Timo Deck Kart promotion - Schumacher trains the next generation
22.03.2010
W hen it's about the little speedsters , Michael Schumacher is always very talkative. It was no different 20 years ago. 'You need very good responsiveness in karting,' the then somewhat shy-looking Formula 3 youngster explained to a TV reporter for West German Radio in 1990.
Karting is the best school there is for racing drivers
'You learn how to handle slicks and rain tires and also how to fine-tune the chassis, whether it is understeer or oversteer and how to fix it. This knowledge can also be adopted for the formula car.'
Two decades, seven world championship titles and 91 Grand Prix victories later, nothing in principle has changed in this wisdom. 'For me, karting is the best racing school there is,' says the 41-year-old now. 'The most important thing in general is that you get a feel for the set-up. When you go karting, you learn how important the smallest details are and that changing these details can make a big difference. You will need that later in every other racing class.' '
Schumacher is convinced that the kids in karting learn how to deal with each other properly - meaning healthy but fair toughness. 'The feeling for the duels, how you tackle them, how you endure the battle wheel to wheel - there is nothing better than the kart,' he enthuses. 'Just like finding out the differences in the track surface, the tires, the line.'
Schumacher acts as a consultant
Schumacher has acted as a consultant in the for two years The KSM kart team of his old friends Peter Kaiser and Thomas Muchow were based in Bergheim near Cologne. The name is derived from the first letters of the family names Kaiser, Schumacher and Muchow. When he wasn't driving himself, the German horsepower hero stood by around a dozen hopeful young drivers with words and deeds - including the two auto motor und sport juniors Mario Farnbacher, 17, and Jason Kremer, 14.
The seven-time world champion draws a very positive balance from the past season. 'It was very promising for the boys,' he says. 'Mario Farnbacher is about to jump into the formula car, and Jason Kremer also had a good season. I'm very happy because it shows that our concept with KSM Motorsport is working.'
Schumacher modestly admits : 'Peterand Thomas do a perfect job there, the team is really successful, and my part in it is extremely small. Lately I've been driving kart races more often myself, which was a lot of fun. At times I was amazed myself how well it went after all this time and with relatively little training. But apparently I have very good genes. '
Farnbacher and Kremer successful
While Schumacher is now making his comeback in motorsport Olympus , the Formula 1, Farnbacher is promoted to the ADAC Formula Masters, in which 145 hp monoposti is driven. The ADAC Sports Foundation's annual junior screening, the 17-year-old from Lichtenau in Franconia finished as the best, which also means financial support for his debut year in formula racing.
Team boss Peter Kaiser, who has looked after Farnbacher for the last three years, gives the 17-year-old an excellent diploma after his apprenticeship in karting: 'Mario seems to be a very good one will. He is incredibly ambitious, and he developed a lot of ambition, 'says Kaiser. And he adds:' He's got pepper in his ass. 'A quality that not all of the young talents have by any means. There are a few now and then Candidates who seemed a bit listless, admits the experienced team principal. Farnbacher behaved very differently. 'We had to slow down Mario every now and then,' recaps Kaiser. 'He had to learn that it was enough, a lead too sometimes finishing fifth or sixth instead of taking the risk of dropping out and thus dropping out prematurely. '
Kaiser also writhes a little wreath with Jason Kremer:' One of the best juniors who were on the road in Germany. He's doing incredibly well. 'The 14-year-old, who has been with KSM for two years, won the DMV championship and the winter cup, among other things. Now Kremer is moving to the next higher category, the so-called KF2 class. Team boss Kaiser is sure that the secondary school student from Bonn cuts a good figure there too: 'Jason is well on the way to following in Farnbacher's footsteps.'
About the person: Mario Farnbacher
Mario Farnbacher, 17, from Lichtenau in Franconia, started karting at the age of 6. The automotive mechatronics trainee comes from a motorsport family: Father Horst Farnbacher runs a successful Porsche racing team, and his eight year older brother Dominik has been successfully driving in of the American Le Mans Series, most recently on GT2 sports cars from Panoz and Ferrari .
About the person: Jason Kremer
Jason Kremer, 14, from Bonn is already an old hand in karting. The junior high school studentdid his first laps on the Kerpen track at the age of five. Father Frank Kremer acts as an 'honorary chief screwdriver' on the son's kart. The senior definitely has the necessary qualifications: Frank Kremer owns a Lamborghini car dealership and was successful in the German Formula 3 championship in the nineties.
