Praga Journal #13

Issue 1/2015

Praga is back on the roads with a #supersportcar The first road car created by Praga since 1947

EDITORIAL

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ear Praga Journal readers, I am really glad to be able to introduce you our latest addition of what is new with us. And that we have some news. We have a great number of new podium finishes in both; karting and car racing for which I congratulate to all. As ever the Praga Karting family is growing and we are very happy to welcome new racing teams and drivers. You will soon be able to scroll through our new historic web section, which I think looks absolutely great. We have taken part in an amazing Nagy Futam III/ Great Race III in Budapest and much more has happened. But what I am most excited about is to be able to present you our newest Praga brand addition, the Praga R1R #supersportcar.

We set to make a car, which will perform great on track and at the same time you will love to drive it on roads. The Praga R1R is what we come up with. It is light, it is powerful, it leaves people smiling, it is fast and it is… well, blue.

Stay tuned for our latest info and fresh loads of pictures which I am sure will be coming out very soon.

Thank you for being with us, thank you for being Praga.

Jan Martinek Praga R1R Project Manager

Content

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Praga News

Podium at Super Masters Series

Driver profile of Mikkel Höyer

Praga in Portugal

History of Praga Aviation

Praga Dealers List

Issue 1/2015

Praga is back on the roads with a #supersportcar

5–8 14 18–19 22–29 32–33

Racing News

Driver Eliseo Martinez Meroño

Praga in Italy

Praga R1R Races and expeditions of Praga in late 1930s

Praga Journal Quarterly magazine, 1/2015 Issued on: 1st May 2015 This issue was printed in a volume of 10.500 copies at Integraf, s.r.o.

PRAGA-Export s.r.o.

U Císařské cesty 219, Prague 10, 103 00, Czech Republic | IČ: 275 77 171 | MK ČR E 20631 Editors: Tadeáš Marek, Petr Končal Graphic Design: Petr Končal – www.koncal.com Photographer: Tadeáš Marek – www.TadeasMarek.cz, Cover photo by Tadeáš Marek – www.TadeasMarek.cz and Juraj Gabriel – www.jurajgabriel.com

PRAGA NEWS

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Legendary car brand Praga back on the roads after 68 years Car manufacturer Praga is going to introduce its brand new automobile which wants to follow up with the legendary history of Praga cars. The new super sport was street-homologated on March 17, 2015 and became the first road car created by Praga since 1947.

The new car is inspired by Praga’s racing prototypes, which has been in development in recent years. Thanks to the power to weight ratio exceeding 550hp/1000kg, this model will offer ultimate driving experience. •

RMCGF 2015 : PRAGA, partner in Rotax 125 Junior MAX category BRP-Powertrain will be supported by its long-term chassis partners at the 16th edition of the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) in Portimão, Portugal.

“With most of our chassis partners we can look back on many years of a well established relationship. We have been partnering with all of them in the past already.

A good partnership is important for a fruitful cooperation,“ is Helmut Voglsam, supervisor, Rotax Kart Engines, convinced. “We are pleased to have them on board again”.

PRAGA, is supporting the Rotax 125 Junior MAX category with the top chassis Model PRAGA DRAGON EVO RBS (new homologation 2015) – Upgrade 2016

“All the PRAGA Team is proud to be one of the Rotax partners for the 4th consecutive year and we are grateful to be involved among top level partners as Sodikart and BirelART “, said Daniel Sliva, Chairman of the Board. See you in Portimão! •

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RACING NEWS

Another monster kill at Brno Circuit

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raga cars factory team took part in the amateur endurance race 9 hours Le Brno on 28/3 2015. The race was focused mainly on proving the reliability of the brand new atmospheric engine. Since the free training rounds, Praga’s monstrous pace put approx. 5 seconds on other vehicles per

round and the drivers were able to hold this pace throughout the whole race. Six drivers in total participated in this savagery out of which most had none experience with Praga R1 at all. The racers agreed on vehicle's brilliant on-road performance and were literally stunned by aerodynamics of R1. Praga took

the lead after few first rounds and finished the race without any technical flaws – and what's more, breath-taking 14 rounds ahead of others! R1 even broke the record of the track in this series with time 2:04:025 – a time that only the fastest racers of FIA GT3 categories are able to reach on this circuit. •

RACING NEWS

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Praga R1at the first race of FIA–CEZ

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Photo by Petr Fryba

For more news about Praga check our website www.pragaglobal.com/news

raga team drivers ventured to visit a circuit near Budapest which is a popular choice of F1 drivers. Racers Ales Jirasek and Tomas Vojtech went there to test the atmospheric version of Praga R1.

Although this is a wildly fast track, the drivers were able to compete with three times stronger vehicles GT3 and GT2 categories.

Praga R1 was even the fastest vehicle in the parts of the circuit focused on the driving technique.

Ales Jirasek managed to finish 3rd during the Saturday sprint in the general classification. Unfortunately, team strategy didn’t work out during Saturday race and Vojtech and Jirasek finished on the (still decent) sixth place in the general classification and on the first in its own category. •

Praga R1 dominated at Slovakia Ring

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raga brutally dominated Slovakiaring, the Slovakian domestic circuit in the Carbonia cup series.

Vojtech Jirasek, Praga’s driver in an atmospheric version of R1 managed to get all the best times out of all 71 participants in the starting line – and this included even several formula vehicles. Praga was able to seize one victory, one second place and a trophy for absolutely fastest time of the race. • Photo by Petr Fryba

Watch the guided tour of Budapest from the view of Praga R1 Praga R1 was cruising through Budapest during Nagy Futam III. / The Great Race III.

Watch the video from Budapest www.pragaglobal.com/news/cars

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RACE REPORT

Praga Factory Team started the season with the podium finish Text by Filip Schovánek | Photos by Alexandros Vernardis

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t the beginning of this season Factory team Praga Kart Racing tested at the circuit near Lonato South Garda, however the first real start of this season was the first race of the prestigious WSK karting series titled WSK Gold Cup at the Adria Raceway Karting circuit.

The team used knowledge gained at the testing and for its factory drivers prepared several chassis options to choose from. Praga drivers were competing in the categories Mini, FJ and KZ2.

The youngest member of the factory team – Carles Martinez this season for the first time experiences the atmosphere of big competitions. In the final race he was able to move up 13 positions and finished it in 18th place.

