17/12/2006
NEWS STORY
 |
With a victory and a fourth place, Felipe Massa grabbed the International Challenge of the Go-Kart Champs, a double-header race held on Sunday in Florianópolis, Brazil.
Massa became champion by beating Renault test driver Nelson Piquet Jr. by only one point in the overall standings. The son of the three-time F1 world champion was second-placed in both races. ART Grand Prix 2007 signing Lucas di Grassi was third.
Starting from pole, Massa led all the way and took an easy victory in the first race. But the Ferrari driver had to work hard in the second, thanks to the GP2-style reversed grid format. The Brazilian dropped to 16th in the early moments, but calmed down and never lost contact with Piquet Jr. "In fact, I was watching him all the time. My kart was good during the whole weekend and that allowed me to overtake the guys ahead. The important thing was to close the curtains of 2006 in a fine style. I expect another very good year, winning more races and perhaps fighting for the world championship," said Massa.
Other F1 names didn't have such luck. Karting world champion in 2001, Vitantonio Liuzzi was the only driver to show flashes of his skills, arriving on track right before the qualifying session on Saturday having missed the free practice sessions. The Toro Rosso driver finished 8th, while Tiago Monteiro (15th), Robert Doornbos (18th) and Jean Alesi (20th) struggled against rivals much more used to the little motorized machines.
Final standings
1. Felipe Massa, 38 points
2. Nelsinho Piquet, 37
3. Lucas di Grassi, 31
4. Antonio Pizzonia, 30
5. Enrique Bernoldi, 22
6. Tony Kanaan, 19
7. Vitor Meira, 12
8. Vitantonio Liuzzi, 11
9. João Paulo Oliveira, 10
10. Luciano Burti, 9
11. Rubens Barrichello, 8
12. Hoover Orsi e Felipe Giaffone, 7
14. Cacá Bueno, 6
15. Tiago Monteiro e Popó Bueno, 5
17. Ricardo Zonta, 4
18. Xandinho Negrão e Robert Doornbos, 3
20. Jean Alesi e Alexandre Barros, 2