Lucas Motta Wins 2008 Brazilian Indoor Kart Championship!

October 2008 - Lucas Motta has won the top class (Master) in the 2008 Brazilian Indoor Kart Championship. The event is organized by Amika, the largest rental kart racing club in the world and had its "usual-unusual" running at the Granja Viana outdoor track in Sao Paulo. The outoor setting creates many extra challenges to the drivers, including rain which fell during parts of the event. The event has a "sprint" format, with short races, including 3 qualifier races and a Final. The Light Class (Master) is considered the most competitve and had a total of 127 drivers competing. Motta had a superb performance, winning his 3 qualifier races, and finishing 2nd in the Light Class Final. A totalof 230 drivers competed in 3 categories.

In 2nd place, another familiar face for fans of the IKWC: Pedro Washington. Washington also put on a strong effort, winning 2 qualifiers. But a 3rd place, and a 5th place on the Final left him with a 9 points deficit to Motta at the end. In 3rd place came Felipe Persona, who actually finished with the same number of points as Washington, but had only 1 victory against Washington's 2 wins.

Motta, was the highest placed Brazilian driver in the Light Class at the 2008 Indoor Kart World Championship in Belgium, and is ascerting his position as one of the top Brazilian drivers who also compete in the World Championship. Washington who in 2005 was 3rd in Brazil and 3rd in the World, managed to repeat the double podium in 2008, with 2nd in Brazil and 3rd in the World, but still has not won the Title at either event.

Other IKWC drivers in the top 10 included Thiago Costa, who finished 9th.

In the "Senior" (Over 40 years old) Class, the Champion was Jose Alexandre, with Wagner Santos in 2nd, and IKWC driver Ed Cordeiro in 3rd. Also in the top 10 was IKWC driver Slow Assis, who finished in 6th place. A total of 28 drivers ran in this class.

For full results, please consult:
Master: Link to full master results
Senior: Link to full senior results
Peasdo (Heavy): Link to full pesado(heavy)results

Photo credits: www.amika.com.br

G.Laporte and Grooten World Champions!

Belgians Gregory Laporte (Blue Star Racing A) and Mathias Grooten (Talent Promotion Belgium A) are the 2008 Indoor Kart World Champions. Both were able to edge early favorites Marc Viskens and Bart Van de Vel in what turned out to be closest Indoor Kart World Championship to date.

Coming into the final, Mathias Grooten's teammate, Marc Viskens, enjoyed a 6 points lead over 2nd place, and did not even need to win the Final Grand Prix to win the Championship. But the Final Grand Prix was his toughest race in the 2008 IKWC, and a 7th place finish no longer guaranteed the Title. After points were calculated both finished with the same total points (117), however Grooten beat Viskens in the tie breaker criteria, with 4 wins against Viskens 3. In 3rd place, Pedro Washington (TopKart - C&C Lofty) from Brazil, just 5 points behind.

In the Light Class, things were even closer, with 5 drivers within 6 points from the lead coming into the final. No real advantage to anyone here, and any driver hoping to be Champion would have to win the Final Grand Prix to clinch the title without having to depend on the other's results. It looked like things could not get closer, but did when victory at the Final GP went to a driver outside of those top 5, Sidney Van Nieuwenhove (Blue Star Racing A). Once the points were calculated, Belgian Gregory Laporte (Blue Star Racing A) was able to edge both drivers Romano Franssen (Team Netherlands 1) and Bart Van de Vel (Talent Promotion Belgium A) by a mere 0.5 point. Franssen and Van de Vel finished in a tie themselves for 2nd place, but Van de Vel had the tie-breaker advantage of 2 wins, against Franssen's 1. This would have been the closest finish ever in the history of the Indoor Kart World Championship, if not for the even closer result in the Heavys.

Team Talent Promotion Belgium A was able to repeat the feat of 2008, taking the Indoor Kart World "Team" Championship. A small margin of 3.5 points over Blue Star Racing A in 2nd. Talent Promotion's B team was 3rd, in an all Belgian podium.

For full points & results see links below:

IKWC Light: http://live.kartgrid.be/results/ikwcpointslight.pdf

IKWC Heavy: http://live.kartgrid.be/results/ikwcpointsheavy.pdf

IKWC Teams: http://live.kartgrid.be/results/teampoints.pdf

Complete recap of the 2008 IKWC coming soon.

