CL30-S16 BY BIREL ART: THE CHASSIS SIGNED CHARLES LECLERC IN. DIRECT DRIVE VERSION

Giacomo Mantovani

10 April 2024 • 20 min. read

CIK-FIA 2022-2024

HOMOLOGATION
The CL30-S16 chassis is registered with homologation number 07/CH/10 in the name of Birel ART, in fact it is the same homologation that distinguishes the Birel ART RY30 S16 chassis. The new FIA Karting regulations introduced in 2018 provide that new approvals last indefinitely, provided that the manufacturers renew their validity annually by paying the relative approval fee (To learn more, read, "Dossier | FIA approvals: what they are, what they are for, how long they last... the ultimate guide!").

DIRECT DRIVE

CATEGORY
The CL30-S16 is homologated for use in both direct drive and shifter, and there are two different versions, specifically for the two categories, which differ in certain details (for example, the Shifter version has a gear lever attachment point and the shape of the main bars). Being a model more suitable for the Direct Drive categories, let us analyze this version.

TUBES DIAMETER
Frames are generally made from 30 and/or 32 mm tubes. The CL30-S16 is characterized by a body composed entirely of 30 mm diameter and 2 mm thick tubes.

ROBOT

WELDING
The production of CL chassis is entirely by the manufacturer Birel ART. The welding process is entrusted entirely to robotic machinery, except for a couple of critical points where it remains manual.

ALUMINIUM-MAGNESIUM

ACCESSORIES
All accessories are under the FreeLine brand (the division/brand of the Birel ART company, which deals with the design and production of karting components). All standard components are made of light aluminium alloy, only the wheels are made of magnesium alloy.

The excellent results obtained in international competitions by the Birel ART Racing team (of which we highlight the victory in the 2024 WSK Super Master Series in the OK and KZ2 categories), have confirmed how the chassis range produced by Birel ART (one of the leading manufacturers in the sector in the production of chassis and components for karting) is able to guarantee excellent performance. Well aware of this, the Italian company has decided to extend all the technical solutions, which have proved to be successful, also to the chassis of the other brands of the group. These include the 'CL Charles Leclerc Kart' brand, launched in 2019 by F1 driver Charles Leclerc precisely in partnership with Birel ART.

We went to the headquarters of the Italian company - located in the town of Lissone, about 20 km from Milan - where all the chassis of the Charles Leclerc range are born, to analyze the CL30-S16 under every aspect: the FIA Karting homologated chassis characterized by a body composed entirely of 30 mm diameter and 2 mm thick tubes and designed specifically for the needs of the Junior/Senior Direct Drive classes (but also available in a Shifter version). Let's find out how it is produced, what design choices were made by Birel ART and what FreeLine brand components (the division/brand of the Italian company, which deals with the design and production of karting components) are available as standard and as optional extras.

The CL30-S16 chassis for the 2024 season, as we analyse it, is the fifth evolution of the 'CL Charles Leclerc' chassis range. The first version was launched in 2020 under the name "S11". This was succeeded by the S12 in 2021, which in turn was replaced by the S14 version for 2022 and the S15 for 2023, intentionally omitting the number 13 for superstition reasons.