A current practice since 2002, the designation of single-suppliers of tyres within the framework of most CIK-FIA Championships perfectly fulfils the role which the Federation has always wanted to assign to it: to strive towards the best possible equity of everyone’s chances and towards cost reduction. The latter aim has totally been reached since for each of the six categories concerned by the invitations to tender issued by the FIA the tyre Manufacturers will offer free racing tyres to all participants! And to this exceptional promotion the tyre Manufacturers concerned even add rewards for the award-winners, either as money prizes or as sets of new tyres.
"The allocation of free tyres to every Driver is not new in the CIK FIA Championships, explains Nicolas Deschaux, President of the CIK-FIA. It was even introduced in 2005. However, the very fact that it is perpetuated bespeaks the importance given by the tyre Manufacturers to our Championships as well as their trust in the governing bodies of the CIK-FIA and in its tender procedures. The efforts of these Manufacturers to promote our sport and assist us in the cost reduction steps that we are taking must be estimated at their true worth in the current economic context."
Dunlop has been selected by the FIA World Motor Sport Council as the single-supplier of tyres for all the CIK-FIA Championships, Cups and Trophies of the KF2, KF3 and KZ1 categories held in Europe, and also for the «U18» World Championship and Academy Trophy. All the Drivers will receive on a free basis their slick and «rain» tyres for qualifying practice & heats, and for the final phases. They only need to buy the tyres which they will use for non-qualifying practice before the events, but at very competitive rates (147 to 163 euros/set, according to the type of compound). For its European Championship and World Cup, the top category of gearbox karts, KZ1, will benefit from the most high-performance tyres of the range homologated by Dunlop, namely the «soft» type tyres. The «U18» World Championship Drivers and the KF2 Drivers taking part in the European Championship (including the regional Qualifications), in the World Cup and in the Viking Trophy will compete with «Medium» type tyres.
As for the «Academicians» and KF3 Juniors entered in the European Championship, World Cup, Viking Trophy and Monaco Kart Cup, they will use hard compounds.
For the tyre supply of the KZ2 category in the European Championship, Viking Trophy and Monaco Kart Cup, the World Motor Sport Council hasselected the Manufacturer Vega and its «Medium» type compounds. All the KZ2 Drivers will receive on a free basis their slick and rain tyres for qualifying practice & heats, and for the final phases. They only need to buy the tyres which they will use for their non-ualifying practice, at the preferential rate of 148 euros/set of slicks. |
