A weekend of international karting has kicked off at the South Garda Karting circuit in Lonato with about 300 drivers coming from 41 nations. Live Streaming coverage on Sunday, March 17th.
The 35th edition of the Andrea Margutti Trophy, the event organized by Parma Motorsport, officially kicked off at the South Garda Karting circuit in Lonato. This international event, included in the FIA Karting calendar, once again remarkably upholds the historic tradition of this race, which began in 1990. The participation is significant, with around 300 entered drivers from 41 nations.
The weekend’s program started with free practice and will continue until Sunday, March 17th, with qualifying heats on Friday, heats on Saturday, and the final phase on Sunday. The latter includes Prefinals and Finals for all categories, broadcast via live streaming on the website. www.trofeomargutti.com.
Drivers will contest the MINI Gr.3 Under 10, MINI Gr.3, OKN, OKNJ, OKJ, and KZ2 categories, with an excellent participation of foreign drivers, accounting for two-thirds of the total. This confirms the international nature of the event and the strong interest it generates abroad, with many top-notch drivers and karting world champions ready to compete for victory and become part of the event’s Hall of Fame.
The first edition of 1990 in the memory of Andrea Margutti.
The first edition of the Andrea Margutti Trophy dates back to 1990, as the event was created to remember Andrea Margutti, a promising karting talent who passed away at the age of 14 in an accident during the Trofeo delle Industrie in Parma. Since then, it was the Margutti family, along with all the drivers and friends of Andrea, such as Trulli and Fisichella, who wanted an event in his memory.
The 1990s were significant for karting, and the Margutti Trophy gained even more international prominence, becoming similar to a true World Championship. It has continued to establish itself in the 2000s as an essential event for all those karting enthusiasts pursuing an international racing career.
A lot of champions until now.
From 1990 to the present, many champions have competed in the Andrea Margutti Trophy. Among the notable names, Giancarlo Fisichella stood out with victories in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1994. Other top drivers, including Robert Kubica (1999) and Daniil Kvyat (2009), also claimed success, alongside numerous other karting champions. Sophie Kumpen, the mother of Max Verstappen, made a mark by winning the 1995 edition in the then-prestigious Formula A category.
Noteworthy participants include the five-time Karting World Champion Danilo Rossi and other prominent figures who later made their mark in Formula 1, such as Jarno Trulli, Jenson Button, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Fernando Alonso, Giorgio Pantano, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen, Jules Bianchi, Antonio Giovinazzi, Carlos Sainz Jr., Lando Norris, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lance Stroll and many other significant figures in international motorsport.
The program of the 35th Andrea Margutti Trophy.
The program continues on Friday, March 15th, with qualifying sessions and the first qualifying heats. On Saturday, March 16th, additional qualifying heats will follow, and on Sunday, March 17th, the second chance races will be starting at 10:10, followed by the Prefinals and Finals, which will be broadcast live on the website www.trofeomargutti.com.
The timetable.
Friday, March 15th: Free practice at 8:30, Official practice from 10:40, Qualifying practice from 13:15, Qualifying heats from 15:30.
Saturday, March 16th: Warm up from 8:30, Qualifying heats from 10:30.
Sunday, March 17th: Warm up from 8:30, Second chance races from 10:10, Prefinals from 10:50, Finals from 13:50, Prize Ceremony at 17:15.
Complete information are available at www.trofeomargutti.com.
Info Parma Motorsport / Photo © Sportinphoto