The IKWC would like also like to post recaps of the 2008 IKWC from the drivers point of view. If you would like to send a review of your performance (or your team's) at the 2008 IKWC to be considered for posting on this site, please send it to carlos@racingschools.com with photos, if available.

The 2009 IKWC is planned to take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Full information on next year's even will be released some time in November or December (if not sooner!!) on this site. The IKWC would like to thank all Teams, Drivers for their dedication and sportsmanship. A big thank-you also goes to Worldkarts Kortrijk for providing a very closely matched fleet of karts, as well as all the sponsors and contributors that helped make this year's IKWC such a great event!

Both IKWC Grand Prix Fields Are Set

Aug 7, 2008 - As the 3rd day of competition comes to an end in Kortrijk, unfortunately so has the 2008 IKWC for a number of drivers who were not able to qualify for the 2 Final Grand Prix races. The Finals are scheduled to start . Belgian drivers Marc Viskens and Bart Van de Vel did not win today, but both had good enough results to continue to lead in their weight classes. Viskens goes into the final with a 6 point lead over Pedro Washington from Brazil in second. The situation in the Light Class however, is much tighter. Bart Van de Vel leads fellow countryman Gregory Laporte by just 1.5 points, and will have to race very hard not to see the IKWC slip away from his fingers. A total of 5 drivers are within 6 points of the top spot in the Light Class.

The 2008 Indoor Kart World Championship finals are scheduled to start today (Aug 8, 2008) at 10:00am local time in Belgium. Qualifying & Race for the Light class will come first, followed immediately by Qualifying & Race for the Heavys. Podium cerimonies are scheduled for around 3PM.

Anyone around the world can "see" the 2008 IKWC finals by following the live timing feed provided by KartGrid.be by going to: http://live.kartgrid.be/results.htm

IKWC 2008 - Heavy Grand Prix Final - Drivers

1 Marc Viskens BEL
2 Pedro Washington BRA
3 Matthias Grooten BEL
4 Alexander Gumpenberger AUT
5 Humberto Rubin BRA
6 Robin Borremans BEL
7 Luir Miranda BRA
8 Nicolas Vanpuyvelde BEL
9 Daan Vanhamme BEL
10 Carlos Nadaes BRA
11 Mike Smith USA
12 Dan Burke USA
13 Matthias Maas BEL
14 Ma'rton Masa't HUN
15 Manuel Tenschert AUT
16 Geoffrey Mertens BEL
17 Pablo Marlangeon BRA
18 Diego Morales COL
19 Truman "Brad" Godfrey USA
20 Dave Singelee BEL

IKWC 2008 - Light Grand Prix Final - Drivers

01 Bart Van de Vel BEL
02 Laporte Gregory BEL
03 Romano Franssen NED
04 Lucas Motta BRA
05 Kenny Geldhof BEL
06 Steven To HKG
07 Christophe Cornette BEL
08 Felipe Viera POR
09 Rodrigo Faulhaber BRA
10 Fabio Konrad BRA
11 Sidney Van Nieuwenhove BEL
12 Kristof de Ryck BEL
13 Kristoff Van de Parre BEL
14 Ruben Boutens NED
15 Melvin Benders NED
16 Jeroen Van As NED
17 Lindsay Vigne BEL
18 Werner Truegler AUT
19 Mats de Jong BEL
20 Timothy Laporte BEL

Talent Promotion Stars Lead 2008 IKWC

Aug 6, 2008 - After the 1 hour IKWC races completed on Aug 6, the 2008 Indoor Kart World Championship has crossed the halfway mark. Qualifying for the 1.5 hour Grand Prix Final races on August 8 still a possibility for most drivers, but a shot at the Title of World Championship is now only a reality for a much smaller group of drivers.

The big star of the IKWC so far has been Marc Viskens (Team Talent Promotion Belgium A). The 36 year old Belgian has so far managed a 100% success rate, winning all 3 races he was in. Viskens even scored the pole-position for his group during the special qualifying session run on Aug 4, so he certainly is the man to beat in the Heavy Category. After Race 3, Viskens enjoys a lead of 6 points over Pedro Washington from Brazil in 2nd.