In class KFJ the team was represented by Eliseo Martinez and Mikkel Hoyer. In prefinal Mikkel finished on 13th place, but the Stewards made a decision to exclude him from the race due to dangerous overtaking maneuver. Eliseo in prefinal finished as 12th and seamlessly progressed into the final battle. Then in the final he crossed the finish line as 20th. In the premier class KZ2 in the traditional blue colors appeared three experienced drivers Thonon, Hájek and Pescador.

Partners of Praga Kart Racing Team

Jonathan Thonon had the fastest lap time in two Saturday races, managed to win the third one. After counting all points, he gained pole-position for the prefinal! In the prefinal Thonon finished as the 3rd, Jorge 4th and so both Praga Kart Racing drivers occupied the second row of the starting grid.

The final was 20 laps long and shortly before the half of the race Jonathan Thonon made overtaking maneuver which moved him into the second place overall, which seamlessly kept till the end. Jorge finished 6th and Patrik Hajek 9th.

Sports manager of Praga Kart Racing Filip Schovánek said: “This race was an excellent opportunity to prepare for the Super Master series. Of course, we wanted to succeed and show the quality of the new chassis and IAME engines. The whole team is happy particularly about lap times and the overall result of Jonathan. In our team we have several new pilots and mechanics, so for us this race was very important from the perspective of cooperation of the whole team. ” Jonathan Thonon said: “I would like to thank the technicians of the factory IPK and people from IAME. They prepared for me a chassis and engines that allowed me to begin this season on the podium. I believe that this cooperation will bring further success in future.” •

Our new partners New-Line New-Line’s story began with its products: radiators for karts. And with the coming together of three people with different backgrounds: Marco Malverti, a driver whose goal was to create a racing team and not a radiator company, Alberto Frigieri and Massimo Benedetti, two Ferrari patners that knew welding machines like the palm of their hand.

And so it went that, with the advent of the first water engines for karts, driver Marco began to face the need for radiators that would cool down the engine especially in the summer months. Teaming up with Massimo and Alberto, he decided to “custom” build these instruments, which then became the first radiators the company produced (we’re talking 1996-1997), though at first without the New-Line “logo”. We could grow over the years with improved productivity

standards, thanks to the introduction of new manufacturing procedures that have reduced the time it takes to make each single radiator (on average from 6 to 4 hours).

And technological innovation has only improved craftsmanship (all New-Line radiators are in fact still hand-made one by one); in fact, increasingly precise control tests and constant research and development of products and materials have guaranteed higher artisanal quality.

New Line’s passion today is the same as it was at the beginning – and the same goes for quality and customer service, fundamental pillars of our activity.

LIQUI MOLY We are proud to introduce a new sporting partnership in the field of Karting international championships, such as WSK and CIK-FIA that will bring the famous LIQUI MOLY brand on kart chassis and driver suits of our team.

In Ulm, 1957, Liqui Moly patented un additive for engine oil composed by molybdenum bisulfite. This product paved the way to the success with a wide selection that today includes more than 4000 articles: engine and transmission oils, additives and products for vehicle care, for mechanic’s workshop and maintenance.

Liqui Moly additives, when they are added to fuels and lubricants help to clean and take care of entire motor system increasing the duration and reducing the fuel consumption. Liqui Moly also supplies for exhaust system repair, rust solvents, sensor loss products, cleaners, adhesives and sealants and products for bodywork care and air conditioning cleaning.

To give more visibility to its own brand, LIQUI MOLY sponsors the sport events like Word Ski Championship, Formula 1, Handball Word Championship and German Bundesliga and currently this brand is shown in all motor sport events all over the world.

For years LIQUI MOLY have been dealing with everything that is moving and it not limits only to cars, the LIQUI MOLY products are used in industry and wind towers generators, but the main goal remains the same: to keep making things work.

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RACE REPORT

PODIUM AT SUPER MASTER SERIES • Jorge Pescador second in the prestigious class KZ2 • Excellent entry into the Super Series Master • Driver‘s progress in the categories Mini and KFJ Text by Filip Schovánek | Photos by Alexandros Vernardis

RACE REPORT

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RACE REPORT

raga Kart Racing started the 2015 season with a successful second place at WSK Gold Cup by Jonathan in the KZ2 class. This weekend Karting circuit Adria Raceway hosted the first race of a WSK Master Super series. Praga team was represented by drivers in the categories Mini, KFJ and KZ2.

The fact that both of these races were hosted in Adria brought a great opportunity for less experienced riders to show their improvement. And exactly this fact proved throughout the weekend Carles Martinez in class Mini. In Saturday’s qualifying he was one of the fastest pilots and ranked second with a loss of only 0,017! In prefinal he finished on the in eighth place in his group and so he started to the finals from the from the 16th row. During the final he climbed up by 4 positions and finished the race in 12th place.

The Praga team is represented this year by two promising junior riders – Eliseo Martinez and Mikkel Hoyer. In Prefinal Eliseo kept his starting position and Mikkel

managed to move about 9 positions above.

Both drivers ensured progress into the final battle. In the final Eliseo passed the finish line as the 20th and confirmed its position from the previous race. Mikkel finished 23rd.

In the strongest KZ class Praga signed three pilots, but at the end Jonathan Thonon

was not racing this weekend because of expectations of the birth of his first child.

Behind the wheel of blue karts therefore appeared duo Pescador – Hájek. From the very beginning they were one of the fastest pilots on the track, which was proved by their performances during the initial races.

RACE REPORT

Both factory drivers scored one victory.

After points from all races Jorge took third place and his back was watched by Patrik at the 4th position. Both pilots did well also in Sunday prefinal, where they scored third and second place and gained good starting position for the grand final. At the start of the final Patrik lost few positions at a starting

fight and unfortunately he was not able to go back to the front. Jorge Pescador, by contrast, relatively quickly managed to take second place, which he controlled to the finish line. Kart Racing Team Praga gained another podium this year!

Sports manager Filip Schovánek said: “I would like to thank to the whole Praga

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team for their hard work in recent weeks. Everybody did maximum to get podium results and I am glad that it paid off. The driver’s growth is evident in all three of our young drivers. Jorge deserves a big congratulations and appreciation for a job well done. Not only he showed the quality of Praga chassis, but also the strength IAME engines.”•

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KARTS

Eliseo Martinez Meroño Praga Racing Team Official Driver in KFJ Category

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liseo Martínez Meroño is a Spanish race driver who started his sports career when he was 6 years old.

Soon after he began to stand out, breaking precocity records and becoming the youngest driver in being Champion of Spain, as well as the ‘WSK Euro Trophy’ Champion and the ‘International Champion’s Race Cup’ Champion, owning this last record for 5 editions. He reached up to 20 national and international titles.

