Morgado gears up for world champs
La Lucia resident Cristiano Morgado is currently gearing up for the world champs in New Orleans.
THE city of New Orleans is best associated with the carnival atmosphere of mardi gras, the delicious flavours of jambalaya and its distinct creole culture. But in November this year, it will make history as the the karting world descends on the city for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF). It will be the first time in the world champs’ inception (14 years) that the finals will be hosted in the USA.
For La Lucia resident and South Africa’s most successful racer, Cristiano Morgado, the Rotax Challenge offers a chance to win his third successive DD2 master’s world karting champs. If anyone was well-placed at breaking records, it would be Morgado, who also became the first South African and African competitor to win the Florida Winter Tour (FWT) title at the Ocala Race Track.
“In a way competing in the FWT was a way to become familiar with racing in the USA, the environment and the people. Although the world champs in Louisiana will be at a different track to those, it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to,” he said.
Morgado will also be competing in France as part of the European championships to gain some valuable competitive time on the track.
“As with most sports, the Europeans compete at an extremely high level. It’s probably the toughest competition in the world, the front runners at the world finals are usually the best European drivers, bar a few exceptions.
“It is the highest level of competition aside from the actual world champs
“I have won the European title on two occasions before in 2005 and 2008, although this year I am only doing selected rounds of it,” he said.
The reigning world champ added he is simply grateful and blessed for the opportunities to race at a competitive level. “This wouldn’t have been possible without my dad, Rui,” he said.
