeat and, asking the staff of the Tony Kart Racing Team, discovered that Roberto had made a last-minute set-up adjustment, just before taking part in the session. Carlos also asked for the same change and, to Roberto Robazzi's proposal to fit new tyres, he replied that he preferred to reuse the same set to check his progress. Despite the fastest times, he was unable to beat his friend: 48"26 for Felix, 48"00 for Roberto and 48"14 for Carlos. What is striking about Carlos is not only his fighting spirit, but also his desire to continue improving, proceeding "step by step", without rushing through the stages. And all this even in a "simple" day of karting with friends, where only fun should count. This was also noticeable when, at the end of the second stint, he turned to Nicola Rossini (Tony Kart Racing Team driver) to analyse together the telemetry and the layout of the track, which he had never seen before.

CARLOS, ROBERTO AND FELIX CONTINUE TO JOKE WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH THOSE PRESENT INSIDE THE BOX. ESPECIALLY THE FORMER MARUSSIA, WHO POKES FUN AT THE FERRARI DRIVER IN EVERY WAY.

The scene that unfolded before our eyes was at least singular: Carlos was quiet and listened with interest to Nicola Rossini who told us about the characteristics of the track and what the ideal trajectories were. Normally one would expect the F1 driver to take on the role of mentor and give driving lessons to others, but the Ferrari driver, with the utmost humility, did not miss the opportunity to assimilate new concepts and useful advice. But the time finally came to mount four "white" Vegas on all three karts, so nicknamed by the "Vega" logo on the side of the tyre, new and, for Carlos, to put Nicola's recommendations into practice. Clearly the times were significantly lower than before, but once again the result leaves you speechless: 47"80 for Felix, 47"71 for Roberto and... 47"920 for Carlos, this time "relegated" to third and last place. All this, without sparing himself on the track, with continuous overtaking and "close encounter" battles, giving a breathtaking clash to the public positioned on the side of the track and in the mechanics' grandstand. But the Ferrari driver's revenge was not long in coming, the three, in fact, returned to the track for a fourth stint - reusing the set of tires mounted for the third session - and Sainz set his best time of the day, 47"85. While, Porteiro and Mehri stop at 47"910 and 47"920 respectively. Beyond the results obtained, Carlos was satisfied with the day and, above all, you could not fail to notice his satisfaction due to that kart that bears his name, his number and his colours. However, due to the arrival of sunset, there was no more time for further sessions, but there was a press conference reserved for the journalists present. Let's go back to the large room where the photoshoot for the launch took place, where there was still a chance to ask Carlos a few questions. Today there is no talk of F1, but someone, given the recent movements in the drivers' market that have affected the Spaniard, asked: "Since he will arrive at Ferrari, what would you recommend to Hamilton?" And he, with extreme elegance said: "Come and try my new kart!".

The final report of the day's track activity. Used tires (letter “U”) were used for the first two sessions. For the third stint, a set of new tires was used (abbreviation “NEW”), while for the last one the set of tires used for the third stint was used again (abbreviation “UG”). In addition to the times, it is interesting to note the total number of laps: Merhi was the workaholic with 62 laps; while, Porteriro stopped "only" at 47. Sainz, on the other hand, coincidentally did... 55 laps!