Elf Masters

Last updated

Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Masters of Paris-Bercy
ERDF Masters Kart Logo.jpg
Category Kart racing
Country France
Inaugural season1993
Folded2011
Classes2
(Star, Junior)
Last Drivers' champion Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jules Bianchi
(Saturday Final)
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean-Éric Vergne
(Sunday Final)
Flag of Monaco.svg Charles Leclerc
(Junior)

The Masters of Paris-Bercy, officially known as the Elf Masters for sponsorship reasons, was an indoor all-star kart racing competition organised by the FFSA.

Contents

Founded in 1993 by former Formula One driver Philippe Streiff, it was hosted until 2001 on a temporary circuit at the Palais Omnisport de Paris-Bercy. Streiff founded the Masters with the intention of bringing together the best drivers from all disciplines of professional auto racing and karting.

In 2011, ERDF revived the competition as a one-off event with electric karts, known as the ERDF Masters Kart.

History

Elf Masters (1993–2001)

The first edition of the Elf Masters took place on 18 and 19 December 1993. Two races were held each evening, a relay race contested by teams of three drivers (a Formula 1 driver, a driver from another discipline of motorsport, and a young kart driver) and a race counting towards the CIK Championship. This weekend marked the last duel on the track between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

In 1994 the team relay was replaced by a simple race between the big names in motorsport. It was a battle between Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher that held the Bercy arena in suspense. French driver Jean-Christophe Boullion won the first race on Saturday and Alessandro Zanardi won on Sunday.

In 1995, Prost and Schumacher did not participate and it was a young French driver, David Terrien who won the first race ahead of Gianni Morbidelli. On Sunday Luca Badoer won the race ahead of David Terrien.

In 1996, the relay race returned and Michael Schumacher came back to Bercy and started all the weekend's races. He won the CIK race on Sunday.

In 1997, Jacques Villeneuve started at Bercy. On Saturday Alessandro Zanardi won the F1 race. Mika Salo won on Sunday.

In 1998, Mario Andretti, Jody Scheckter and Mick Doohan came to Bercy. [1] Also competing were names such as Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan and Fernando Alonso who would later find success in higher racing categories. Emmanuel Collard won on Saturday and Jean-Christophe Boullion won on Sunday. That year Fernando Alonso won the first CIK race and Giorgio Pantano won the second.

In 1999, no high-profile motorsport and F1 stars were present. Stéphane Sarrazin won the first superfinale and Franck Montagny the second. This year Robert Kubica won the second CIK race.

The starting grid for the 2000 Elf Masters Paris - 2000-10-12 - P1298.jpg
The starting grid for the 2000 Elf Masters

In 2000, the three-driver relay race was reintroduced and it was the French team of Sébastien Bourdais, Jean-Christophe Boullion and Julien Poncelet that won on Saturday. The European team of Franck Lagorce, Clivio Piccione and Félix Porteiro won on Sunday. Lewis Hamilton won one of the support races.

In 2001, the relay team of Vitantonio Liuzzi, Davide Forè and Franck Lagorce won the superfinal. Sebastian Vettel won the junior race ahead of Nico Hülkenberg. It was the last edition of the Elf Masters.

ERDF Masters Kart (2011)

In 2011, ERDF revived the competition as a one-off event with electric karts, won by Jules Bianchi on the Saturday and Jean-Éric Vergne on the Sunday. Charles Leclerc triumphed in the junior class on both days.

Karts

The ERDF Masters Kart in 2011 used electric karts supplied by French company Sodikart, capable of producing 30 kW with top speeds in excess of 100 kph. [2] [3]

Kart specification (2011)

Chassis Sodi ST32 [2] [3]
Motor Sodi STX 65V BLDC [2] [3]
Battery NMC [2] [3]
Autonomy15 minutes
Recharge30 minutes
Brakes Hydraulic with manual front brakes [3]
Tyres Dunlop [2]
Power [a] 22 kW (30 hp) at 14,000 rpm [2] [3]
Weight114 kg (251 lb)

Circuit

Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy 2007.jpg
Match Basketball Fauteuil Masculin Canada x Grande Bretagne Arena Bercy - Paris XII (FR75) - 2024-08-31 - 23.jpg
Palais Omnisport de Paris-Bercy, the venue of the Elf Masters.

