The biggest weekend in karting is here, with nearly 200 drivers descending on south-east Italy for the FIA Karting World Championship.
This weekend’s event is the grand final of international karting, with drivers from around the world qualifying throughout the year for a chance to become world champion.
The OK (Original Kart) and OK-Junior world championships will be decided this weekend at the World Circuit La Conca in Muro Leccese, Italy.
There will be three Australians among the 194 competitors set to enter this weekend’s racing.
William Calleja, Jenson Burns and Chris Lowe will all compete in the OK class, while Australian-born female racer Ava Jean Lawrence is in the OK-Junior event.
Calleja enters this weekend’s world championship with a genuine chance of winning after a terrific season in the European Karting Championship.
The teenager from Victoria finished fourth in the championship, dominating the final round of the season in Kristiansand, Sweden, where he was fastest in qualifying and went on to win the final.
“It’s great to have an FIA win under my belt, and I go into this very important race with winning experience in my hands,” the Victorian said.
“The level of competition is the highest in the world in this category of motorsport, so winning any race at this level is a high achievement. I’m feeling good and looking forward to showing my best at La Conca.”
The weekend’s racing begins on Friday. Drivers go through qualifying sessions and heats in a bid to make it to Sunday’s final race, which decides the world champion.
“It’s a very mentally challenging race, and it will require proper preparation,” Calleja said.
“I need to block out external noise and keep my eyes on the job ahead of me, not focusing too much on the end result but performing well in each stage throughout the weekend is what matters.”
Burns, 16, from the Gold Coast in Queensland, placed 26th in the OK-N karting class at the FIA World Cup last month.
Lowe, from Melbourne, won a Victorian state title at his home track, Oakleigh, last year.
Meanwhile, Ava Jean Lawrence will compete in the junior class this weekend.
Despite racing under an Emirati licence, Lawrence is very much an Australian driver on the rise. She was signed to the Aston Martin F1 Academy program earlier this year.
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