Michael - too heavy for karting?

Michael Schumacher's passion since childhood, karting, has forced the four-time Formula One World Champion to lose weight.

The German, who will be competing in a kart race in his home land this weekend, is looking to shed three kilos, despite being one of the fittest drivers in Formula One. Karting is influenced greatly by the weight combination of driver and kart; the lower the weight the faster the kart moves.

Schumacher's former karting race mechanic, Peter Kaiser described to Reuters how the German was at a disadvantage to his rivals: "Michael weighs eight kilos more than (Italian reigning world champion Davide) Fore. Such a difference costs 3-4 tenths of a second a lap," he said. "For that reason we are working on weight, and not only of the kart,"

Since the Formula One season finished in Suzuka on 14th October, Schumacher has been doing a variety of sports to shift the extra weight. The Gazzetta reported that he's been playing football, riding his mountain bike and spending time sweating in the sauna at his Swiss home.

Although he won't have practised as much as his competitors, Michael is looking forward to the race. He told his official website: "This is a real challenge for me. Formula One is of course the ultimate challenge but driving a kart has always been something special to me, those wheel-to-wheel duels, that kind of combat."

"I am of course aware that these guys against whom I will be racing drive every day, and I maybe only three times a year, but that entices me even more."