This sports projection made Banco Santander - Official Sponsor to Scuderia Ferrari team, decide to trust and support Eliseo’s career by the hand of his Managing Director Mr. Enrique García Candelas.

Therefore, Banco Santander’s badge is shown in Eliseo’s race suit.

All these circumstances made that the Formula 1 pilot, 24 Hours of Le Mans

Champion and nowadays Ferrari test driver, Marc Gené, would also wish to be involved in this project, being responsible of directing and protecting Eliseo Martínez Meroño’s sports career.

At the end of 2014, several companies contacted Eliseo and invited him to join their racing projects but fate had reserved another place for him. This place was PRAGA Official Racing Team. It all began in a test in Castelletto di Branduzzo.

When it finished, there was a conversation between Daniel Sliva and Eliseo and, at that very moment, the coalescence ‘PRAGAEliseo’ was born. In this project full of work and excitement, both Sliva and Eliseo will be together during Eliseo’s karting stage, and PRAGA will keep collaborating with Eliseo Martínez Meroño along his forthcoming motor career. •

“I promise to all who are part of PRAGA, as Mr. Enrique García Candelas taught me, EFFORT AND HUMILITY!”

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KARTS

IPK on the Kart Passion show About Kart Passion...

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ust like on a starting grid, even in studies of "Kart Passion" has just lowered the green flag, the red lights are going out, and a few seconds are missing at the start.

Adrenaline, anxiety and suspense is strong in the air, in fact everything is ready for the premiere of the first episode of Kart Passion, broadcast dedicated to the world of karting, which will make its official debut by the end of April, Kart Passion will be broadcast in Italy Thursday evening at 21.00 on Sky channel 148, but will be also available in streaming on the website www.automototv.it, and later translated into English and distributed world wide.

Kart Passion pursues a specific mission, to lead the viewer to discover the exciting world of karting as never has been done before. Thank to KART PASSION, the protagonist is the entire kart industry and every episode is a kind of itinerary able to know to the general public all aspects of this fascinating and adrenalinic circus, where the passion becomes professionalism at the highest levels.

Kart Passion will show how to construct a Kart, entering with the cameras inside the most important constructors, analyzing the various stages of implementation, turning the spotlight on highly specialized industrial centers, thus understanding to the general public, how much technology should be

used to transform into a real competition little race cars ,the projects previously studied at the computer.

And then again, focusing on the other core components such as the engine, wheels, tires and of course racing cloths of Kart pilot, and then descend on the track where the action comes to life.

Kart Passion is all of this and much more, many many contents to discover episode after episode.

The format is edited by Filippo Mingardi and Daniela Franchitti, reporters from long time and introduced in motor world, from 2 to 4 wheels, from racing to the product.

Kart Passion is produced by Associated & Management Srl. This synergy has made possible "Kart Passion", a transmission realized with the best attention to every single detail, that aims to become the reference television rendez vous for fans of kart, in order to an high-level communication strategy, not focused only on Sky TV but also on the enormous potential of the web and world wide diffusion of the format in English language.

Kart Passion, like the the world of Karting, born in Italy, place of residence of the most important constructors, but the format is designed and structured to overcome national borders and refer to all audience of Kart worldwide. •

Programming Thursday 21.00 Sky channel 148 Streaming in Italy on: www.automototv.it www.kartpassion.com The website dedicated to the transmission where the episodes will be available in Italian and English language.

Facebook page: Kart Passion Twitter: Kart Passion

The video from IPK Factory is available the website www.automototv.it

DRIVER PROFILE

Mikkel Höyer

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2011 Beginning with karting

2012 (the first real racing year) – 8th place Rotax Mini in the Danish Championship

2013 Danish

2nd place overall in the Rotax Mini (Danish Championship), several podiums

Birth date 27. 03. 2001 Facebook Mikkel Höyer

first start in the class KFJ (5th and 6th place overall in the Danish championships), first international start (3 races)

2014

2015 Team Danmark Supported (part of young special selected young drivers – DASU)

2015 Joined the Praga Factory Team

Biography

Partners

A young Danish driver, started in karting at the age of 10 years old. My dad bought an old used kart, which I crashed with. After this we bought an Intrepid, and since this I have been driving IPK products. At the age of 11 years old (2012), started driving at competition level in Denmark in Rotax Max Mini. The first season finished 8 overall.

Took one season more (2013) in Rotax Max Mini and finished 2 overall in Danish Championship. In 2014 I moved to KFJ kategory and i finished 5. Team Denmark supported and special selected as a talent in Denmark as “young driver” through DASU.

• DASU (Danish Auto Sport Union) • Team Danmark • Ernst & Young (Denmark) • HM Rustfri • El-partner • Kjeldsens

www.pragaglobal.com/mikkel-hoyer

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DEALER PRESENTATION

The symbol of international karting world in Italy

Member of Praga family since 2014

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ista Azzurra – Jesolo- is the symbol of international karting world in Italy, famous and recognized brand as are Praga and all Bassano Corse Motorsport experience and competence, connected with the figure of Jean Louis Fogliato.

These are elements for the a perfect mix, thanks to which Praga, since January 2015 found a new “house” in our nation, inside to the shop, situated in Jesolo track that is managed by Jean Louis Fogliato, official dealer of the famous brand known all over the world.

Pista Azzurra in Jesolo was built in 1962 and it kept in time its international value, for this reason it was the set of International Championship( the first in 1968), thirteen editions “Coppa dei Campioni” and many Italian and European Championships tests.

In this track had competed many champions as Prost, Pratese, Senna, Zanardi, Schumacher, Fisichella, Kubica, Badoer, Hamilton and many others.

It is a track of absolute importance in which more one year ago Jean Louis Fogliato decided to create his base of operations with the opening of new shop where the kart lovers can find efficiency and professionality and all the Praga products. A strong relationship and the determination allow a very big performance in the racing world with the participation of Bassano Corse drivers

in Rotax Championship 2015 racing and international events.

With Jean Louis Fogliato and his staff work Paolo Felici and Davide Fogliato, who are team manager of the racing team composed by many drivers. In 2015, for the first time in season’s test, Rotax trophy, made their debut six of them: Simone Parolin, Nicola Sava e Tommaso Campion who braved rivals between Lignano track’s curves for Mini category. Davide Vuano e Patrick Marchetto hold up the Bassano Corse and Praga Motorsport’s colours in junior cate-

gory while Davide Fogliato fought in DD2 category.

