Champion karter Chris Hays has joined the Patrizicorse and Birel ART Oceania team.

The 2012 KZ2 Australian champion has signed a two-year deal to race the Birel ART machine powered by IAME in conjunction with two Italian factories that will provide full support to the team from 2016.

“Chris has a karting career that so many would dream of and his consistency fills me with confidence that he will do a fantastic job for the team,” team owner Michael Patrizi said.

“Chris works very hard off track to make sure that on track nothing has been left on the table and that’s what I look for most in a driver.

“Some very influential people in Australian Motorsport have supported him in the past and it doesn’t take long to see why.

I’m confident that the Patrizicorse team will be the piece in the puzzle that returns him to the success that he has become accustomed to.”

Hays believes the new deal will give him the tools to regain the top spot.

“I’m very excited to be heading into the 2016 season with Birel ART and ready for a new two-year partnership with Patrizicorse that I hope provides me with the stability in performance to regain that top spot I had a few years ago,” Hays said.

Patrizicorse finished the year with three pole positions and three runner-up placings in the final four races of the KZ2 season.

Patrizicorse is the exclusive distributor and importer for all Birel ART products including Ricciardo Kart, RK Kart, Freeline Spare Parts, Easy Kart and the Rental Karts for Australia and New Zealand.