Karting in Piazza
The initiative of the Autovettura of Italy “Karting in Piazza” arrives in Lecco, with the stage organized for 22 and 23 September next in Lecco, in Piazza Garibaldi, from Autovettura Lecco, with the patronage of the Municipality of Lecco and the support of Electro Adda.
“Karting in Piazza” is a program dedicated to young primary school students aimed at road safety education and to the enhancement of sport as a growth factor for the individual. The initiative is proposed in two different steps: a preparatory moment, which for this edition is foreseen in digital form through a video contribution that is made available to the participating schools, and the real experience with the kart driving.
The event dedicated to the children of the Lecco institutes will involve 7 primary school classes, for a total of about 150 children aged between 7 and 9 years. Each class will independently view the preparatory film for participation in the practical test, which will then take place in Piazza Garibaldi with moments dedicated to individual classes. Each child will receive a diploma of “Road Safety Ambassador”, as well as that of some ACI branded gadgets.
The format is original conceived and created at national level by ACI experts which combines in an innovative way the exclusive knowledge deriving from the multiple activities of the Body, ranging from road education to training for young people to sport, from the management of sports teams to the organization of complex events of considerable social or sporting importance. The winning idea started from the observation that, if it is true that the smallest are the weakest users and most exposed to the risk of mobility, it is equally true that they are a huge resource.
This is not only for the obvious consideration that they are the future of our society, but also because through them it is easier to enter families, making them real “ambassadors” of social messages, in this case of road safety. From these observations, and using the resources and experiences that ACI has gained in over a hundred years of life, a unique know-how was born, which is based first of all on human contact, and thus manages to effectively reach the audience of small road users.
Electric karts
The winning innovation, which has allowed and allows “Karting in Piazza” to reach the attention of the little ones, was to start from its nature as a sports federation of CONI with a constant reference to the values of sport, through the fascination of testimonial pilots. This experience then has a further educational function, allowing children to deal with a new experience and therefore to learn to know themselves and their psycho-motor skills better, putting themselves to the test in conditions of absolute safety. An innovative approach that makes it possible to offer highly educational teaching in an effective way, welcomed with enthusiasm by young students, precisely because of the specificity of the path designed to attract interest and attention to the subject and carried out in a joyful atmosphere. The “Karting in Piazza” project also uses electric karts, in the name of sustainability.
The theoretical format, chosen as an alternative to the face-to-face meeting in the aftermath of the pandemic, keeps the same on video content thanks to the intervention of an instructor, but also incorporates more captivating stimuli. Inside it was in fact inserted the film, produced by ACI in collaboration with the Giffoni Film Festival, “The Rules of Victory”. To further enrich it there are also interventions by more testimonials, starting from the Fl World Champion Lewis Hamilton up to the very young protagonists of the film (currently pilots): Andrea Filaferro and Gabriele Minì.
a total duration of about 50 minutes and is also offered to schools for a discussion in class following the viewing, completed by filling in a questionnaire, on a special online platform dedicated and customized for each event, within which it is possible to express ideas and evaluations. Then follows the practical test in the presence, in compliance with the health protocols in force.
“We educate with the game”
“We bring 150 children to the square to talk about road safety, teaching them to respect the rules of the road , also with regard to the new electric scooter – explained Lorenzo Riva, chairman of ACI Lecco during the presentation -. We organized this event with Aci Italia together with Coni: we are bringing these days to many Italian squares; electric karts will be used, in full respect of the environment “. The children “will see an educational film, to give an important meaning to the day. The most beautiful moment will clearly be the one that will be spent on the karts: the boys will drive within a specially created path and will learn the rules of the road ”. ACI “is not just a body that collects taxes, it has in its heart a collaboration for the realization of sporting events such as the Monza GP. These events can give other successful pilots to our province, such as Beniamino “.
” The Municipality of Lecco has given its patronage very willingly, as an Administration we believe very much in sport as a possibility of education – it has added Emanuele Torri, municipal councilor for sport and education -. Respect for the rules taught by sport is important for children who are growing up: they are not limitations, but ways to express themselves better and bring out talent. The project is valid because it allows to reach families at 360 °, a bit like it happens through the school; as Administration we have a certain attention to the issue of sustainable mobility “.
Beniamino Bianco, navigator of rally races for 24 years, concluded with a reflection:” We were all young, today the boys have the desire to run by car. Running in the race there are a whole series of rules to be respected to ensure the safety of passengers; there are many accidents: those who drive do not understand the behavior of the car, we work to make young people understand the reactions of the vehicle with respect to the actions that are taken “. On the topic of sustainability “even in the rally we are switching to electric, which among other things has a higher acceleration than those with the internal combustion engine. With these karts we teach kids to manage speed; I myself am heavy with my two children … “.
Gallery