New ideas and ambition are in progress, the main goal is to go on in positive way to Rotax Italia 2015 Championship, first step of new partnership. Praga products have an high quality and so high is the quality of Jesolo Pista Azzurra. It is a perfect synergy thanks too very good relationship and technical ability by Fogliato and Bassano Corse Motorsport. In Jesolo we can find one of the most important reality for the Italian kart. •

DEALER PRESENTATION

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Simbolo per eccellenza del panorama kartistico internazionale in Italia

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a Pista Azzurra di Jesolo, simbolo per eccellenza del panorama kartistico internazionale in Italia, è un marchio prestigioso, riconosciuto a livello assoluto, come lo è Praga, insieme a tutta l’esperienza e la competenza della Bassano Corse Motorsport del patron Jean Louis Fogliato.

Sono questi gli ingredienti per un perfetto mix grazie al quale Praga ha trovato da gennaio 2015 una nuova casa nel nostro paese, precisamente all’interno del negozio situato nel circuito Jesolano e gestito dal vicentino Jean Louis Fogliato, rivenditore ufficiale del prestigioso marchio conosciuto in tutto il mondo.

Costruita nel 1962, la Pista Azzurra di Jesolo ha mantenuto negli anni la sua grande valenza internazionale, grazie alla quale ha potuto ospitare Campionati del Mondo (il primo nel 1968), tredici edizioni della “Coppa dei Campioni” per non parlare delle innumerevoli prove dei campionati europei e italiani. Nel circuito Jesolano hanno gareggiato campioni del calibro di Prost, Patrese, Senna, Zanardi, Schumacher, Fisichella, Kubica, Badoer, Hamilton e molti altri, i quali ne hanno accresciuto ulteriormente l’importanza.

In questo circuito di livello assoluto, più di Pista Azzurra di Jesolo un anno fa Jean Louis Via Roma Destra, 90 Fogliato ha deciso di 30016 Jesolo Lido (VE) creare la sua base Contact: Jean Louis Fogliato operativa con l’aperPhone: +39 3930140199 tura di un fornitissimo info@bassanocorsemotorsport.com

negozio all’interno del quale gli appassionati di kart possono trovare competenza e professionalità, oltre ovviamente a tutti i prodotti a marchio Praga. Un rapporto intenso, solido e carico di determinazione e convinzione che si traduce in grandi prestazioni anche a livello di gare, grazie alla partecipazione dei piloti della Bassano Corse Motorsport al Campionato Rotax 2015 e a tutta una serie di altre competizioni ed eventi nazionali ed internazionali.

Accanto a Jean Louis Fogliato ed al suo Staff, lavorano Paolo Felici e Davide Fogliato a capo della squadra formata da numerosi piloti; tra questi, nel 2015, hanno già fatto il loro esordio nella prima prova stagionale del trofeo Rotax sei di loro: Simone Parolin, Nicola Sava e Tommaso Campion hanno sfidato agguerriti rivali tra le curve del circuito di Lignano nella categoria Mini; Davide Vuano e Patrick Marchetto hanno tenuto alti i colori della Bassano Corse Motorsport-Praga nella categoria Junior mentre Davide Fogliato ha lottato metro dopo metro nella categoria DD2.

Prospettive ed ambizioni a lungo termine sono già in cantiere; per il momento però l’obiettivo è finalizzato a proseguire in maniera positiva nel Campionato Rotax Italia 2015, primo passo della nuova partnership; la qualità dei prodotti Praga è indiscutibile, quella della Pista Azzurra di Jesolo non ha eguali; un binomio perfetto mixato al top grazie alle capacità tecniche e relazionali di Fogliato e della Bassano Corse Motorsport. È possibile confermare che a Jesolo è finalmente realtà uno dei più importanti punti di riferimento per il kart italiano. •

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DEALER PRESENTATION

Paulo Pita Racing Team The new Praga team in Portugal

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aulo Pita Racing Team is the new Praga team defending PRAGA brand in Portugal. With the support of the official importer for Portugal - Korridas e Kompanhia - Paulo Pita Racing Team will be present in the major Karting events in Portugal - National Championship and Portuguese Rotax Max Challenge - as well in the Spanish RMC. Based in Viana do Castelo, north of Portugal, this new team is well equipped to give full support to their pilots in all competitions: two service vans, a service tent with seating for eight karts and still a closed space for recreation, socialization between

pilots and guests. Paulo Pita, the team owner, has several years of experiencing in Karting and together with a group of 10 mechanics and 1 responsible for logistics will give full service to 10 drivers. In 2014 Paulo Pita he was vice-champion in the Rotax World Final in Valencia (Spain) with driver Bruno Borlido in the Max category. But he secured the world title in the Mojo Tyre Changing Contest, as the fastest mechanic mounting and dismounting a set of tires, with a time of 31,5 seconds!

The ten drivers that will integrate the team in the several championships - Portuguese Karting Championship; Rotax Max Challenge

Member of Praga family since 2015

Portugal and Rotax max Challenge Spain have in mind the highest places in each of their categories.

The technical support will be in the hands of an experienced mechanics group, led

by Paulo Pita himself, composed by Vítor Palmeira, Quim Bala, Jorge Barbosa, Carlos Machado, Vítor Moreira, José Leitão and Miguel Oliveira. •

Paulo Pita Racing e-mail: Pprtpragaportugal@gmail.com mobile: +351 96 0366651

DEALER PRESENTATION

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A nova equipa Praga em Portugal

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aulo Pita Racing Team é a nova equipa Praga que representa, na competição, a marca em Portugal. Com o apoio do importador oficial da Praga para Portugal - Korridas e Kompanhia - a equipa Paulo Pita Racing Team estará presente nas principais provas de karting em Portugal Campeonato Nacional e Troféu Rotax - bem como na Series Rotax em Espanha Com sede em Viana do castelo, no norte de Portugal, esta nova equipa tem os recursos necessários para dar total apoio aos seus pilotos em todas as competições: duas carrinha de assistência, uma ampla

e espaçosa tenda com capacidade para oito karts e, ainda, um espaço social e de recreação para os seus pilotos e convidados. Paulo Pita, o responsável pela equipa, tem vários anos de experiência em karting e juntamente com um grupo de 10 mecánicos e um responsável pela logistica dará apoio a 10 pilotos. Em 2014 Paulo Pita sagrou-se vice-campeão na Final Mundial Rotax, em Valência (Espanha), com o piloto Bruno Borlido na categforia Max. Mas ainda durante esta prova assegurou o título mundial na competção reservada à montagem de pneus, sendo o mecânico

mais rápido a montar e desmontar um jogo de pneus, com o tempo de 31,5 segundos!

