AUTO #25 Q4 / 2018
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UP FRONT Gallery News
AUTO ASKS The Big Question
DRIVING FORCES Mick Schumacher
TECH REPORT Trickle down technology
COVER STORY 2018 FIA champions honoured
AUTO FOCUS Felipe Massa on karting and FE; Toyota chief Akio Toyoda; Olga Algayerova on road safety; New F3 completes pyramid; Motor sport TV tech; Makers of modern classics; Michelle Yeoh’s new road safety role; FIA Child Health Initiative; Youth Olympic Games; #3500LIVES – Vanessa Low
REAR VIEW Tom Kristensen FIA Heritage Cup
AUTO GRAPH The FIA champions by nationality
FINAL LAP Mari Hulman George remembered
FIA World Karting Championships
Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto’s OK championship win was his first major title. OK Junior winner Victor Bernier used pace and strategy to claim his title.
Czech Patrik Hajek finally won the KZ title having twice finished as runner-up.
Winners: Victor Bernier, Lorenzo Travisanutto and Patrik Hajek with their trophies.
INSIDE THE FIA Club World: China
/ WINNING DRIVERS: Lorenzo Travisanutto (OK), Victor Bernier (OK Junior) Patrik Hajek (KZ)
At the FIA’s OK class final in Kristianstad, Sweden, Italy’s Lorenzo Travisanutto took his first major title, racing for the team set up by 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg. Travisanutto, 19, headed the field for much of the meeting, topping both practice and the qualifying heats, only to lose his lead early in the final race to Hannes Janker. Travisanutto kept European champion Janker in his crosshairs for much of the race, eventually reclaiming the lead with two laps remaining before keeping his rival back all the way to the chequered flag, becoming OK world champion for the first time. In the OK Junior class Frenchman Victor Bernier displayed superlative race management and impressive pace to win the 2018 crown. Starting from fifth on the grid, Bernier steadily made up ground and after just seven laps the VDK Racing driver caught and passed Britain’s Taylor Barnard of the Rosberg Racing Academy for the lead. With first place secured, the young French driver never looked back, expertly managing the gap back to Barnard, and later Brazil’s Gabriel Bortoleto and eventual second-place driver Gabriele Mini of Italy to win with a second in hand. In the KZ category, two-time world title runner-up Patrik Hajek claimed glory after a dominant display at September’s final in Genk, Belgium. Racing in a 30-strong field, Hajek took pole for the Kosmic Racing Department team before pulling clear early in the race as incidents held back many of his rivals. Hajek led from lights to flag to secure his KZ world title, beating Rick Dreezen and Fabian Federer. The 28-year-old became the first Czech to win the championship.
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