The Light Category also also has its own Belgian star in Bart Van de Vel, who has dominated the Light points standings so far in impressive fashion, but has fallen a little short of mirroring Viskens stellar performance in the Heavys. Van de Vel is also 36 years old, and is Viskens teammate in the Talent Promotion Belgium A team. Van de Vel also won the Pole on Aug 4, then went on to win races 1 and 2, but had a 3rd place in his 3rd race. Still a remarkable performance by any standard, and certainly good enough to earn him the current top spot in the Light Category, with 3.5 points lead over Hongkonger Steven To in 2nd.

Even with such amazing performances, the two Belgians need to continue to excel to keep their hopes of being the next World Champions. As seen in the past IKWCs, the leader at the mid-point in the Championship usually does not end up as the Champion. Everyone is subject to a little bad luck now and then, and Van de Vel and Viskens have not seen their share of it yet in this year's IKWC. The points structure is designed specifically to reward consistency throughout the Championship rather than just victories, and it keeps the competition very close.

Racing continues on Aug 6, with another set of 1 hour races for all groups in both Light and Heavy Categories. The folks at Kartgrid.be have continued to provide a great service with their internet live feed of the IKWC races, so fans from all across the world can follow their favorite drivers' performance as they race.

Top 5 drivers after Race 3 (Heavy):

1- Marc Viskens (BEL) TalentPromotion.be Belgium "A" - 76 pts
2- Pedro Washington (BRA) TopKart.com.br - C&C Lofty - 70 pts
3- Alex Gumpenberger (AUT) PlusCity.at Austria - 68.5 pts
4- Luir Miranda (BRA) TopKart.com.br - C&C Lofty - 68 pts
5- Geoffrey Mertens (BEL) BlueStar-RacingTeam.be "B" - 67.5 pts
(47 drivers competing)

Top 5 Drivers after Race 3 (Light)

1- Bart Van de Vel (BEL) TalentPromotion.be Belgium "A" - 73 pts
2- Steven To (HKG) BlueStar-RacingTeam.be "A" - 69.5 pts
3- Kenny Geldhof (BEL) BlueStar-RacingTeam.be "B" - 69 pts
4- Fabio Konrad (BRA) Equipe Point Kart - Speedracer - 68.5 pts
5- Gregory Laporte (BEL) BlueStar-RacingTeam.be "A" - 68 pts
(45 drivers competing)

IKWC Party Tonight at 't Waaihof

Aug 6, 2008 - Tonight (Aug 6) is the IKWC "party" at 't Waaihof Brasserie de Laiterie, the official restaurant of the 2008 IKWC. The friendly staff at 't Waaihof will cater to all IKWC drivers starting at 7PM (19:00hs), in what may well turn out to be the best "Meet & Greet" celebration ever held during an Indoor Kart World Championship event. IKWC Drivers will be able to enjoy Waaihof's great food and drinks for free, and guests are also welcome for a small fee.

Waaihof is located at: Graaf de Smet de Naeyerlaan 18, in Kortrijk. If you dont know how to get there, ask one of the Belgian drivers, or paste 't Waaihof's full address ( Graaf de Smet de Naeyerlaan 18, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium ) on www.googlemaps.com for a map! Its about 2km East-NorthEast of the Worldkarts track, just past the Leie River.

The 't Waaihof establishment has been very generous to offer this opportunity for all IKWC drivers to enjoy the Belgian hospitality, and the IKWC encourages all drivers to have fun but drink responsibly and act in a respectfull maner at all times. And remember... there is racing scheduled tomorrow morning!!

Belgian Drivers Assert Dominance

Aug 5, 2008 - Belgian drivers continued to assert their "home field" superiority on Day 2 at the 2008 Indoor Kart World Championship, taking 8 wins out of the 12 races run today in Kortrijk. The other 4 races were all won by Brazilians. Team Talent Promotion A drivers Marc Viskens and Bart Van de Vel won both their races today and should be at the top of the Heavy Class and Light Class point standings, respectively.

Competition continues on August 6th, with the running of the first set of 1 hour races for all groups.