Os dez pilotos que fazem parte de equipa nas diversas competições Campeonato Nacional e Troféu Rotax em Portugal e Series Rotax em Espanha - tem como objetivo os lugares mais altos do pódio nas suas categorias O apoio técnico estará a cargo de experientes mecánicos, liderados pelo próprio Paulo Pita, e será composto por Vítor Palmeira, Quim Bala, Jorge Barbosa, Carlos Machado, Vítor Moreira, José Leitão e Miguel Oliveira.•

Alexandre Areia

Mariana Machado

António Lima

With two years of experience, the Portuguese and the Spanish RMC will be his majors targets in the Junior category. He will be also participating in the Portuguese championship in the X30 junior.

Talented girl has 4 years of experience in Karting.

In 2015 she will be racing in the RMC Portugal in Mini Max, and also on the Portuguese championship.

Her goal is to battle for the first place in both fronts.

Will be his fifth year in the Rotax DD2 Master in the Portuguese RMC. For 2015 he will also try the X30 Shifter Master in the national championship. Battling for the podium in his category will be his target.

Francisco Vilaverde

Bruna Leitão

Rui Lima

Miguel Moura

Fernando Costa

In 2015 she moved to DD2 category and will be taking place in the Portuguese RMC. The goal is to challenge the men in the category, fighting always for the rostrum.

the Portuguese and the Spanish RMC will be his focus for 2015. The big advantage from his side are the 4 years of experiencing in the Max class.

Portuguese DD2 Master champion in 2014, he will defending the title with the goal to secure his place in Rotax World Finals 2015.

focused is the DD2 Master category both in the RMC Portugal and in Spain, his goal is to fight for the first places in the category.

In his second year of racing, he will be participating in the 2015 Portuguese and Spanish RMC in the Mini Max category, with ambition to the title in both championships.

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FEATURE

FEATURE

Praga is back on the roads with a #supersportcar Photos by Tadeáš Marek, Juraj Gabriel

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FEATURE

It has been 68 years but now we are back We are delighted to introduce Praga brand new automobile which wants to follow up with the legendary history of Praga cars. Praga R1R super sport was street-homologated on March 17, 2015 and became the first road car created by Praga since 1947. The new car is inspired by Praga’s racing prototypes, which have been in development in recent years and thanks to its power to weight ratio exceeding 550hp/1000kg will offer ultimate driving experience. We interviewed Praga R1R project manager Jan Martinek and asked him what were the motives and ideas behind the production of this ultimate hypersport road car.

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FEATURE

FEATURE

What led Praga to develop a road car after 68 years?

Praga as a brand has a rich history of making engine powered machines of all kinds, but the strongest connection is with cars.

Czechoslovakia at the beginning of the century, was a car manufacturers heaven, but if you looked out of the window, Praga made cars were the most probable to be spotted going down the road. Praga produced hundreds of thousands of personal cars which was a considerable number given the market potential of the time. Praga since became known more for producing trucks and to be a key player in the world of karting but the desire to build cars was always there.

The R1R is not the first car Praga made in the recent history, what is the chronology of the current car production?

The first car we built was Praga R4S which was an ultimate GT spec racer. It was powered by V8 engine developed in house

by Praga. We followed with the prototype

style Praga R1, and excellent “smile maker� through its downforce capabilities. Both cars proved to be successful on track and we felt it was time to move back on public roads.

We found a strong starting platform in the R1 and the R1R is what we came up with.

R1 and R1R are similar in appearance; can you be more specific about their differences?

We are very happy with the design and so the cars look very much alike. However the homologation regulations and the usability requirements made the cars very different indeed. Praga R1R has a redesigned rear end where engine and gearbox are suspended in a space frame making the ride free of unwanted vibrations and noise at low rpm. The engine underwent substantial modifications, producing more power and torque than any of the race car variants and the air routing and cooling was boosted to give adequate performance at legal road speeds. This additional power is handled by larger gearbox and beefed up drive shafts. The entire suspension was modified to accept bumpier roads of everyday life while keeping the track performance unaffected.

All body panels are now safer to pedestrians and there are multiple improvements towards overall safety. The interior is much more civilised and there will also be a custom made infotainment system to go with the R1R character.

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What is to you the best feature of the R1R? When you see the car on public roads, it looks a little out of this world, in a very good way. It turns heads wherever it shows up proving that the design is one of its strongest features. The other strong feature is its sheer performance. It is a very powerful track day car; in fact, track is where it excels. The aerodynamically generated downforce shared with the R1 race car is overwhelming and together with half/slick tyres and uprated power there are a very few track day cars which could give it a competition. To me the appearance combined with the silent promise of what the car is capable off, is the best feature of all, this strangely satisfying pleasure you get driving the R1R down the road.

And what is the current status of the R1R? We have met all the required standards for road homologation and we are now in the stage of testing and optimising the current design of the car. So far we are very happy with the progress and we expect to start building the first customer cars by September. We will start collecting deposits at the beginning of July together with releasing the final technical parameters of the R1R and the first deliveries are expected to be towards the end of the year.

If you would like to sign up to our newsletter to get all R1R news or even find out more about the R1R ordering process please visit our website www.pragaglobal.com/r1r •

www.pragaglobal.com/r1r

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FEATURE

FEATURE

29

30

AVIATION

The history of Praga’s aircraft production Text by Petr Kolmann | Illustration by Tomáš Mácha

D

uring the early 1930s, several Czechoslovak companies engaged in the production of aircrafts. These included the Bohemiam-Moravian Kolben-Daněk engineering group which had established a new aeronautical department in the ČKD-Praga plant.

Pavel Beneš and Miroslav Hajn were the first chief construction engineers; with BH.39 training biplane as their first product under the brand Praga. The tests were conducted mainly by a chief-pilot Fritsch and began in June 1931. They continued until 1934 but it was already clear at that time that the serial production is going to start soon, because of the demand of Czechoslovakian Department of National Defence. In total, 193 airplanes marked Praga E 39 were produced, with various powerplants. The original acronym ”BH” stood for the initials of the two main constructor engineers but this was later replaced by a unified designation “E”.

In 1931, Praga’s engineers succeeded in the competition held by the Department of National Defence. This led to a construction of another aircraft destined for training purposes. This BH 41 (E 41) was then produced in a serial manner in nation’s Letov factories.

