Barrichello in kart race.

[Werner333]

Barrichello excels in kart race.

Rubens Barrichello went on to win the gruelling Granja Viana 500-mile kart race for the second year in succession on the weekend.

The Brazilian competed for the Tic-Tac team, and had Tony Kanaan and Mario Haberfeld as his co-drivers.

The unique event on the Brazilian karting calendar started at midnight on Saturday, featuring 58 karts, and 300 drivers, including other Brazilian F1 pilots Bernoldi and Zonta. Rain hit the event midstream, but like at the German Grand Prix 2000 when he won his first Grand Prix, Barrichello came into his own on dry tyres in wet conditions, lapping two seconds faster than the rest of the field.

All up Barrichello spent six-and-half hours behind the wheel and completed 707 laps to take victory.

‘This is a very important win for all three of us, as none of us managed a win in our own disciplines this season,’ joked Barrichello after the event. ‘I had driven on this track a few days earlier and I knew there was a chance of rain today.

‘We therefore set up the kart to be good in these conditions. Despite this, we did not have the quickest machine on the track as it lacked a bit of straight-line speed, but the rain wiped out the difference with the other karts. Our team worked very well, putting all our plans into operation.

‘After three hours, I started to feel a bit tired and, at the end, my hands were hurting a lot because of all the driving I had done. Now, I want to have a rest, but there's a problem with that. My son, Eduardo stays awake in the night and sleeps in the day, but I am sure that today, when we could both fall asleep in the day, he will change his mind and stay awake!’
Bron: http://www.dailyf1.com

Ook hij kan blijkbaar een stukske karten.