Podium results for Aug 5, 2008 IKWC Races:

Race 1 Group A - Heavy (15 drivers)
1- Mathias Grooten (BEL) Talent Promotion Belgium A 31.12
2- Alex Gumpenberger (AUT) PlusCity.at - Austria 31.33
3- Luir Miranda (BRA) TopKart.com.br - C&C Lofty 31.28

Race 1 Group A - Light (15 drivers)
1- Kenny Geldhof (BEL) Blue Star Racing B 30.66
2- Filipe Vieira (POR) Team Portugal 30.60
3- Gregory Laporte (BEL) Blue Star Racing A 30.74

Race 1 Group B - Heavy (15 drivers)
1- Robin Borremans (BEL) Talent Promotion Belgium A 31.01
2- Pedro Washington (BRA) TopKart.com.br - C&C Lofty 31.14
3- Geoffrey Mertens (BEL) Blue Star Racing B 31.23

Race 1 Group B - Light (16 drivers)
1- Bart Van de Vel (BEL) Talent Promotion Belgium A 30.38
2- Ruben Boutens (NED) Team Holland 2 30.53
3- Steven To (HKG) Blue Star Racing A 30.89

Race 1 Group C - Heavy (15 drivers)
1- Marc Viskens (BEL) Talent Promotion Belgium A 31.10
2- Humberto Rubin (BRA) Equipe Point Kart - KR 31.22
3- Timothy Vogels (BEL) JPR Belgium 31.40

Race 1 Group C - Light (16 drivers)
1- Lucas Motta (BRA) TopKart.com.br - C&C Lofty 30.86
2- Kristoff Van de Parre (BEL) Talent Promotion Belgium B 31.09
3- Andrea Sorbello (ITA) Dados Racing Milano - Dadi Cart 30.88

Race 2 Group D - Heavy (15 drivers)
1- Luir Miranda (BRA) TopKart.com.br - C&C Lofty 30.97
2- Alex Gumpenberger (AUT) PlusCity.at - Austria 30.95
3- Ma'rton Masa't (HUN) Team Hungary 31.06

Race 2 Group D - Light (15 drivers)
1- Gregory Laporte (BEL) Blue Star Racing A 30.56
2- Kenny Geldhof (BEL) Blue Star Racing B 30.63
3- Sydney Van Nieuwenhove (??) Team ? 30.53

Race 2 Group E - Heavy (15 drivers)
1- Pedro Washington (BRA) TopKart.com.br - C&C Lofty 30.91
2- Dan Burke (USA) GO FAST Energy Drink 30.97
3- Geoffrey Mertens (BEL) Blue Star Racing B 31.23

Race 2 Group E - Light (16 drivers)
1- Bart Van de Vel (BEL) Talent Promotion Belgium A 30.44
2- Fabio Konrad (BRA) Equipe Point Kart - Speedracer 30.48
3- Steven To (HKG) Blue Star Racing A 30.52

Race 2 Group F - Heavy (15 drivers)
1- Marc Viskens (BEL) Talent Promotion Belgium A 31.04
2- Matthias Maas (BEL) Waaihof.be 31.07
3- Carlos Nadaes (BRA) TopKart Raceland Granja Viana 31.02

Race 2 Group F - Light (16 drivers)
1- Rodrigo Faulhaber (BRA) Equipe Point Kart - Speedracer 30.49
2- Werner Truegler (AUT) PlusCity.at / Kartsport.at 30.35
3- Christophe Cornette (??) Team ?!? 30.44

Fastest Laps of Day 1:
Heavy: Robin Borremans (BEL) Talent Promotion Belgium A 30.88
Light: Werner Truegler (AUT) PlusCity.at / Kartsport.at 30.35

Team Talent Promotion dominates IKWC Qualifying

Aug 4, 2008 - In what can only be described as a “dominant” performance, the Belgian drivers from Team Talent Promotion Belgium took the pole position for 4 of the first 6 Indoor Kart World Championship races on the schedule for tomorrow. Here is a quick run down of who were the top drivers in qualifying and a few others to watch.

Light Class Group A Pole:

Kristoff Van De Parre (BEL ) Team: Talent Promotion B
The 36 year old has been training hard to get down into the 70kg light class, Van De Parre has the benefit of having as teammates two of the best drivers from Belgium, Bart Van de Vel and Matthias Grooten. Pole position is a great start to carving his name into the history books.

