Zanardi's Junior Karting Star on How to Drive a Kart to World Class Standard!

After a successful year in 2004, most notably winning nearly half of the Karting Stars of Tomorow's rounds in Minimax karts, why did you think it is important to live and race in Europe rather than staying in the UK to develop your karting career?

'Without wishing to sound big headed the level of competition in Europe is much higher as I am racing against all the top drivers in the world. In addition, I feel to be the best you have to race against the best. All the factory teams are represented as well, and this alone creates greater competition. The Italian Open Masters for instance had 72 drivers in JICA Alone last year and through out the four karting classes (Formula A, ICA, JICA and ICC) there were over 30 different nationalities represented! Overall, karting in Europe is more challenging and makes it a greater achievement when you do well. We made the decision to move to Italy so that I could still continue my studies at school and race. Obviously the travelling distance is reduced and as I’m with Team Zanardi who are based in Padova, Italy it makes the logistics much easier. Also there is a huge advantage to be gained living in a country and learning the language. I really think that for me it is a great decision and I appreciate what my parents have done to allow this to happen.'

What is the biggest difference between driving a Rotax and driving a JICA kart, and did you find anything about changing to JICA karting difficult

'The biggest difference between driving a Rotax and a JICA is a JICA is a lot faster and louder and because it has so much more grip due to the softer tyres you have to be physically stronger to handle it. The amount of fitness training has been much more intense because of the increased physical demands of racing in JICA.'

Does your karting technique change to race karts in Europe compared to the UK? If so, how?

'Due to the softer karting tyres in Europe and the amount of rubber on the track I have to be smooth and not slow the momentum of the kart too much. In UK karting there is not as much grip (tyres are harder in the UK JICA Class) and so I have to use a more aggressive approach by turning the steering wheel more. Also the karting tends to be much more aggressive because officials (unlike in the UK where karting officials tend to be over zealous) rarely penalise poor driving standards and almost never exclude a driver from a race because of reckless driving. This unfortunately means that unlike karting in the UK defending your position in the last few laps is something that drivers in Europe rarely do. They know it is a recipe for the driver behind to try a reckless move and possibly take you out without fear of being penalised.'

What kart driving techniques do you think are essential to use when racing a kart? E.g. Do you like to be aggressive with your driving or super-smooth, and do you like to be snappy with your brakes, or more progressive?

'Every driver probably says the same thing but my karting style has always been to drive as smooth as possible. In cadets with the harder tyres this was not always an advantage but I knew that ultimately my style would benefit me in the higher classes. Being smooth keeps the speed flowing and in Europe where the tyres are softer it also means I preserve my tyres thus having faster lap times. I feel it is essential to only turn the steering wheel once since if you turn in too many times you will slow the kart and reduce the exit speed. That is why being smooth helps because you progressively turn the wheel leaving less room for error. I brake in a more snappy way as you can brake later and overtake easier but the way you use the brake depends on the type of corner it is.'

How much time at the circuit do you get to practise driving a kart and how important do you think karting practise is?

'It is essential to test at the circuits before the race because it is important to know the correct set ups in all conditions and for me to get a feel of the circuit in the different conditions. Also I need to find the limits of the kart. I feel practise is extremely important in karting, and so I test as much as possible when I am not racing. Team Zanardi focuses it’s testing at the tracks closer to its base of operations whilst also being convenient for me to get to from Florence where I am living at the moment. This means we tend to test mostly at Parma and South Garda although for important races we do like to test on the circuit wherever it is at least once before the race. This Season testing has been even more important since we have new chassis homologations at the start of 2006 which has meant much more intensive testing to ensure we understand how the new chassis behaves in different conditions. Being the official Junior Driver for Team Zanardi a lot of the development work will fall on my shoulders, as Dino will be looking to constantly improve performance through out the year.'

When racing with a grid of 30 quality drivers, starts must be an important part of a race. Do you ever have a plan of attack at the start of kart races?

