CLAUDIO PIAZZA-MUSSO TO DEFEND HIS ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE INTERNATIONAL CROWN NEXT JANUARY

Claudio Piazza-Musso, South Africa’s international karting champion, will defend his crown in the 2003 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals at the Bridgestone Zwartkops Kart Raceway, near Pretoria, in January next year. -

- The Cape Town-based karter, who reigned supreme over 70 drivers from 35 countries in Langkawi, Malaysia, earlier this year, has been drafted into the South African squad as a third driver, despite being punted out of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge finals last month. -

- “It’s fantastic news and I’m going all out to make it three in a row,” said Claudio, who felt he had a chance of winning in Cape Town despite a slow start to this year’s local Challenge. -

- The “three in a row” Claudio is referring to is the fact that South Africa are unbeaten in the international Rotax-sponsored karting events held so far. -

- In the first Grand Final in Puerto Rico, South African Gavin Cronje won against a similarly star-studded field of karters from across the globe. -

- Piazza-Musso, now 34, grew up in Johannesburg, where he attended John Orr Technical High School, but he also spent two of his teenage years at Leonardo da Vinci school in, Italy, where he won the Italian BMX championship and won a European BMX championship round in 1986. -

- He started karting on his return to South Africa and in his first full season he won a South African title in the 100 National class in 1987. -

- Numerous motorsport successes followed, including a Formula Ford championship in 1990 and he was awarded Springbok colours for motorsport the following year. -

- In a varied career, the engineering graduate has driven everything from Formula GTis to Super Trucks, but he has always kept his love of karting alive, and competed irregularly in the sport in the mid-90s before returning full time in 1999. -

- The Piazza family has always lived, slept and eaten motorsport. Father Giovanni is a former rally driver known for heroic exploits in Alfa Romeos, while brother Paolo was himself a successful rally driver and karting champion. -

- Claudio currently runs a karting business, Kartsport SA from Killarney circuit in Cape Town. -

- Piazza-Musso’s quiet unobtrusive style has been likened to that of four-times world F1 champion Alain Prost, and in the Langkawi Grand Finals earlier this year, he was always close to the front but never led throughout the four-day event until the final few laps of the final, when he made his move. “I like to look after my Bridgestone tyres and plan my moves well in advance” explains Claudio. -

- In the South African squad he will have strong support – not to mention competition – from Michael Stephen, the 21-year-old Port Elizabeth driver and current SA Rotax MAX champion, and South African MAX Masters champ Rob Kellock. -

- The South African-hosted Rotax MAX Challenge Grand finals will take place at the new Bridgestone Zwartkops International Kart Raceway, which is being completed in time to host the event from 16 to 19 January. -

- 52-minute highlights of the Killarney Raceway 2002 Final, sponsored by Bridgestone, will be screened on Supersport 2 at the following times: -

- Monday: 4 November 20h00-

- Thursday 7 November 09h15-

- Saturday 9 November 22h30-

- For face images of Claudio Piazza-Musso/the S.A Finals go to www.motorspics.co.za -

- For further information on the ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE visit: www.kart.co.za -

- For more information contact Ed Murray on (012) 807 4884. -

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