Light Class Group B Pole:

Filipe Vieira (POR ) Team: Portugal
The only Portuguese driver in the field, Vieira is also one of the youngest, at just 15 years old. Viera has already represented his country well by scoring this pole pole-position, but I am sure he won't stop there, and will be right at the sharp end of the standings.

Light Class Group C Pole:

Ruben Boutens (NED ) Team: Holland 2
Certainly one of the fastest of the Dutch squad, Boutens will be one of the front runners this year, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the 16 year old driver at the top step of the podium.

Heavy Class Group A Pole:

Mathias Grooten (BEL ) Team: Talent Promotion A
Moving over to the Heavy Class after being on the cusp of the 50/50 split, Grooten is certainly one of the favorites for the Heavy Class championship, and has been touted by some to be the driver to beat. Grooten was 3rd at 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship in Phoenix, USA.

Heavy Class Group B Pole:

Marc Viskens (BEL ) Team: Talent Promotion A
Playing second fiddle to teammate Borremans in the local BELKart championship, 36 year old Viskens is looking good to score strong points tomorrow, and take the fight to the Heavy Class.

Heavy Class Group C Pole:

Robin Borremans (BEL ) Team: Talent Promotion A
Coined as the best Heavy Class driver in Belgium by many of the locals, 22 year old Borremans will also be a front runner for the championship this year. With a very precise and smooth style, look for him to make few mistakes this week.

Other drivers to watch:

Werner Truegler (AUT ) Team PlusCity.at / Kartsport.at: World Champion in 2005 and 2nd Place in 2007, the 35 year old Austrian is currently the number 1 driver in the IKWC World Rankings, and is always a candidate for the top spots, even when the kart is not up to par.

Rodrigo Faulhaber (BRA ) Team Point Kart - Speedracer: Faulhaber was 14th in 2006, but the 21 year old Brazilian was able to unleash his full potential in 2007, clinching the World Championship Title in great form.

Pedro Washington (BRA ) Team TopKart.com.br / C&C Lofty: Washington has accumulated more IKWC victories than any other driver, but has yet to win the World Championship Title himself. The 19 year old Brazilian is always a major threat to all other World Championship Title hopefuls.

Alexander Gumpenberger (AUT ) Team PlusCity.at / Austria: The 2006 World Champion is back in 2008 after missing the 2007 event. Add his '06 World Drivers Championship Title to his 4th place result in 2005, and the Austrian is a clear candidate to fight for the top spots in Europe.

Steven To (HKG ) Team Blue Star Racing A: To had a disappointing IKWC in 2006, missing a spot in the Final and finishing the IKWC in 35th place. Things are different in 2008 however, as the 22 year old Hongkonger is now racing at a track he knows very well. The 2008 IKWC began on a high note for him, leading the Hong Kong team to victory in the Nations Cup race last week.

Fabio Konrad (BRA ) Team Point Kart - Speedracer: Konrad is new to the IKWC, but that didn’t stop the 15 year old Brazilian from scoring the pole position in qualifying for the 2008 IKWC Nations Cup race, as well as the 3rd place spot on the podium in the same race. He will be looking for more this week.

Hong Kong takes IKWC Nations Cup

August 1, 2008 - A 3 hour Nations Cup Endurance kick started early competition at the 2008 Indoor Kart World Championship earlier today in Kortrijk. The race involved twelve teams representing 6 different nations: Austria (1 team), USA (1 team), Brasil (4 teams), Belgium (4 teams), Netherlands (1 team), and Hong Kong (1 team).

It was a very competitive race, and after 3 long hours of continued racing, Team Hong Kong takes the victory. At first, a victory by Hong Kong over such favorites as Belgium, Austria, or Brazil may sound surprising, but not quite. The team, led by Hongkonger Steven To, is composed by all local drivers with plenty of experience driving at the WorldKarts indoor kart track. To, is actually the only Hongkonger in the team, which also included Belgians Gregory Laporte, Kenny Geldhof, and Geoffrey Mertens.

