NOVEMBER 29, 2001

Action at Bercy

THERE was a time when the annual karting at Bercy attracted World Champions and other Formula 1 stars but in recent years the event has faded and this year has lost the backing of Elf. Philippe Streiff, the organizer of the event, has landed support from Speedy and the Speedy World Cup Indoor Karting will take place this weekend. The only F1 driver likely to attend is Olivier Panis.

Rather than relying on star names the event will concentrate of a battle between seven nations with the best young drivers from around the world representing their countries at the Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy. On each day of the competition there will be a "Prestige Team" which will feature stars such as Panis.

Amongst those who will be in action are Toyota F1 test driver Franck Perera representing France; the Karting World Champion Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) and McLaren protege Lewis Hamilton (GB).

The rising stars category will feature Formula 3000 racer Sebastien Bourdais, former F1 driver Franck Lagorce, American hope Patrick Long and F3 drivers Bruno Besson and Olivier Pla. There will also be an international junior event with some of the stars of the Junior Karting scene (from the 15-17 age bracket) including the European Champion Germany's Sebastien Vettel and the runner-up Michal Vorba of Czechoslovakia.