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TKART magazine Once in a lifetime | A challenge on the Dolomites: Kart 250cc vs LaFerrari Aperta
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A CHALLENGE ON THE DOLOMITES: KART VS LAFERRARI APERTA

Max Bernardi
24 September 2018
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On one side, a limited-edition Ferrari with a 963 hp engine. On the other a 250-cc kart. Facing: the narrow mountain bends towards the Giau Pass. An impossible challenge... that’s worth following
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It’s nothing new. TKART is used to bringing karts out of their natural habitat: this was also the case in Florida, in the States, on a Dragster track; on the snows of the Alps; on the more than 20 km long old Nürburgring...
The right idea was therefore needed to keep this going. For example? Driving on a dolomitic pass, mounting a 250 cc engine on a kart, and racing it against an exclusive car like an LaFerrari Aperta (spelt in this way) with 963 cv hp and worth over 1 million 800 thousand Euros. Would that be okay?
Having had a "brilliant idea", finding the car was relatively simple, directly contacting @Powerslidelover. Regarding the kart, however, the number to call when you have to respond promptly to certain challenges is that of "Mr. Energy Corse" Mick Panigada, who has been winning European karting titles in KZ2 with his own vehicles for over 10 years. The only thing is that, in general, kart shifters mount a 125 cc single-cylinder engine with 6-speed gearbox and about 45-50 hp while for this venture you need a little bit more. Thus, the Energy Eclipse has a DEA Engineering engine of 250 cc displacement, with 6 gears, and over 70 hp to give the LaFerrari Aperta a hard time. A driver is also needed. Perhaps someone a little mad. Someone like the Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud, an official Audi driver in the FIA World Rally Cross who is always at ease when the situation is not completely normal.
The drivers: for the kart, the Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud, an official Audi driver in the FIA ​​World Rally Cross. For the LaFerrari Aperta, @Powerslidelover, which is very knowledgeable about Maranello cars
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Having found the challengers, all that remains is to define the route. The choice fell on the Giau Pass, a mythical route for cyclists, with the Dolomites in the background. The relevant route (it is closed to traffic) is 2,5 km long: from km 6th to km 8.5 of the climb that leads from Cortina d'Ampezzo to the 2.236 m summit.
The LaFerrari Aperta has an advantage on the paper: a 12-cylinder engine and 6.2 litres displacement for a total of 963 hp (summing the thermal engine and the electric unit), with a weight of 1.565 kg which makes you feel victory is a certainty when you are competing against four wheels that are much higher, attached to a tube chassis that with the driver, engine (72 hp) and fuel, weighs 180 kg. The power-weight ratio is also in favour of the car: 1,8 Kg/hp LaFerrari Aperta, compared to 2,5 Kg/hp the "Monster kart". However, an important element is in favour of the kart: the possibility of working on the setup. The camber, caster, heights from the ground, the final gear ratio...

Thanks to the intervention of ACI Belluno we have several slots available for closing off the chosen 2.5 km route that leads from Cortina to Giau Pass. A mixed fast stretch that perhaps penalises the LaFerrari Aperta a little, which can give its best on long straights, rather than on tight bends, where the @Powerslidelover - capable of unbelievable car control - often finds himself in a good condition with full acceleration waiting for the counter steering to take effect.
However, before proceeding with the story, it is better to have a closer look at the characteristics of the two competing vehicles.
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The car: LaFerrari Aperta
With very few LaFerrari Aperta cars made, it is the spider version of the acclaimed LaFerrari supercar. The intense development undertaken by Ferrari technicians, with targeted interventions on the chassis and aerodynamics, has allowed the creation of a roadster that, with the same performance, has the same torsional and bending stiffness characteristics and the same resistance coefficient aerodynamics of the coupé version.

TECH SHEET











ENGINE
Total maximum power 963 CV
Maximum speed Over 350 km/h
Acceleration 0-200 km/hUnder 7 sec
Total maximum torque Over 900 CV
V12 maximum power 800 CV @9000 rpm
Maximum revs 9250 rpm
V12 maximum torque 700 Nm @6750 rpm
Electric motor output 120 Kw (163 CV)
Gearbox7-speed F1 Dual-Clutch
It has a 6.2-litre hybrid power unit that delivers 963 hp (thermal engine and added electric unit)
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