The victory however was significant to Steven To, who was very emotional after the race: "It means a lot, a lot. Because all my family is in Hong Kong. They don't know much about the IKWC. My father said I could drive for the Nation, that it would be ok. This win is for him. I think he will be very glad. To win for the fatherland, which is what we call it... No words to say." The victory was also an emotional one to To's teammate Geoffrey Mertens, who had lost his grandfather just a week prior, and raced with a photo of him in his pocket.

Originally the Nations Cup rules required a minimum of 3 drivers from the same nation to form a team, but the rule was found to be restricting entry to certain teams such as Hong Kong and Austria, which wanted to compete but had less than 3 drivers from their countries available. In the name of camaraderie and more competition the minimum number of drivers was reduced to 1, and the IKWC also extended an exceptional entry to Hong Kong, which is a "Special Administrative Region" of China, but not a country/nation on its own. Steven To made the most of the opportunities presented, put himself and Hong Kong at the top of the Indoor Kart World Championship's Nations Cup podium, and now hopes to do the same at the IKWC Drivers World Championship next week.

In 2nd place came the home favorites, Belgium. The Belgium Waithof.be team was composed by the same drivers that won the 2007 Nations Cup in Phoenix, and included Mathias Grooten and Bart Van de Vel, who both finished the 2007 IKWC Drivers Championship tied for 3rd place (Grooten took the podium spot by tie-breaker). The 3rd place team, Brazil Point Kart, had 2007 World Champion driver Rodrigo Fauhaber among its lineup, so team Hong Kong did indeed a tremendous job.

Driver Reports

Two drivers provided a Nations Cup race recap from their point of view. Click on driver name to read:

• Mike Smith (Team Austria)
• Gregory Laporte (Hong Kong)

IKWC Nations Cup Official Result:

1. Hong Kong SAR (2008 Champion)
2. Belgium
3. Brazil
4. Netherlands
5. Austria
6. USA

Nations Cup On track Result:

1. Hong Kong SAR - To (HKG), G.Laporte (BEL), Geldhof (BEL), Mertens (BEL)
2. Belgium Waithof - (all BEL) Grooten, Van de Vel, Van de Parre, Borremans
3. Brazil Point Kart - (all BRA) Faulhaber, Horneman, ??,??.
4. Netherlands - (all NED) Benders, Boutens, Hooghen, Circkens
5. Belgium - (all BEL) T.Laporte, Vanwynsberghe, Viskens, Vanhamme
6. Belgium - (all BEL) de Jong, Jacobs, Vergote, de Ryck
7. Brazil - (all BRA) Washington, Lu.Miranda, ??, ??
8. Belgium - (all BEL) Mathurin, Verstraete, de Gorter, Bert
9. Austria - Amon (AUT), Truegler (AUT), Smith (USA), Morales (COL)
10. USA - (all USA) Godfrey, Burke, Skolnick, Romero
11. Brazil - (all BRA) ??,??,??,??
12. Brazil - (all BRA) ??,??,??,??

Nations Cup Race on Aug 1 !!

July 21, 2008 - Organizers of the 2008 IKWC have decided to run the Nations Cup race as a separate event this year. The race will be run in an endurance format with teams of 4 drivers. The race is planned for Friday August 1, with the start at 10:30am (drivers should be at the track by 9am). National teams must have at least 3 drivers from that country. Drivers who whish to race but do not have enough drivers from their own country are encouraged to contact other drivers/teams that may be looking for a "4th driver" to complete a team. For more information or further details about the Nations Cup race, please contact drivers Gregory Laporte (BlueStar Racing - Belgium), and Poul Horneman (Point Kart - Brazil) at Worldkarts, or inquire at the front desk. For basic Nations Cup Rules, please click here.

2008 IKWC Schedule Available

July 28, 2008 - A schedule for the days of the IKWC has been released by Worldkarts Kortrijk. The schedule includes the racing days as well as the "practice" days preceding the IKWC. All drivers must be aware that the race "start times" posted on the schedule serves only as a "reference". Race interruptions (red flags), and other unforseen issues may delay the start of the races scheduled for later in the day. Drivers must be aware of what their race groups are and pay attention to order of races as they happen, since the time a race starts may end up being different than what is posted on the schedule. Worldkarts will do its best to keep the schedule running as close as possible to the original plan, but drivers are ultimately responsible to be ready to race when their race is up (whatever time that may be). Please click here to see the schedule.

