Within the framework of the 2020 FIA Karting Competitions, Vega has equipped the KZ and KZ2 categories in addition to the FIA Karting Academy Trophy, LeCont the OK category throughout the season as well as the OK-Junior category in the European Championship and MG Tires the FIA Karting World Championship – Junior.
Many thanks to Paolo Bombara for LeCont SrL, Marino Albrecht Junior for MG Indústria e Comércio S/A, and Paolo and Stefano Mantese for Vega SrL, for answering these questions.
What is the outcome of your 2020 FIA Karting season?
LeCont: It’s a very positive assessment for a year like this. Of course, like others, we had to make sacrifices, but the FIA Karting season was exciting and intense. We were delighted to be able to show the world through the FIA Karting Competitions that the LeCont tyres from the latest homologation were excellent, both the Option in Junior and the Prime in OK, not forgetting the rain tyres. Overall LeCont has made a tremendous leap forward.
MG: We are very happy to have been the official supplier of the FIA Karting World Championship – Junior. We have received many positive comments about the consistency, durability and performance of our tyres. This gives us great satisfaction. MG is one of the largest kart tyre manufacturers in the world and we are used to such feedback, but to be complimented like this at the end of a world class FIA Karting Competition is very rewarding.
Vega: For the 2020 homologation we have evolved the profile and structure of our tyres to improve the feeling in all categories. But above all we have introduced renewable components of 100% natural origin. This is a first step towards the goal of environmental sustainability that we have set ourselves. The results have been very positive. Our tyres are now even more efficient in all conditions, especially in hot weather, and have a wider operating range.
– What were your constraints for the manufacture and delivery of the tyres this year?
LeCont: The pandemic forced us to interrupt production for almost two months. However, we managed to restart as soon as possible two complete production runs for the European OK and Junior Championships, one for each type of tyre, in order to ensure homogeneous production for each category.
MG: It was a unique year, in which the World Championship was moved from MG’s home country of Brazil to Portugal due to the Covid-19 situation. Nevertheless, we were able to produce and deliver our tyres to this new location without any problems. This is proof that MG is ready to respond to this situation anywhere in the world, as we are already doing in more than 50 countries.
Vega: Production, logistics and organisation have been difficult in 2020. Our two production units, in Italy and France, have enabled us to fulfil our supply obligations, both in FIA Competitions and in the various national and international championships that we supply, despite the succession of race weekends. Quarantines and sanitary protocols complicated our movements, but we managed to cope.
What wishes do you have for the future in the field of competition tyres?
LeCont : Homologated tyres offer an excellent compromise between longevity and performance. On the sustainability and carbon footprint reduction front, we are carrying out innovative research and our most fervent wish is that these projects, some of which may seem revolutionary, are implemented as quickly as possible.
MG: In these times of pandemic, it would be selfish to think only about our “business”. We very much hope that karting can continue to develop without causing unnecessary health risks to everyone involved in our favourite sport. As far as MG Tires is concerned, we want to be able to continue offering quality products as we have been doing for 30 years: performance, durability, passion and driving pleasure are at the heart of our concerns.
Vega: Vega has always attached great importance to performance, which is also a guarantee of safety, pleasure and entertainment. Our objective is to maintain this focus without sacrificing our commitment to quality. Reliability and consistency of performance is an essential element for us. Teams and Drivers must be able to rely on the behaviour of their tyres race after race, throughout the championship and the homologation period. Ensuring the consistency of our production is our top priority.
2020 FIA Karting Best-of / Photo © KSP