This year, the major event of the karting season took place under Indian Summer conditions in the Belgian Ardennes on the magnificent Fagnes circuit in the town of Mariembourg. A crowd of several thousand spectators were treated to a KF1 World Championship and a KF2 World Cup race. The elite of the international karting world turned out for the meeting, the first such event since the introduction of the new KF engines. Julie Tonelli decals, whether of the old pink design or the brand new shiny chrome ones, were much in view during this unmissable event run under an intense media spotlight. Our heartfelt thanks once more go to all her faithful supporters.

Ryall wins the first KF2 World Cup race
There was high suspense in this class right up until the closing stages. The favourites had by no means everything their own way in this race, and the leading contenders were on a collision course (sometimes literally) until Michael Ryall settled matters with a fine drive. The GKS driver was already well placed in the time trials but he really came into his own in the prefinal. Holding back wisely at the start of his races in order to avoid the inevitable first lap ruck, Michael then set out to haul in those in front of him and once he got in the lead he left them no chance of coming back. It took a lot of panache to win the final by a clear 4 seconds! Victory was also sweet for team manager Paul Lemmens who, after a difficult season, saw his choice of TM engines vindicated. 2007 has marked a turning point in Paul's career after what has been an eventful season for the Belgian-licensed British driver. What with being forced to change teams during the course of the season and having to contend with a string of problems in getting the engine to perform properly, the win at Mariembourg comes as a just reward for the hugely-talented Michael Ryall's tenacity.

For the French contingent this World Cup proved to be a disappointment. French hopes were riding high for Charles Lacaze but the weekend turned into a nightmare for him. Although he looked quick in open practice his timed laps were no more than average. So he found himself having to fight hard to move up the table in the qualifying heats. But he got caught up in a prang in the second heat and left himself no choice but to succeed in the last heat. Alas, in the warm up heat somebody slammed into him before the race had started. He even picked up a slight injury for his troubles and had no choice but to sit out the finals, as did Clément Bluy, Kevin Bole-Besançon, Loïc Réguillon and William Benedetti. Norman Nato did manage to qualify but was unable to rival the leaders. He showed a lot of grit and determination to finish the final in 18th place.

Julien Deschamps sprung a pleasant surprise on us though. We knew he was quick in KF2 but nobody was really expecting him to come through in the way he did. The Malevault Sport driver began his world weekend with a modest 40th position in the time trials, which meant he had to start his heats on the outside of line 10 - not the best place to be when you went to be in front! Nevertheless, Julien seems to be ever more determined these days and knows how to manage his races more maturely. He kept his focus right through the heats and was rewarded by qualifying in 18th position for the prefinal. That was already quite an achievement but Julien was intent on going further. And there was much better to come. He made up more ground in the prefinal. He finished the race in 13th position and was the best-placed French driver. But that was not all! In the final Julien soon got himself into the top ten and continued to attack for all he was worth. Although he suffered a shunt in the rear which made him lose some ground he continued the race without losing his focus. Back in the top ten he moved up until he had the three karts chasing the leaders in his sights. Finally, Julien crossed the line in 5th place in the World Cup!

KF1 World Championship
Any doubt surrounding who would win the KF1 final was quickly dispelled, and attention focused on who would take the runners-up spots. Competition was intense, and the drivers battling it out for honours put on an exciting display for the crowd. Alban Varutti, who is a member of FFSA Karting Team France, finished regularly in the top echelons proving once again that the Sodikart driver from Nantes is reaching the top level. He soon managed to carve a niche for himself with a new team after the changes at Swiss Hutless saw him without a drive for a while after having started the season well in the Winter Cup. Alban showed remarkable maturity in his Mariembourg outing, which augurs well for his future career. After coming 15th in the timed laps, 12thin the qualifying heats and 12th in his prefinal, Alban redoubled his efforts and finished the final in 6th place. Young Benjamin Bailly, racing on home territory, had a dream weekend to crown his first season racing in the top category. Already up with the leaders in the timed laps, clocking the 4th fastest lap, Benjamin maintained his position in the qualifying heats despite a rear brake problem during one of them, which prevented him getting into the top three. It's true that he is driving a very good kart but its his driving skill and combativity that mark him out as a force to be reckoned with on the international karting scene. So Benjamin had his sights firmly set on a podium place as he went into the final. He nearly made it too! The kart was beautifully set up to be competitive but unfortunately his tyres started to overheat, which made for slippery handling. He did his best to hang on to 4th place but was unable to stop a flying Anthony Abbasse slipping past. Still, coming 5th in his very first world championship has Benjamin Bailly pumped up and raring to go next season - much to the satisfaction of his dad Gilbert. Gilbert organised a super reception area for the fans and partners of his sons Benjamin and Sébastien, and was kind enough to set aside space for Julie Tonelli. Thanks a lot, Gilbert !

Another Team France driver, Anthony Abbasse, started the weekend with disappointing timed laps. It was all down to mechanical problems. Although these were quickly dealt with it came too late for Anthony to clock any better than the 42nd fastest lap. As courageous as ever, Anthony drove for grim death in the qualifying heats in order to improve his position. He got caught in a bump in heat 3 and had to make do with qualifying in 27th place. At that juncture not many people would have been putting any money on him, that's for sure. To make matters worse, Anthony only completed three laps of the prefinal after getting caught up in a prang in the first hairpin. So he started the final in 29th place. Not in the least bit discouraged by his misfortune, Anthony shot out the starting blocks and embarked upon an epic climb up through the field. Making the most of his new tyres, he carved his way through the field, overtaking in masterly fashion. By the end of the 5th lap he had already made up 15 places, clocking the fastest lap along the way. He entered the top ten on the 8th lap and the top five in lap 17. He got past Bailly but ran out of road before he had time to set about the 3rd placed man. What a race! Davide Forè had similar fortunes in the final stages. Having to drop out of one heat put him down in 23rd place for his prefinal, in which he spun off in the 2nd bend. Starting from down in 32nd place in the final Davide was determined to show everyone that it was nevertheless he who was the fastest. The five-times world champion just couldn't stop overtaking and clocking fastest laps as he carved his way 25 places up through the field. Sheer class! It's difficult not to talk about the fine performance of Kevin Cuoco, winner of the French version of "Survivor". Fortunately fame does not seem to have changed Kevin much although the adventure may probably toughened him up both physically and mentally. He made his presence felt all through the weekend. Tenacious, lucid and fast, he was often in the top ten. Finishing 12th in the final race standings is a major achievement for someone who has raced so little this season.