Active in international karting competition since 2011, the Italian manufacturer LeCont provided the tyres for the KF-Junior and KZ2 categories this year in the CIK-FIA events (World Championships, European and Super Cup). While the 2015 season has just ended, an extremely positive conclusion can be drawn, both in terms of pure performance and in terms of durability and consistency. In addition, the satisfaction index was very high from the drivers and teams.

Already the official supplier of tyres to the U18 World Championship and Academy Trophy in 2011 and 2012, then the European and World Championships for KF-Junior in 2013, the Italian manufacturer LeCont won the CIK-FIA tender in early 2015 for the KF-Junior and KZ2 categories. LeCont has used its experience in international competition to develop rubber that fully complies with the new CIK-FIA regulations. Since 2014, the "Option" type of tyres used by KF-Junior should be able to last at least 250km in race conditions, while those of the "Prime" type used by KZ, KZ2 and KF must complete 150km. As well as compliance with this rule, LeCont makes it a point of honour to design high-performance tyres with which teams can work in good conditions and drivers can take maximum pleasure.

"It's a great reward to successfully meet such a challenge against the much more experienced manufacturers than us in this discipline", explains Paolo Bombara, the director of marketing at LeCont. "Last year, LeCont won the Pikes Peak with the Frenchman Romain Dumas and the Norma-Honda prototype. Our technicians have relied in part on their expertise in motorsport to develop our latest generation of tyres homologated by CIK-FIA by completing many preliminary sessions on the track before participating in the CIK-FIA tests for the approval of our "Option" and "Prime" tyres. It took a lot of work, energy, resources and investment, but the result was worth it".

LeCont indeed did not merely fulfill the requirements of the specifications of the CIK-FIA. The Italian factory wanted to be noticed for the quality of its karting products proving that the longevity of a tyre could be associated with excellent performance. A lot of positive feedback and congratulatory testimonials from drivers and teams have confirmed the raw data of the season. The LeCont "Option" and "Prime" type tyres have been consistent throughout their use, as well as being very efficient and pleasant to drive.

A look at the figures reveals the level of performance of LeCont. As part of the European and World Championships, KF-Junior was equipped with LeCont tyres, and drivers aged 13-15 years old were running in the same events as KF, which is more powerful, equipped with front brakes, although a bit heavier, and using "Prime" softer tyres provided by another manufacturer. The difference between the two categories is normally around a second a lap to the Seniors. LeCont is perfectly placed for this level of performance, with some variations due to the difference in engine power according to the tracks. At the World Championship at La Conca, a typical karting circuit with a strong grip on the track, the gap fell to about half a second per lap, sometimes even to a tenth of a second in the race in the respective finals, run on new tyres. Never seen before, anywhere else!

In 125cc gearbox, the comparison was easier to establish between the elite professional drivers and teams in KZ and KZ2 which is more oriented towards amateurs, although the two categories are technically almost identical. To everyone's surprise, the KZ2s on LeCont "Prime" tyres were found to be significantly faster than the KZs equipped with the same type of tyres, but provided by another brand. At the Le Mans World Championship race, the fastest KZ would have found himself in 76th position in KZ2, with a deficit of 0.825'' per lap. Despite this undeniable advantage in terms of pure performance, the LeCont KZ2 tyre was able to travel a much greater distance than those of KZ (generally 140km instead of 80km).

"To the satisfaction of having perfectly fulfilled the conditions of the CIK-FIA, is added the pride of having been able to provide an interesting tyre for teams, fun to use and rewarding for the drivers", concludes Paolo Bombara. "I think LeCont has impressed people in competition karting and some were very surprised. We do not intend to stop there! We'll see what the future holds for 2016, but by then we will also be preparing for the next homologation in 2017. Building on these successes, we hope to establish ourselves rapidly in other markets in Europe and worldwide".