Léo Roussel is only 15, but he is already known as one of the most promising hopefuls of his generation in motor sports. A revelation of the first meeting of the World KF1 Championship, he is also a contender for the title of French Champion. A fighter for pole position and a podium regular since his debut in karting, Léo knows that he also owes his excellent results to the efforts of all those who support him: his numerous partners, the Ludo Racing team, French chassis manufacturer Sodikart, Iame company (Parilla engines), as well as the FFSA (Fédération Française du Sport Automobile), which called him into the France 2011 team...

In 2004, though just nine years old, Léo Roussel had made himself noticed in the packs of the Mini-Kart category thanks to his very effective driving style. In the following years, this young and early-talented driver polished his driving technique, got increasingly interested in the technical aspects and acquired more and more experience.

His first results in Minime at regional level were soon replaced by increasingly remarkable performances on the national scene. Second at the Trophée de France Cadet in 2009, he emerged head and shoulders above the other KF3 drivers in 2010 as one of the best international juniors. Not contenting himself with conquering his first victory at a round of the French Championship, which he concluded 4th, he had a brilliant World Cup in Portugal, marked by a great recovery drive to 6th. His performances at the Monaco Kart Cup, the Champions Cup in Spain and the U18 World Championship did not go unnoticed!

Thanks to this very promising season and with the support of his financial and technical partners, Léo Roussel decided to take up the challenge and join the world elite of karting by entering the prestigious and difficult World KF1 Championship. Already before the meetings to be held in Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Japan, he has shown he is ready to battle for victory on his first year. In Germany, on the Wackersdorf circuit, he started his weekend by taking pole. Always in the front of the battle with the favourites, he had the honour to conclude one of his races with a 5th place.

"I am satisfied with this first experience at the highest level", Léo confessed, "Although I am not going to stop there, this confirms our excellent season debut in the French Championship. I am the only one to have won two races in 2011, i.e. Varennes and Ostricourt. I am on form to aim for the title in the second part of the season, which promises to be very intense for me from a sporting viewpoint".
"I am also lucky enough to be supported by Sodikart, which provided our team with some excellent equipment", Léo continued. "Likewise, there is a very positive feeling within the Ludo Racing team. Ludovic Veve, the team manager, and his technicians do their maximum for me. We keep the momentum going and I am very motivated for the rest of the season".

Undeniable Burst of Speed

Already impressive during practice at the Winter Cup, a meeting where there were as many as 82 entrants, Léo Roussel showed on several occasions how quickly he was to move to action on the track thanks to his ability to exploit his tyres at best in all circumstances. After taking pole position at the Angerville French Championship meeting and a 4th place on the first KF1 round of the WSK Euro Series at Sarno (Italy), he staged a fantastic performance by starting in 1st position ahead of current World Champion Nyck De Vries during the first race of 2011 World KF1 Championship. Very promising indeed...