AMSF JOINS WITH KOSMIC RACING AUSTRALIA FOR WORLD TITLE BID

Kosmic Racing Australia's Remo Luciani, Matthew Waters and Peter Galvin (Pic: AF Images/Budd)

The Australian Motor Sport Foundation (AMSF) will partner with the Kosmic Racing Australia team for the team’s upcoming campaign at the World Karting Championship event in Macau.

The October 19-21 event will see Cian Fothergill and Matthew Waters line up on the grid in the KF1 World Championship alongside the likes of Five-time World Champion Davide Fore, recent KF2 World Cup winner Felice Tiene and reigning World U18 Champion Matthew Graham.

It is the first time in more than 20 years Australia will have a team chasing glory in a CIK-FIA World Championship event. Not since Franco Guaitoli-led the PCR Australia team to numerous overseas events in the early nineties, which saw Darrell Smith victorious in the World Cup in Japan, has an all-Australian team competed at such a prestigious event.

Since that time there has been numerous Australian drivers compete with the Italian factory teams, most notably being James Courtney, Ryan Briscoe, Ben Hostman and Michael Patrizi, but not an all-Australian team such as is planned by the Kosmic Racing Australia outfit.

The newly formed relationship between the AMSF and the Kosmic Racing Australia team is the first time that the Foundation has joined with a karting team rather than individual drivers.

“This is a new initiative for the AMSF which is in line with the strategic plan for the future of the Foundation, where we are aiming to develop the pathway to Formula One for our young Australian drivers,” said AMSF Chairman Geoff Morgan.

Cian Fothergill in action at the CIK Stars of Karting Series last weekend in Melbourne (Pic: AF Images/Budd)

“We expect to be able to take young drivers from the top level of karting here in Australia through to success at the World Karting Championships and onto the Open Wheeler categories internationally before breaking into Formula One in the years to come.

“The AMSF Board is very excited about this first step in this initiative and we will be assisting it with all of our resources.”

AMSF Director, and five-time Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercar Champion, Mark Skaife echoed Morgan’s comments.

“This partnership is great news for Australian Motorsport. At the AMSF we understand how crucial it is to have a healthy karting industry and for us to have a team representing Australia at the World Championships is another great step toward producing world class drivers,” said Skaife.

“The AMSF is all about creating pathways for drivers to the world stage and this is another example of an international pathway being supported by the Foundation.”

Australian Karting Association National President Craig Denton is confident that this partnership is the expansion of rising karting stars being a part of the AMSF program.

“The AMSF has been a great platform for many of Australia’s top young drivers over the years. I believe the partnership between the AMSF and Kosmic Racing Australia for this event is another step forward to a closer relationship between the AMSF and the country’s top kart drivers,” said Denton.

Kosmic Racing Australia Team Principal, Peter Galvin, is hopeful that the partnership will flourish into the future to assist in developing Australian motorsport stars as Champions on the world stage.

“As a team, we’re delighted to have the AMSF partner with us as we fly the Australian flag on the world stage,” said Galvin.

“To have the backing of the AMSF is proof once again of how the CIK Stars of Karting Series is providing a perfect breeding ground for Australia’s future motorsport stars.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had young Australian drivers starring on the world karting stage on a regular basis. I hope that this is the start of a relationship between the AMSF and top line Australian karters where we can help develop the skills of young drivers and assist them in taking on the world’s best.”

The AMSF facilitates the progress of talented young Australians to the pinnacle of international competition, and fosters broader participation at entry levels of motor sport.   Some of the graduates from AMSF programs include Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo, Indycar driver Will Power, World Rally Championship driver Chris Atkinson, World Rally Championship Academy Driver Molly Taylor and current V8 Supercar drivers James Courtney, Will Davison and Michael Patrizi, V8 Development Series driver Scott Pye (who won the British Formula Ford Championship in 2010), current leader of the Australian Formula Ford Championship Jack le Brocq and many others.

The AMSF and its new strategy is fully supported by the AKA (Australian Karting Association) and CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motor Sport).