Beneš and Hajn also tried to create a fighter plane in 1932; the result of their effort was a biplane BH 44 (E 44), with first test-flights during summer 1932.

In only ten months, Beneš and Hajn were able to construct a two-seater biplane BH.111 destined for Challenge de Tourisme, a competition for tourist aircraft in 1932.

In 1933, a new chief engineer Jaroslav Šlechta took charge of the airplane production. From now on, all aircrafts were produced under the “E” designation. Šlechta’s first plane was a fighter plane E 45.

However, Šlechta’s second construction – a tourist high wing plane

E.114, later called Air Baby – proved to be a far more successful model. Its testing began in 1934 and during the very same year it participated in a National flight and several foreign demonstrations.

The commercial designation “Air Baby” was chosen to emphasize a similarity with a popular automobile Praga Baby. This model proved to be successful in a short time and Air Baby was soon produced for the needs of Czechoslovakian aviation clubs, Masaryk’s Aeronautical League and export to different counties. Baby was successful owing to its striking flight features, good record in many competitions and several long-haul flights and records. We can say that there were almost none air competitions without the presence of Air Baby; these included a victory in a flight to the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and other victories on the Isle of Mann and in Budapest. We have to also mention a daring Englishman Mr. Brook who flew from London to the Capetown and courageous Czech pilots who embarked on a journey from Prague to Moscow and from Prague to Istanbul. “Babies” also set new speed records in their category. The propulsion was conducted by two-cylinder Aeronca engines later substituted by Praga B 40 horsepower engine.

The E.114 type was successful in the Great Britain, where it was produced in Hills & Sons factories under the designation “Hillson-Praga”. Šlechta’s original construction was later used to construct enhanced types E.114D with a four-cylinder Praga D engine, later followed with even more aerodynamic E 115 and E 117. Another four— seated prototype E 214 was based on this very construction frame.

A whole new high wing plane E 210 was able to accommodate up to 4 people. This aircraft was powered by two engines located on the wings in a pusher configuration. This prototype attracted a lot

AVIATION

31

by

ir Ba .114 – A Praga E

of attention while presented at Parisian International Aeronautical Exhibition in 1936. In 1945, Šlechta employed his know-how of helicopter construction and began his own construction of a XE-I. Later, in 1947, the production of Air Baby type was launched again, this time under the designation E-114M with an inverted inline engine Walter Mikron III and E-114D with a flat four-cylinder engine Praga D. After a rearrangement of the aerospace industry, Praga’s aeronautical construction department was relocated to Central Air Constructions

in Vysočany. There, Šlechta continued with his work on the helicopter production and eventually gave birth to the first official Czechoslovakian helicopter XE-II which was tested in 1951. Similarly, a two-seated HC-2 (also constructed by Šlechta), was unwittingly considered Praga’s own product, for it had the same powerplant as well as a similar name “Heli Baby”, connecting it to famous Air Baby aircraft and Praga Baby automobile. •

Praga XE-II

Praga E. 114

Praga E. 114

Praga XE-II

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HISTORY

Races and expeditions: Praga and motorsport in the late 1930s Text by Radim Širl

T

he tragic accident of Praga’s brilliant engineer and driver Petr Mucha during training for a prestigious Thousand Miles of Czechoslovakia caused a dramatic change in company’s policy regarding racing activities.

Therefore, from 1934 no official factory teams were permitted to participate in any sport competitions. Only private racers now continued in these competitions with Praga vehicles of their own. Nevertheless, Praga cars continued to participate in sport activities every single year until the outbreak of the WWII. The year 1935 was the last of the prestigious race Thousand miles of Czechoslovakia. A skilful driver Stehlík finished with his Super Piccolo on the forth place. However, of all the vehicles manufactured in Czechoslovakia, Super Piccolo was the first one to enter the finish line. 1935

was also a successful year for female drivers. Fany Kronbauer – an experienced racer who was mentioned in the last issue of this journal – participated in the competition of Grossglockner with A. Zavřelová who was driving another car of the Praga brand. Both drivers finished successfully, with Zavřelová being on the ninth place. The latter also obtained the first prize for female drivers in an international race heading to Brussels.

Praga cars still ventured to far and foreign locations.

Probably the most daring example is the expedition of captain Svátek in 1935, who successfully reached the polar circle with his Praga Baby. His journey led through ten states and measured remarkable 9000 kilometres. His average fuel consumption was 9 litres per 100 kilometres and Baby managed to complete the journey without any defect.

Petr Mucha in Praga Alfa

Petr Mucha during the training

Mr. Stehlík with Praga Super Piccolo

HISTORY

33

We have new history section at our website, visit

www.pragaglobal.com/history

A similar event to 1000 miles of Czechoslovakia was an international competition of Little Entente, an alliance which included Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia. The whole race went through all these countries and was divided into six stages; with the length being 2400 kilometres. Several Praga models participated in this competition including Lady and Super Piccolo. However, Praga Golden gained the best result in this competition.

Curiously enough, all the cars had an official support of the company; this was caused by an intention of promoting Praga vehicles into other states of the alliance.

The outbreak of WWII caused a sudden end to all racing competitions because all the fuel had to be used for military and transport purposes. The traffic was regulated

Fany Kronbauer with her Praga Baby

after the war as well because of general shortage of propellants in this period with all “extra” automobile activities being put aside. This situation had graduated in 1948 when a law which prohibited all racing competitions was introduced in Czechoslovakia. Moreover, the company has stopped production of all automobiles in the post-war period and carried on with production of larger vehicles only. The last automobile race with Praga cars involved is possibly held in the year 1950, during which the duo Procházka-Novák was participating in several competitions with specially modified Praga Super Piccolo. Unfortunately, Hubert Procházka was sent to the mines of Jáchymov by the ruling regime during the same year and that is – as far as we know – the end of Praga’s motorsport activities for a long time. •

PRAGA DEALERS C. da Coccaro 2, 72015 Fasano (BR), Contact: Orazio Muolo, E: racingkartmuolo@libero.it, T: +39 338 769 8108 Italy – DI FLUMERI KART RACING Corso Italia, 28, 83030 Melito Irpino (AV), Contact: Dino Di Flumeri, E: diflumeridino@libero.it, P : + 39 339 726 1316 Italy – FG RACING SRL S.S. 13 - Pontebbana, 74, 33017 - Tarcento (UD), Contact: Lorenzo e Michele Foschiani, E: fgracingmajano@virgilio.it, T: +39 043 298 7781, www.fgracing.eu Italy – BASSANO CORSE MOTORSPORT Sas c/o PISTA AZZURRA, Via Roma Destra n. 90, 30016 Jesolo Lido (VE), Jean Louis Fogliato, T: +39 393 0140199, E: info@bassanocorsemotorsport.com

