The very first flip of the new era

Luigi Coluccio is no longer a full-time kart racer, as he now competes successfully in GT cars. He chose to enter as a Wild Card in the first round of the Champions of the Future at La Conca, as well as the opening round of the FIA European Championship—because, like many drivers, you never forget your first love in karting. Already vice World Champion in OK in 2021, he's one of Italy's top drivers in the category in recent years, racing alongside names like Kimi Antonelli, Arvid Lindblad, and others—often beating them, so we're not talking about a rookie here. However, during the qualifying heats of Round 1 of the Champions, he was the protagonist of a spectacular crash that will be remembered as the first of a new era: the anti-launch era.

To be clear, no one has ever claimed or guaranteed that the system would prevent flips, and it's not an anti-flip device (it's called "anti-launch" for a reason, which suggests it's more about preventing the kart from lifting off on three wheels than flipping outright), nor is it presented as such. Still, it's interesting to hear the driver's firsthand account of the incident—from which he luckily emerged unscathed despite the dramatic flight:

"Unfortunately, in that heat I was starting a bit further back," explains the Italian "as you often do in these cases, I was pushing to recover positions—up to that point, in the first lap, I'd gained six. The problem arose when two drivers ahead of me touched, and the one right in front of me suddenly braked hard. My kart hit him directly on the anti-launch itself, causing it to rear up even more than usual and lift off the ground. On landing, so to speak, I got hit from behind and flipped over. Unfortunately, these things happen when a kart is partially airborne. I've taken off on the wheels or bumper before, but I had the strange feeling that the new system made it rear up more—at least that's how it seemed to me." A typical racing incident, the kind that can happen with a sudden slowdown due to contact—a classic first-lap scenario where the anti-launch couldn't prevent the worst, though it must be said that several other on-track contacts over the weekend had less severe outcomes. If there's a lesson to be learned, it's that—contrary to what some might think—this system doesn't perform miracles, and high-speed race contacts can still have consequences.

 

Despite the mishap, Coluccio has a fairly neutral opinion on the anti-launch system in terms of driving: "Performance-wise and how the kart handles, it changes nothing. I can't say I like the look of it aesthetically, but I have to admit it doesn't alter the driving feel—at least I didn't notice any big differences from before. My impression as a driver is that these karts are starting to resemble rental karts more and more, though I was pleased to see that, compared to the Champions debut, the sidepod extensions (lateral fairings) that widened the body beyond the wheels have been removed from this first European round—they looked really ugly."

 

We're at the start of a new chapter, and more has been said about this system than has been raced with it so far. However, as the events unfold and on-track incidents provide data points (like the one just examined), we're confident the relevant authorities will make the necessary adjustments to use it effectively.