The Masters of Paris-Bercy was contested at the Palais Omnisport de Paris-Bercy, a sports arena in the neighbourhood of Bercy, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. The track was 0.550 km (0.342 mi) long, with an average width of 8 m. Approximately half of this length was outside of the main arena, but still under cover. The track was lined with Tecpro barriers for driver protection. [4]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Bercy versions of the karts were limited to 20 kW (27 hp) from their original power of 30 kW (40 hp).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kart racing</span> Motorsport using go-karts

Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motorsport circuits. Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher ranks of motorsports, with most Formula One drivers—including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, and Max Verstappen—having begun their careers in karting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayrton Senna</span> Brazilian racing driver (1960–1994)

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994. Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his death—held the record for most pole positions (65), among others; he won 41 Grands Prix across 11 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinz-Harald Frentzen</span> German racing driver (born 1967)

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1994 to 2003. Frentzen was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1997 with Williams, and won three Grands Prix across 10 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karting World Championship</span> International kart racing championship

The FIA Karting World Championship, officially known as the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a kart racing competition organised by the CIK-FIA. Hosted annually since 1964, it is widely regarded as the most prestigious karting competition in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sébastien Bourdais</span> French racing driver (born 1979)

Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French professional racing driver who currently races in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing in the GTP category. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, having won 37 races. He won four successive championships in the Open-Wheel Racing Series-sanctioned Champ Car World Series from 2004 to 2007. Later he competed at the IndyCar Series from 2011 to 2021. He also entered 27 races in Formula One for the Toro Rosso team during 2008 and the start of 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franck Montagny</span> French racing driver (born 1978)

Franck Montagny is a French former racing driver. He briefly raced for the Super Aguri Formula One team in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1999 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 12 September 1999 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza near Monza, Italy. It was the thirteenth race of the 1999 Formula One World Championship, and the last held on this layout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 Formula One World Championship</span> 47th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1993 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 47th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1993 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1993 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 14 March and ended on 7 November. Alain Prost won his fourth and final Drivers' Championship. As of 2023, this is the last championship for a French Formula One driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Streiff</span> French racing driver (1955–2022)

Philippe Pierre Streiff was a French racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Christophe Boullion</span> French racing driver (born 1969)

Jean-Christophe Joël Louis "Jules" Boullion is a French racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Sauber team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accor Arena</span> Indoor sports arena and concert hall in Paris, France

Accor Arena, also known as Bercy Arena, is an indoor sports arena and concert hall in the neighbourhood of Bercy, on the Boulevard de Bercy, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. The closest Métro station is Bercy, which also serves the Finance Ministry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Schumacher</span> German racing driver (born 1999)

Mick Schumacher is a German racing driver, currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine and serving as a reserve driver in Formula One for Mercedes. Schumacher competed in Formula One from 2021 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commission Internationale de Karting</span> International kart racing governing body

The Commission Internationale de Karting, also known as the CIK-FIA, is the primary governing body for international kart racing. Founded in 1962, it is one of seven World Championship commissions of the FIA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monaco Kart Cup</span> Kart racing championship in Monte Carlo, Monaco

The CIK-FIA Monaco Kart Cup was a kart racing competition organised by the ACM and sanctioned by the CIK-FIA, taking place at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric go-kart</span>

An electric go-kart is a type of go-kart powered by electric motors and batteries or supercapacitors, as opposed to a traditional petrol engine.

Bowman Automotive is a former racecar constructor and current racing kart producer. Bowman produced cars for Formula Ford, Formula 3, USF2000 and other racing series.

The FIA Karting European Championship, officially known as the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a kart racing competition organised by the CIK-FIA. Alongside the Karting World Championship, it is one of two major karting competitions sanctioned by the FIA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enzo Deligny</span> French racing driver (born 2008)

Enzo Deligny is a French racing driver who most recently competed in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship with R-ace GP. He is a member of the Red Bull Junior Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleksandr Bondarev</span> Ukrainian racing driver (born 2009)

Oleksandr Bondarev is a Ukrainian racing driver competing in the Italian F4 Championship for Prema Racing. He is a member of the Williams Driver Academy. He is a winner of several karting championships including 2024 WSK Champions Cup in OK class. His earlier achievements comprise the 2022 WSK Super Master Series and the 2023 CIK-FIA European Championship, both in the OKJ class.

References

  1. ↑ Bénard, David (16 May 2011). "Le Masters Elf de karting de 1998". Kartcom.com. Kartcom.com. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Le Kart - ERDF Masters Kart". ERDF Masters Kart. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sodikart dévoile le SODI STX utilisé à Bercy". ERDF Masters Kart. 6 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "La Piste - ERDF Masters Kart". ERDF Masters Kart. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.