Brazilian IKWC drivers practice in France

July 27, 2008 - Aside from the host nation, Brazil has historically been the nation that has produced the greatest number of drivers at every IKWC. For the IKWC in Belgium, the story is no different, and the Brazilians have in 2008 more participants than ever before. A total of 20 Brazilian drivers are making the trip to Kortrijk, including 2007 Indoor Kart World Champion Rodrigo Faulhaber, and multi-race winner Pedro Washington. The group is split into 5 different teams of 4 drivers: Point Kart / KR, Point Kart / SpeedRacer, TopKart Indoor / BV, TopKart Indoor / C&C Lofty, and TopKart Indoor / Raceland / Granja Viana. The Brazilians are very organized and travel as a group, and this year driver Poul Horneman was in charge of the delegation.

The Brazilians arrived in Europe via Paris, and looking for every bit of practice they can get, some of the drivers took the opportunity to take some laps at the Paris Kart Indoor track. Under the impression that this track had an ice surface similar to an ice rink, they were eager to test their skills in this new environment. Driver Humberto Rubim relates the experience: "The track is nicely decorated with skiers and Alpine motifs, all very very nice,... but there is no ice. The track has a very slick surface, painted white, and with a layer of what appears to be wax on top of it which makes it very slick and slippery indeed. But we better get some French lessons... there was no ice on the track there." The Paris Kart practice day was lots of fun, but the Brazilian drivers are now on their way to Kortrijk, where they plan to start seriously practicing at Worldkarts on Tuesday July 29. Drivers Pedro Washignton and Chico Ingles are the only Brazilians who have driven at Worldkarts in Kortrijk before, having visited the track earlier this year.

Absent from the Brazilian delegation are 2 star drivers from the last IKWCs, Thiago Costa and Ed Cordeiro. Both could not make the trip this year due to issues with their regular jobs in Brazil. Costa, who has been referred to "as the best driver I ever race against" by 2005 World Champion Werner Truegler from Austria, was 2nd in 2005 and 6th in 2006. Cordeiro was 4th in 2006 (Masters Champion) and 11th in 2007 (3rd Masters). The Brazilians are confident that they have enough talent in the current group to bring the World Championship Title again to Brazil.

Team GO FAST Energy Drink Ready for IKWC 2008

July 25, 2008 - The Godfrey Racing Team is one of the most established teams in the Indoor Kart World Championship, and has competed at every one of the previous 3 IKWCs. Back again for 2008 with sponsors GO FAST Energy Drink and Finish Line Racing Gear, the American team is betting high on its top driver, Truman "Brad" Godfrey. The team's other "star" driver, Tony Rolfson, had a last minute personal problem and will not be traveling to Belgium. Rolfson will be replaced by driver Dan Burke. Drivers Zack Skolnick and James Romero III complete Team GO FAST Energy Drink's line-up for the 2008 IKWC.

The four American drivers will do their best to make up for the absense of Rolfson from Team GO FAST, as he was the only American driver to ever finish in the Top 3 World Championship positions (3rd at the 2006 IKWC). Truman "Brad" Godfrey carries the team's best hopes for victory, having won multiple local league and Arizona State Indoor Kart Championships at the F1 Race Factory Indoor Racing Center in Phoenix Arizona (the host track for the last 3 IKWC events), but encountered bad luck when competing in the IKWC at the same track. His best performance came in 2005 and 2007, where he finished in 6th and 8th places overall in the World Championship, respectively. Godfrey has 2 IKWC race victories on his record, both obtained at the 2007 IKWC. The 2008 IKWC will be Godfrey's first international racing event, and he hopes his luck will be better in Belgium than it was in the USA.

Zack Skolnick is the only team GO FAST driver other than Godfrey with previous IKWC experience, having competed at the 2007 IKWC. However Skolnick also encountered extreme bad luck and his result at the 2007 did not reflect the driver's true potential (a very disappointing 74th place). Skolnick has put this behind him and is eager to tackle the new challenge ahead. The 18 year old driver has been practicing hard indoors and outdoors, and recently put in some laps at the brand-new New Jersey Motorsports Park kart track (outdoor).

