Yahoo Autos Alonso, Ralf Schumacher In Row Over Go-Kart Tracks
Fernando Alonso and Ralf Schumacher were once rivals on the F1 grid, but now they're fighting over something very different: their go-kart tracks. Both are go-kart track owners, but Schumacher recently accused Alonso's of not being up to par for serious competition. This is an accusation that Alonso won't stand for.
This past weekend, the Circuito de Karting Fernando Alonso held a round of the CIK-FIA European Championship, the FIA's karting series. Schumacher's team, KSM Schumacher Motorsports, was participating in the event, despite his accusations that the layout used on Alonso's track wasn't suited for racing.
"This race is going to cost a fortune for all participants, and only because a decision been taken by people that don't understand the needs of karting," Schumacher said in a Facebook post. "On top of that we risk the health of our drivers which again is unbelievable."
In spite of Schumacher's protests, his team still raced, with one of his drivers winning a heat. Autosport reports that in the paddock at this past weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, Alonso fired back at Schumacher's comments.
"First of all I think Ralf needs some publicity–he has been so many years now out of the first page, and he wants to take benefit from this," said Alonso. He went on to say that he built the track to CIK-FIA standards, and that this weekend's event wasn't the first FIA-sanctioned race the track has held.
"I saw Ralf's comments, that he broke some chains and tyres and axles," Alonso added. "I think he needs to tell his drivers to drive on the asphalt, that's the first thing, because all the other teams are OK. Only his team has maybe run out of money."
Then, Alonso accused Schumacher's track of not being up to par.
"The second thing is we cannot forget that he has a go-kart circuit in Germany, and he wanted to host the European championship," he said."Maybe the FIA was not so happy with his circuit the way it is."
In any case, Schumacher indicated in a Facebook post that Alonso promised to change the layout for a future race.
Perhaps Alonso and Schumacher should work out their differences in a go-kart race. It might not solve anything, but it'd be fun to watch.
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