Danilo Rossi is one of the best kart drivers of all time. He
won 5 World Karting Championships in Formula A and Formula K racing
for CRG. In 2007 he decided, in partnership with CRG, to create
his own chassis line - The DR Kart. We caught up with him at a
test day in the UK to ask some questions about his kart and career.
When did you decide to build your own kart chassis?
It's a good question. In 2007 I had some ideas
to make my own chassis line, but the CIK homologation was at the
end of 2007. So I preferred to wait until the 2009 homologation.
I have, with my family, a very good team - the DR Racing Team. And
after many years we have gained some good results and experience,
and the step up was to make a chassis. With CRG we decided to make
this big step.
So the motivation was to be more involved
with the whole package?
Yes, I have some good drivers in karting, and in
cars. I think it's good for me to have my own chassis line in karting
too.
You have two chassis the J90, and the M92.
What's unique about these chassis?
We make two chassis which are totally different.
One chassis (the M92) is more traditional. The other, the J90, is
a little bit different. I made this chassis for more for conditions
like you have in France, or here in the UK where you don't have
so much grip and not so much rubber on the track. This chassis works
very well.
What advice would you give a young driver
who wants to achieve the same level of success as yourself?
It's important to start with real calm. It's not
easy to go into a race and make an immediate result. This is really
important for me when working and preparing karters. Karting is
like a big school for the future when the driver wants to go into
car racing. But it's important when you go into a race you understand
anything is possible, everything is.
You have many young drivers in your team,
and a driver management company. What skills do you give to a driver
to help them off track as well as on it?
The biggest problem I have with drivers now, compared
with before, is that 70% of them think they can go on the track
and drive. They want to win easy. Every time the problem is "material",
or "engine". This is not the point. I think the driver
is not only important in the winning of a race but also to understand
the technical points of the chassis, the engine, and in their style.
This is a big help in the future. I also think it's important that
a driver understands technical driving, and everything like that.
You raced in what some would consider the
golden era of karting. How do you see karting's evolution from then
and what are your emotions about it?
The karting before was totally different - the
tyre, the chassis, and engine. Personally I don't think this new
version (KF) is better than before. It's better in some points,
but worse in other points than before. The new homologation we have
is not 100% correct. I think it's a good idea when the big manufacturers
and the CIK think a little but about what has happened. Maybe go
a little bit big and bring in something new for karting.
Do you have any ideas yourself about what
you would like to see happen?
This is the 3rd year with these new (KF) engines.
Next year we have a new homologation. I think with a new homologation
we can arrive at some good solutions for the future. I hope so,
because the first homologation there was some big problems. With
the 2nd year we had big problems with clutches and everything. This
is now 2009, and it's a little bit better the CIK improved some
of the technical regulations but it's not enough.
Looking towards the future. What plan have
you got for your chassis range and with the business.
This is the first year I start, I am quite happy
with how it has arrived in the first 5 months. My idea is to make
big of course. What is difficult now is thinking about the future
as the regulations change.
Alan Dove
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