Schuey gets set for karting comeback

He will race for the works Tonykart squad when the series visits Germany for its final round on October 26-27, but says he will treat the event as a weekend off.

"For me, kart racing is fun," said Schumacher. "Karting is my passion. I've often said what I love about it: the duel, the competition, the fight of wheel against wheel. And this competition exists to an exceptional degree in karting.

"I've dreamt of taking part in a real, international kart race again for a long time, although I can only come off badly. If I win, everyone will say 'of course'. If I lose, in some respect I'll look like an idiot. But that doesn't interest me, I just want to have fun and pit myself against the boys - after all, they're really professional."

Amongst those hoping to beat Schumacher at Kerpen is McLaren-backed Lewis Hamilton, who races for the teammbm.com squad.

"It will be the opportunity of a lifetime to race against Michael," he said. "I'm hoping I can be competitive and can have a good race with him. He is one of my biggest heroes, and racing against him will be very special."