Italy – A.S. SCUDERIA GAZZELLE Via Settimo Torinese 18/20 , 87040 Montalto (CS), E: scuderia.gazzelle@hotmail.it, P : +39 3925391843

Italy – CAVRIGLIA GARAGE S.R.L. Piazza Addis Abeba n. 1/D, 00199 ROMA, Contact: Mauro Mazzalupi, E: mauro.mazzalupi@gmail.com, T: +39 06 8600761 or +39 328 7038535

Italy – AUTOSERVICE di ANTONINO BUSCEMA Via Torre Rodosta n. 49, 97015 Modica (RG), Italy, Contact: Antonino Buscema, E: tonykart80@gmail.com, T: +39 3392051379

Germany – KARTSHOP AMPFING GMBH & CO KG Notzen 11, 84539 Ampfing, Germany, T: +49-8636 983190, +49-8636 690054, E: info@kartshop-ampfing.de, Contact : Mr. Torsten Kostbade, www.kartshop-ampfing.de

Germany, AUSTRIA – M-TEC KART Siegdamm, 30, 53721 Siegburg, Germany, Contact: Manfred Haufe, E: manfredhaufe@mteckart.de, T: +49 1 722 500 626, www.praga-kart.de

Poland – BAMBINI RACING Wojska Polskiego 28/49, 05-500 Piaseczno – Poland, Contact: MICHAŁ ROGALA, T: +48 8888 77 9 22, www.bambiniracing.pl

Czech Republic – MOTORSPORT STRNADEL Tylovice 2039, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm 756 61, Contact : Vojtěch Strnadel, E: Vojtech.Strnadel@seznam.cz, T: + 420 733 155 822, www.motorsportstrnadel.cz

Spain – VIVES RACING SCHOOL S.L. Plaza de los Apostoles, 3, E-46701, Gandia (Valencia), España, Contact: D. Jésus Ignacio Martinez – D. Alejandro Vives, E: jesus@biologistic.net, T: Jesus +34 639173066 – Alejandro +34 620045292, www.pragakart.es

Portugal/Spain – KORRIDAS E KOMPANHIA Rua Dr. Melo Leote, 263/275, 4100-343 Porto, Portugal, Contact: Arnaldo Frias – Rui Vieira, E: info@korridas.com, T: +351 226177821, www.korridas.com

France – ACTI'KART Quartier des Chaux, 26300 Chateauneuf sur Isère, France, Contact: Eric Verrier, E: contact@praga-kart.fr, T: +33 (0) 6 19 68 02 99, www.pragafrance.fr

Benelux – PRAGA & OK1 KARTS BENELUX (Importer) Tuindorpweg, 29, 3951 BD Maarn, The Netherlands, Contact: Huib van Alphen, E: info@pragakarts.nl, info@ok1karts.nl, T: +31 (0) 648741033, www.pragakarts.nl

Netherlands – ROCLI RACING Kleiland 9 - 8271 RV IJsselmuiden, The Netherlands, Contact: Rocli van der Scheer, E-mail: info@rocliracing.nl, T: +31 (0) 611161119, www.rocliracing.nl

Netherlands – JD-RACINGPARTS De Boelakkers 33, 5591 RA Heeze, The Netherlands, Contact: Jeroen van den Dungen, T: +31 (0) 623232424, E-mail: info@jd-racingparts.nl, www.jd-racingparts.nl

Belgium – ERPO Merksplassesteenweg 81, 2310, Rijkevorsel, Belgium, Contact: Mr. Eric Poelemans, E: eric@erpo.be, T: +32(0)33145584, T: +32(0)475318483

Switzerland – THE KART COMPANY AG (Importer) Alte Lyss-Strasse 12, 3270 AARBERG, Switzerland, Telefono / Fax: +41 323895510 +41 323895515, Mr. Jürg Vokinger, E: info@kartcompany.ch, www.kartcompany.net

United Kingdom – KARTPARTS UK 3, Plover Court – Stephenson Avenue – Pinchback, Spalding Lincs PE 11 3SW – United Kingdom, Contact : Danny Andrew Steven, T: + 44 1775712633, E: info@kartpartsuk.com

Sweden – TEGNELIUS SVENSKA AB Valutavägen, 4, 17567 Järfalla, Sweden, Contact: Gustavo Tegnelius, E: g_tegnelius@hotmail.com, T: +46 707783287, www.tegnelius-motor.se

Denmark – KARTRACER V. / COMPROFLEX APS. Abildgardsvej 1-3, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark, Contact: Michael V. Larsen, E: info@kartracer.dk, T: +45 40251171, www.kartracer.dk

Estonia / Latvia / Lithuania – NETRELLA OU Kullerkupu, 1, 76611 Keilia, Estonia, Contact: Priit Pööbel, E: priit@stage.ee, T: +37 25066281,www.talvar-racing.com

Norway – B & V KARTSERVICE A/S Gamlevegen, 38, 4315 Sandnes, Norway, Contact: Ingvard Kirkhus, E: post@kartservice.no, T: +49 91530137, www.kartservice.no

Finland – MASTER-SEINÄJOKI OY Suupohjantie – 135, 60320 SEINÄJOKI, FINLAND, Contact: Markus Mäki-Jouppi, E: info@master-kart.com, T: +358 0505973277, +358 064123046

Lithuania – BALTIC KART Anyksciu str. 22, 08100 Vilnius, Lithuania, Contact: Andrius Stepanavicius, E: andrius@baltickart.lt, www.baltickart.lt, www.fb.com/BalticKartRacing, T: +370 682 30782

Cyprus – FORCE KARTING LTD. Villa Sunrise – Ayiou Chrysanthou Street, 8560 Petia Paphos, Cyprus, Contact: Brian Clifford, Savvas Chryschou, T: +357 99279200, +357 99515859, ipkcyprus@outlook.com

Greece – ZAHOS VASILIS El. Venizelou 22, Galatsi, Greece, P : + 30 6947691747, E : zahosvasilis@hotmail.com, www.facebook.com/zahos.karting

Slovenia – KOTIM, D.O.O. Delakova Ulica 22, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, Contact : Primoz Matelic, T: +386 051 390396, E: primoz.kotim@siol.net

