Adrian Cauchi, the 2010 Rotax Max champion, is in Sicily to take part in the sixth round of the Rotax Max Challenge Sicilia on Sunday. The races will be staged at the Kartodromo Sole Luna in Vittoria, province of Ragusa.

Cauchi, who has won the championship of the Island Karting Club (IKC) in this class on a number of occasions, happens to be the current president of IKC.

Given his position, Cauchi is taking his first experience in this Sicilian challenge very seriously.

The Maltese driver has taken two Birel chassis - the MX32 and the RX32. He has also taken two engines, a 2010 Max and a 2009 Max, to make sure that he will have a back-up if the need arises.

It is hoped that the services of race engineer Aldo Vella will be required as little as possible.

Unfortunately, the regulations in Malta and Sicily are different and Cauchi will be at a disadvantage on this occasion because his karts do not have front disc brakes. Braking is a very important technique in racing, so this might prove a difficult handicap. Cauchi has ordered a new braking system but it has not arrived in time, so it will be available for future events.

Cauchi is one of the fastest karting drivers in Malta but there is no comparison between the current track in Ħal Far and the one in Vittoria which is 1,390m long and 10m wide.

So it remains to be seen how the Maltese driver will adjust to the new environment while facing foreign competition on their home ground.

Cauchi is grateful for the part-sponsorship of the Kunsill Malti għall-iSport without whose assistance it would have been difficult for him to take part. He is hoping to follow in the footsteps of the other Maltese drivers who did so well earlier this month in Sicily.

It is remarkable that without "state-of-the-art" facilities we have three kart racing drivers - Gianluca Dingli, Jacques Mizzi and Lucas Pace - taking part successfully in overseas competitions.

Let us hope that Cauchi will return home with a good result. The same goes for Trevor Muscat, the SKF champion, who is also taking part in his class.

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