500 Milhas da Granja Viana

Muzza · 4 Oct 2003, 15:42 (Ref:740355)

(Dear Moderators: I also posted this message at the CART Forum, but i kindly ask you not to remove it from here...)

This is just too good!

For the last six years the Brazilian kart season has been closed with a great event at the Granja Viana kart track - a wonderful place, should I say, located about 40 km west of São Paulo. It is a 500-mile endurance event, that has attracted the cream of Brazilian motosports since its inception. Last year's race was won by a team made by Rubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa and Tony Kanaan!

However, the 2003 500 Milhas da Granja Viana, to be held on November 8th and 9th, will be an epic beyond all previous editions. A CART kart superteam will participate in the race - the drivers being Jimmy Vasser, Michel Jourdain, Oriol Servia and Alessandro Zanardi!

Zanardi will race with a kart equipped with special controls, so throttle and breaks can be operated by the steering wheel. This "CART superteam" received a waiver by the organizers, so they will use two karts during the race - one for Zanardi, and another for Vasser, Jourdain and Servia - as it would be too complicated for the other drivers to get adapted to this system. I understand that Zanardi has already practiced in Italy with a kart set like that.

Wow!

And that's not all: Juan Pablo Montoya, Antonio Pizzonia and Danilo Dirani (newly crowned Brazilian Formula 3 champion) will make another team.

More: Marco Andretti, son of Michael, and the youngest member of the Andretti dynasty, has accepted an invitation by Tony Kanaan to join his team.

And you know what? The race is open to any driver with a valid racing license! What a pity I cannot make the trip...

If someone is interested in participating, send me a private message and I will gladly provide the details. Ten Tenths should have a team there.

Cheers,

(Happy) Muzza

marcus · 4 Oct 2003, 23:32 (Ref:740663)

would be awesome to see wouldnt it , but imagine competing that would be unbelieveable.

its always great to see top line drivers step back into karts and have some fun while we watch in awe of their skill.

the Bercy race in France was amazing (not sure if they have that anymore or not?) but I had one on tape once (sadly lost in moving house) but it was simply fantastic.

but this race on a proper kart track with any competitors would be great to see.

DieRitter · 6 Nov 2003, 23:05 (Ref:775309)

Read that some drivers already went to the track. Can't read Portuguese though!!!!

What are they saying about Zanardi??????

Muzza · 7 Nov 2003, 14:10 (Ref:775994)

Hey, DieRitter,

Be welcome to send me the link to article you are referring to and I will gladly translate it.

Cheers,

Muzza

DieRitter · 8 Nov 2003, 00:38 (Ref:776448)

Thanks Muzza,

Already got a translation using Google, not perfect but enought to understand that Zanardi was quite competitive in his first day... even driving a modified kart.

Btw, I also found this page:

http://www.kartodromogranjaviana.com.br

Looks like a vey nice track

http://www.kartodromogranjaviana.com...acado_foto.jpg

Muzza · 8 Nov 2003, 01:40 (Ref:776487)

Hello, DieRitter,

Glad that you could find your way with Google!

Yes, Granja Viana is quite a nice track - I have never raced there though, only spectated races. The facilities are superb.

Cheers,

Muzza

Speed · 13 Nov 2003, 05:50 (Ref:781670)

I understand that Barrichello and Montoya´s teams had a bad weekend down there...

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