By Maurizio Voltini, Jose Omedas, Jozef Konopka
Club or amateur races are one of the cornerstones of regional karting, but they are not always appreciated as they deserve to be by those who manage karting at the national level. Yet they generate participation and sustain the market.
It is certainly not since today that one can see two souls living side-by-side in karting: karting at the highest echelons, the international championships that see manufacturers, top teams and official drivers involved, on the one hand; one the other, the karting world of enthusiasts who take advantage of the simplicity and low cost of karting (compared to other motorsport categories) to express their passion on the track without too much effort. Two opposite philosophies of understanding karting that is not always easy to manage by the NSA (i.e. the National Sports Authorities) with their regulations. Also because, too often, they let themselves be influenced by certain manufacturers and promoters, who obviously aim, above all, at events of great scenic importance and that actually do move a lot of money (read: they are very expensive for participants), this usually to the detriment of basic or grassroots racing, karting at its foundations, that which allows many kart enthusiasts to start racing even without necessarily thinking about Formula 1, but only to enjoying themselves and putting their driving skills to the test with vehicles that are, however, able to produce plenty of adrenaline.