‘Sauber Karting Team by Kart Republic’ created from 2019 season onward

Sauber Motorsport AG has expanded its junior hand through its partnership with Kart Republic from the 2019 season onward.

The team has been billed as ‘Sauber Karting Team by Kart Republic’ with veteran kart manager and owner of Kart Republic, Dino Chiesa at the helm. The announcement was made ahead of the Round 1 of WSK Euro Series this weekend at Napoli.

The two drivers signed up are Scotland’s Dexter Patterson and Switzerland’s Joshua Dufek – with both competing in the OK category. In fact, Patterson claimed pole in the qualifying heat on Friday to start the association in the best way possible.

Frederic Vasseur, Alfa Romeo F1 team principal and Sauber CEO, said: “Launching the Sauber karting team in collaboration with Kart Republic is a great step in the expansion of our activities.

“It is in our company’s DNA to support young talents. This new project allows us to contribute to the next generation of drivers by providing them with a platform which will help them to develop their skills in the best possible way.”

FormulaRapida.net already had knowledge of the announcement on Thursday when Patterson and Dufek were having a photo shoot at Napoli. The entry list for the event then confirmed the new association which was scheduled to be revealed on Friday.

This is another step from Sauber – who have lost its F1 team naming rights to Afla Romeo Racing – as they form a ladder for the drivers to carve its way to F1. The team has already partnered with US Racing to compete in Formula 4 series (Italy and German) in 2019.

Alongside that, it announced a deal with Charouz to form Sauber Junior Team by Charouz, which started its journey in Formula 2 this weekend in Bahrain and will start the Formula 3 journey in two months time when the 2019 season officially kicks-off.

Meanwhile, Italian manufacturer Kart Republic is not new to have an association with a company which has F1 connections. Last year, it signed up with 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg to create ‘Rosberg Young Driver Academy’.