Maybe not everybody knows that one of the best car driveres in the world, Formula 1’s Robert Kubica, comes from Krakow. We live in the city where he took his first driving lessons. It’s hard to belive in when you see quite narrow streets and speed limits everywhere, but try it. Because Cracow can be famous not only of it’s monuments and the medieval/renesaince Old Town but also of it’s “driving school” (of course Krakow Shuttle drivers are in the team).
Robert Kubica, who has driven for the BMW Sauber F1 team since his debut in 2006, but has just signed a new deal with Renault (he will be racing for them from the 2010 season), was born in Cracow in 1984.
He was only six years old when he forced his father, Artur, to buy him his first car – a miniature petrol off-roader (nissan) that he spotted in a local dealership. Soon it has revealed that it’s not only the whim of a child.
Young Kubica was really determined and focused on his dream. Tiring of racing round bottles in his front yard, he graduated to the karting track. When you are visiting Kazimierz District of Cracow, turn for a while into Wawrzynca Street. There, on your right side (walking towards Corpus Christi Basilica), you can find a place where Kubica began his international career. For two years (1995-1997) he won Polish Karting Championships six times and then he moved to Italy to develop his unique and breathtaking skills.
In subsequent years he was competing and winning numoreous racec and championships of various series in Italy and Germany, becoming better and better driver. Since 2000 he has been competing in the most important international competitions, including Formula 3 and Formula Renault series. In 2006 a crowning achievment of his early years was signing a contract to BMW Sauber F1 team.
Although Kubica was contracted as a test and reserve driver, he debuted in a race very soon, at Grand Prix of Hungary on Hungaroring in August 2006 (finishing in seventh place, but gaining no points because of disqualification after the race for having an underweight car).
Since it happened he has skipped only one F1 race (in 2007, just a few days after an awfully-looking crash in Canada), racing 56, winning one (also in Canada, exactly one year after the accident) and standing podiums 9 times.
He is and for sure he will be for a long time the best Polish driver ever.
Official site of the only F1 driver born and brought up in Cracow: http://www.kubica.pl/
Know you’re sure that you can realy on our (we mean: Cracow) driving skills in every circumstances, aren’t you?
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