'Having raced against many of the drivers before I try and assess those who are near me based on my grid position. Generally unless I have messed up my qualifying I am normally near the front and it is easier to predict what the “better” drivers will do. If I’ve had a bad heat or two and find myself at the back of the grid it is more likely to get caught up with the back markers and because of their lesser experience and ability they can be very unpredictable. With the better drivers I can take into account each of their driving styles and usually (but not always) know what they will do at the start and I calculate my manoeuvres based on this assessment.

You’ll be racing at 11 different karting tracks this year. Do you have any ways of learning tracks quickly? E.g. some drivers like to draw maps, and include reference points, while some drivers prefer to drive on instinct. What techniques do you use?

'I always walk the track during a race weekend and especially on race day with my engineer where we can try to understand the braking point, turn in etc. I also try to take note of any unusual features of the track such as the amount of rubber, elevation changes, track surface and kerbs. To learn a track I go slowly for about 5 laps analysing each corner and the way to take it. I gradually go faster and faster and then I do one lap putting together everything I have learned. '

You are racing at the pinnacle of junior karting on a regular basis. What kind of preparation, and fitness level does it take to compete at this level?

'It is important to be physically and mentally strong. I have a personal trainer in a gym in Florence, Italy and I go a few times a week. I also have a squash coach and I participate in matches during the week, which helps with my stamina and improves my reaction times. To keep mentally strong I spend time before a race, mentally driving the track and keep focused on my race on the weekend.'

Driving at high level karting means that getting the set-up nailed becomes more and more important. What areas of set-up do you regard as essential to get right, and what things do you do during practise that mean you can get the right set-up?

'Generally because of the amount of testing we do and the simple fact that Dino is not only the team principle but also designs the chassis the set-up changes over a weekend tend to be minimal. Dino has such extensive knowledge and experience that he can translate my feedback into a set-up change that instantly works. The Europeans tend to be a lot more conservative and I have noticed that the extreme set-up changes that karting people tend to do in the UK are very rare in Europe.'

Karting is becoming more professional, more and more karters are hiring
coaches like other sports e.g. tennis, golf etc. Do you have a karting coach and if
so, how does it help having someone keep an eye on your driving?

'I have Dino Chiesa and Blasé (My Karting Engineer) who help me fine tune certain corners and help me understand a quicker way to go around. Apart from that we use a lot of data logging which helps identify any weak parts of the track that need to be worked on.'

Will you be returning to the UK karting events at any point to race? E.g. the Kartmasters GP at PFI Kart Circuit.

'We have taken the decision to race under an Italian karting Licence since our move to Italy. I would love to race in England but it depends on my schedule. It is likely that I will enter the GP Kart Masters if they allow junior non-MSA international licence holders to compete.'

Is there any characteristics of the Zanardi kart that make it stand out from other chassis

'Last season was the first full season for the new Zanardi chassis which could only be developed in a limited way as the design had to be very similar to the CRG (who make the chassis) homologation and Dino was unable to design the chassis the way he would have wanted. This has all changed for 2006 since we are dealing with brand new homologations and Dino was able to be as creative as possible in designing the new KZ1 and KZ2 chassis. Also Dino now better understands my driving style having worked with me for the last 12 months and this hopefully has been translated into a chassis, which will work even better. The team are constantly making improvements and with each improvement the chassis is becoming faster and faster. Also it’s a really cool colour.'

I guess the plan is to move up the ranks of Motorsport, but do you have any plans to move into senior karting before moving on to cars?

'Like all drivers my ambition is to reach Formula 1 and become world champion. Until then I will continue to push and the plan is to do two years of Formula A after this season before thinking about the right single seater route. I think it is very important to hone one’s driving skills in karting before going the single seater route. I’m very fortunate that I have a fantastic network (Team, Family, Sponsors) supporting me. And with their help and my determination I believe we can make this happen.'

Kazeem Manzur shows an outstanding amount of professionalism, and passion for the sport of karting. With the talent to back it up aswell, it looks as if 2006 is going to be an exciting year for Kazeem. And I suggest you study hard Kazeem's karting tips here on this page because he has giving some really practical about his karting driving style, his mental preparation and his determination.

Kazeem starts his season on the 5th February at La Conca in the WSK karting series. Be sure to check out his karting website to keep up with his progress throughout the year.

Alan Dove - 3/2/2006

All karting pictures couresy of Sutton Images