Already present last year at Suzuka with Davide Forè, Benjamin Bailly and Nathanaël Berthon, Julie Tonelli's colours are back once again, in 2008. Even without going as far as to say that the "Fondation Julie Tonelli pour l'Enfance" went to conquer Japan, we must admit that it is beginning to become known in the country of the rising sun. The victory of Davide Forè and his Maranello at the KF1 World Cup brought the pink butterflies at the top of international competition. But positive results for the Foundation were not only limited to what happened on the track and the Japanese welcomed Julie with special warmth.

Thanks to a Japanese family that came back to Japan after four years spent in France, Julie's colours are now known in Japan. The Murosono family discovered karts in France - the children in the minikart series and the father in the Rotax Max series. In France, they also came to know the Julie Tonelli Foundation. After going back to their country, they simply continued to show the pink butterflies and also involved a few friends. Is the Murosono family the new ambassador of "Fondation Julie Tonelli pour l'Enfance" in Japan? Why not!

Kato Takeyoshi displayed Julie's stickers on his kart since the beginning of the weekend. Kato, an amateur pilot, entered the Asia-Pacific KF2 Championship to race in a major international sport event, at a very high level. He was not very lucky though, racing for just one lap before withdrawing in the first heat; obviously he could not race in the second. From then on, qualifying for the finals became impossible, especially after that a third withdrawal cancelled every hope of repechage. But a smile, though a bit tense at times, never left the face of this unlucky pilot.

In the same category, Polish Karol Basz - who drove an official Birel - showed a very good performance by setting the second best time during timed practice on Saturday morning. Less comfortable in the rain, Karol qualified 16th. On the still slippery track of the pre-final, he avoided the traps his opponents fell into and climbed to 4th position. After a good start in the final, when he was 3rd, Karol's kart became a little less performing and he lost ground, finishing the race in 8th position, one of the best results of his season.

Tada Takano is not a kart pilot, but he wears the stickers of "Fondation Julie Tonelli pour l'Enfance", too - on the lens of his camera. Tada is a professional photographer who discovered Julie at 2006 World Cup at Angerville, during the official presentation to the press. Since then, he has been a loyal supporter of the pink butterflies. He cannot follow major international races because of his health problems, but Japan continues to enjoy his smile and his kindness.

The best performance in this 2008 World Cup is certainly the victory of Davide Forè and Maranello. The return of this five-time world champion on the highest step of the podium is a very important event. It means that KF1 equipment produced by different manufacturers has now reached maturity and that we will see a lot of intense fights between pilots racing in international competitions. Competition has raised its head again after a difficult 2007 season and this is excellent news for karting, which needs competition more then ever to attract competitors and spectators.
Well done Maranello and well done Davide!