Europe

Italy – RACING KART S.N.C. DI MUOLO & LOTITO

How to become a dealer in your country, please contact the IPK Factory, Mrs. Luisa Toninelli – luisa.toninelli@ipkarting.com

Europe

Russia/Ukraine/Belarus – EURONAL EXPORT (Importer) Bezručova 32, 301 37 Plzeň, Czech Republic, Contact: Vera Lamborova, E: info@pragakart.ru, T: +420 603 518 890, www.pragakart.ru

Russia – ASK ENGINES LLC Moskovskaia obl., 142100 Podolsk, pr-kt Lenina, d. 107/49, Contact: Sergey Kononov, E: demiton@mail.ru, E: askengines@mail.ru, +7 926 836 96 49

Russia – UMAX RU Roslavlskoje shose, 5 km, 214 009 Smolensk, Contact: Aleksandr Sidněv, E: abc.kart@tut.by, T: +375 297 808 124

Russia – SMOLKART Bataysk, ul. Gaidash, 110, Contact: Smolyanichenko O. N., E: smolkart.s@yandex.ru, T: +7 918 528 93 02, P/Fax: +7 863 54 570 42, 50 977, www.smolkart.ru

Belarus – VALERIY SHURPAKOV Dzerdzhinskogo 135, Grodno, E: ura-letchik@rambler.ru, E: abc.kart@tut.by, T: +375-297 813 681

Ukraine – VASYL PETRENKO Odessa, E: vasyl@kartsport4you.com, T: +380-637 077 772

Americas

Argentina – DKR SPORT S.A. An. del Liberator 2340 (B1636DSQ), Olivos - Buenos Aires, Argentina, Contact: Eduardo Sergio Trepat, E: info@intrepidargentina.com.ar, T: +54 114 794 7500, www.intrepidargentina.com.ar

Brasil - FNC – PRAGA KART BRASIL Rua Álvares Cabral, 920, Diadema – São Paulo, Brasil, T: +55 11 9 9597-7097 (Nelson Stanisci), Contact: Mayla Pasqualini, E-mail: praga@chavetas.com.br

Colombia – IVAN LOPEZ GARCIA Calle 93 A Numero 14-37 Oficina 301, 38007 Bogotà, Colombia, Contact: Ivan Lopez, E: ilopezg1@hotmail.com, T: +57 1 703 55 31

Venezuela – INVERSIONES AYRTON SENNA Kartodromo de San Jacinto, Parque de Ferias de San Jacinto, 2101 Maracay – Edo Aragua, Venezuela, Contact: Mirian Morales, E: kartingescuela@gmail.com, T: +58 2432356565, kartodromo.com.ve

USA – PRAGA NORTH AMERICA 3225 Gateway Rd - Suite 600, Brookfield, WI 53045, USA, Contact: Blake Wankowski, T: +14144305903, blake@praganorthamerica.com, www.praganorthamerica.com

Puerto Rico – C.A. MARKETING Adoquines Calle Luna 22 0092, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Contact: Hector Alvarez, E: camarketing@yahoo.com, T: +1 7872351562

Mexico – MASSIMILIANO CHINATO Fray Antonio de Segovia #1580, Col. Atlas, C.P. 44870 - Guadalajara, Jalisco - Mexico, T: (33)3614-8191, (33) 1230-3791, (33)13990590, NEXTEL ID. 72*807316*6, E: pragamexico@hotmail.com

Mexico – PRO RACING MEXICO Prado Norte #305 Lomas de Chapultepec, Mexico DF, Contacto: Diego Duez, E-mail: diegoduez@hotmail.com, T/F: + 521 7771201155

Peru – INTREPIDO S.A.C. Canaval y Moreyra 312, San Isidro - Lima, Peru, Contact: Rafael Modonese, E: rafaelmodonese@yahoo.com, T: +51 3683301, +51 979351615

Chile – RACE MARKET LTDA San Martín de Porres #10899, San Bernando, SANTIAGO, Chile, Contact: Rodrigo Ruidiaz, E: ventas@racemarket.cl, T: +56 228 71 66 60

Ecuador – JM RACING ECUADOR Quilómetro 22, Via a La Costa, Guayaquil, Ecuador, Contact: Jorge Matos, E: jorgematos84@hotmail.com, T: +59 399381926

Guatemala – WORLD IMPORTS 1 Ave 6-27 - Departamento "G" - Zona 14, Guatemala City, Guatemala 01014, Contact person: Oliver Blasberg, E: oliver@obmrk.com, T: +502 30173346

Middle East / Africa

Israel - IMM – IGOR MOIZHES MOTORSPORT Nurit 9/1 Street, 17781 Nazareth Illit, Israel, Contact: Igor Moizhes, E: igorm67@yahoo.com, T: +972 509 800 098

United Arab Emirates (UAE) – AL AIN RACEWAY INTERN.KART CIRCUIT P.O. BOX 85393 - Khattam Al Shiklah st., Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, Contact: Antonio Kekati – Guy Sheffield, E: info@alainraceway.com, guy@alainraceway.com, T: +971 (0)3 7686662, +971 (0) 3 7688477, www.alainraceway.com

South Africa – SWIFT RACING 7 Greyling Street, P.O.Box 856, Bothaville 9660, O.F.S, South Africa, Contact: Flip Viljoen, E: viljoen.flip@gmail.com, T: +27 0731337750

Asia/Oceania

China and Taiwan – RKR KARTING LIMITED SIC Kartworld, Shanghai International Circuit, 2000 Yining Road, Jiading 201814, Shanghai, China, Contact: Raymond Ho, T: (86) 1370 177 5180, www.rkr-karting.com

Australia / New Zealand – EPICS SPORTS DISTRIBUTION 129 The Panorama Tallai QLD 4213, Australia, Contact: Ken Bensley, E: ken@epicsports.com.au - ken@ipkarting.com.au, T: +61 75559 2086, www.ipkarting.com.au

Indonesia / Malaysia / Singapore – KRS MOTORSPORTS SDN BHD No. 48 Jalan Industri Usj 1/1 - Taman, Perindustrian Usj – 1 47600 Subang, Jaya, Malaysia, Contact: James Leong, E: james@kartmoreracing.com, T: +6019 3520559, www.kartmoreracing.com

Philippines – HOFFSMAN SYSTEMATIC DESIGNS INC Unit 201 - Liberty plaza - Valero cor Dela costa street - Makati, Manila, Philippines, Contact : Mickey Tang, Email: m.tang@hoffsnan.com, Phone : +63 2 8431113