FERRARIS TO BURN UP TENERIFE GO-KART TRACK

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Wednesday February 24

CANARIANS will have the chance to drive super-cars around a race track this April, event organiser LM Productions boasted on Wednesday.

by JAMES TWEEDIE

LM Productions CEO Leopoldo Mansito (pictured, left) announced at a press conference in the regional capital Santa Cruz that he was bringing his GT Emoción driving experience to Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
The event will come to Tenerife's Karting Club in Arona from April 8 to 11.

He was joined by Arona council mayor José González Reverón (centre) and councillor for tourism Angel Herrera (right).

Mr González said that the council, which is backing the event, hoped it would help promote the municipality and the island.

Mr Herrera pointed that GT Emoción was the latest of many “first-rate” sporting events held in Arona, following last year's Football 7 tournament featuring retired top-flight players from around the world.

GT Emoción allows ordinary motorists to drive exotic high-performance sports cars around a racing circuit.

It has toured professional racing circuits on the Spanish mainland, including Montmeló, Valencia, Jarama, Jerez, Calafat, La Selva de Gerona, Can Padró and the Kotarr in Burgos.

The show is now coming to the 4.4 kilometre Maspalomas circuit in Gran Canaria and Tenerife's more modest 1.2 km Karting Club in Arona.

Mr Mansito insisted that the club was a “very fun circuit” and that customers would be “very satisfied.”

For prices ranging from €99 to €1199, a 'limited' number of 400 to 500 participants will receive a 20-minute theory lesson before taking their choice of the Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin Vantage, Audi R8, Porsche 911 Turbo o Cayman S, the souped-up Mini Cooper S or even the Renault Formula 2000 and 1600 around the Karting Club track.

They will be coached by one of six professional racing drivers, all native Canarians.

Also included in the price are two laps in the outsize Hummer H2 (the commercial spin-off of the US military utility vehicle) hospitality for up to three guests, a diploma signed by French Formula 3 driver Manu Piget and a free bar – but only after you have driven the €100,000-plus cars.

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