2 minute read
Speed / A HIGH SPEED LIFE
66
© Sportinphoto Umbo
Advertisement
PORTRAIT OF A HIGH SPEED LIFE SIMONE CUNATI
by Vicky Morris
Simone Cunati, the winner of the KZ2 2020 Karting World Championship and founder of Teleios, is one of those people that lives life to the full.
2020 was a good year for Simone Cunati, a 24-year-old professional driver from Senna Comasco, as he won the FIA title of World Champion in KZ2 Karting and founded his first company, Teleios.
2020 was a difficult year for most of us because of the European lockdown but Simone managed to transform his need to practice for the FIA Karting KZ2 World Championship into a company: Teleios. Simone developed a driving simulator that would enable him to train, despite all European-level track competitions being cancelled. This one-year journey of hard work ended with a double victory: the FIA world title and the birth of his rapidly growing business. The Como-based company was created with the technical skills of cofounder Leonardo Bernasconi.
© Wafeproject 67
Simone's career in motorsports was not always straightforward. After a season in Formula 4 he got a call from Ferrari as the Scuderia di Maranello brought together the most promising talents for three days in Fiorano: "I was the fastest and held the track record in F4. The head of the Academy approached me and asked me to move forward to F3. But it required over a million euros. I didn’t have that money. In the last race of the championship, when I had a very good chance of winning, they suddenly told me that I would not race. I couldn't give up like this. In 2017, I came back and in 2019, I won the Italian flag, finished seventh in the European Championship and sixth in the World Championship. In 2020, I finished second in the Italian ACI Karting Championship, second in the CIK FIA KZ2 European Championship and, finally, I won the CIK FIA KZ2 World Title. With the creation of Teleios it was a double victory for me! "
Today, Simone remains a presence in the paddock at all the important events in the karting world. He also enjoys coaching young Mini Kart talents such as Charles Le Clerc's cousin, Andrea Manni, and dedicated future professional tennis player Olga Dalinova. She was lucky enough to have a very special day when she not only got to try the Teleios F1 simulator but also had personal coaching from Simone on the Karting track. Could her day get any better? Well yes! Olga received a personalised helmet decorated by Adrien Paviot, creator of helmets of Formula 1 superstars such as Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly.
© Philippe Fitte