City boy Kush Maini became the first Indian to receive the prestigious World Series Karting (WSK) Championship awards at the WSK Gran Gala held at the Adria International Track on January 18.
The go-karting champion and his brother Arjun have been making waves on all tracks and with this win he felt on top of the world.
Kush came second in the Overall Championship in the WSK Euro series in the 60 mini category for races held at two different tracks in Italy. Competing with over 50 drivers was not easy. Kush also came third in the Overall Championship in the WSK Master series which was held across four different tracks in Italy, once again with over 50 participants from all over the world.
The Gran Gala awards were bagged by the drivers, who finished first in the top three overall Championships from all over the world in the 60 Mini, KF, KFJ, KZ2 and KZ1 series. The event was held at the Adria International Raceway in North Eastern Italy in the province of Rovigo, where several renowned people in the field of racing and karting had come together.
Jean Alesi the Formula 1 driver for Ferrari attended the ceremony and was a great motivation for all the young drivers who are making their way forward with Formula 1 as their main goal.
Kush was ecstatic on receiving both his awards and said, “I have worked very hard for many years as I started karting at the age of five and started racing the year I turned eight. After receiving several podium finishes in 2012 in Europe, I started understanding European racing and competitions and wanted to focus on the Championships in the year 2013.”
“To be at the Gran Gala was a big motivation.
I was able to pull off the win at the right time, and even though I was going through ups and downs during the season, I never lost focus. In the end, it felt great that I was the only Indian driver to have been invited to the Gran Gala function. Receiving these Championship awards has really motivated me and now that I have moved up the category to race in the KFJ this year, I will be giving it my best shot to be back at the Gran Gala this year as well,” Kush added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by S S Shreekumar – Bangalore / January 23rd, 2014