Finish Line race Gear has also joined the IKWC sponsors and will be presenting the Champions with racing equipment. Look for GO FAST's team manager Tom Godfrey at the IKWC for more info. GO FAST!!!

Team Formula Americas Targets Podium in 2008

July 27, 2008 - Drivers Mike Smith (USA) and Diego Morales (Colombia) have joined forces to form Team Formula Americas for the 2008 Indoor Kart World Championship in Kortrijk, Belgium. The two will make up one of only two North American based teams at the 2008 IKWC. Both drivers expect to be in contention for a podium spot, if not more.

Morales has been practicing hard at his home indoor track Dromo 1 in Orange, California. Originally born in Colombia, Morales grew up kart racing outdoors in the 1980s, at the Nelson Piquet Formula 1 circuit's outdoor kart track in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was State Champion in 1982 and finished 7th at the 1983 National Brazilian Championship Finale. After a move to Los Angeles, USA, and a break from racing, Morales began competing in local autocross events with his daily car (Mazda MX3) in 1996. After 2 years in Solo II, taking several 1st place finishes in the regional HStock class, he upgraded to road racing with the Touring Car Racing Association. After 6 years of successful sprint and endurance racing he has come full circle back to both indoor and outdoor karting 3 years ago. “Originally I discovered indoor karting for fun and soon realized that it had closer competition than any other form of motorsport I had ever experienced…that’s when I became hooked.”

The year of 2008 began well for Morales, whose team finished 1st at the 12 hours of Dromo 1. He hopes to keep the momentum going at the 2008 IKWC in Belgium. The Colombian, who has just turned 40 years old and is finally eligible to also compete in the IKWC Masters Cup, currently leads the World Formula Championship at the California Speedway’s CalSpeed Karting Centers series. Several podium finishes in the outdoor endurance series helped round out the off-season in preparation for besting his previous IKWC finishes: 39th in 2006 and 28th in 2007.

In July, Morales obtained sponsorship support from Calspeed Karting Center, a premier karting facility located at the California Speedway. Calspeed put together a solid program for Morales of intense race practices in 1 hour formats leading up to this year’s world championship. “The competition will reach new heights, I totally look forward to battling it out with the best pilots from previously unrepresented countries like England, Denmark, Hungary, and Japan” said Morales. “It is unfortunate that only a handful of my American friends could make the trek to Belgium and I will miss their competitive spirit. I hope to continue improving my performance at the world championship and expect my training in endurance races this year should pay off in the higher speed and higher grip style of racing in Belgium.”

Smith Racing Development (SRD) driver and founder Mike Smith also has 1 IKWC victory to his name, but unlike Morales, has consistently qualified for the IKWC Final GP, finishing 18th in the world in 2006, and 5th in the world in 2007 (best of all USA drivers that year). For 2008, Smith hopes to continue to improve his results and return to the USA as the 2008 World Champion. Smith has been testing his endurance and skills against many of the best drivers in the USA, first competing in the 12 Hours of Dromo 1, then the 24 Hours of Charlotte, with podium finishes at both events. Smith capped off his preparation by competing in the Oregon Indoor Karting Challenge, a meeting of the best drivers from the state at his home track, Sykart Indoor Racing in Tigard, Oregon, USA.

“Certainly this is a landmark year for me, as I am heading to Europe for the first time," explained the 25 year old driver. “I am eager to race there, as the talent pool is sure to be deep, and I expect to learn much in my time there. I expect to have a good pace, even more so with the separate weight classes, and I am confident in a solid finish this year. Still, luck always plays a big part in this game, and I hope to have plenty of the good kind this year!”

In 2008, Mike Smith will be one of the primary online reporters for the IKWC, doing daily updates online at indoorkartingnews.com, which can be seen by going to the site's forum page. Mike Smith and SRD would like to thank its sponsors and affiliates for all their assistance and support in this year’s bid for the world title: Monster Energy Drink, GoPro Camera, Winslow Industries, Sykart Indoor Racing Center, and Indoor Karting News.

Starting on August 1st stay tuned for the inaugural Nations Cup 3-hour endurance race to the main event on August 8th with news streaming forth from indoorkartingnews.com to various other European karting news media outlets.