Crowning glory!

I’ve often commented condescendingly when passed by swarms of scooters, admittedly more so in Spain, Greece or India than Bahrain, that their whining engines would be better used on a hairdryer or lawnmower. 

Back in 1956 it was Art Ingels and Lou Borelli who swapped engines the other way around, putting four wheels and a tubular chassis on a West Bend grass-cutter, creating the first ever go-kart.

Who would have thought from those humble California beginnings that a simple garage design would evolve into one of the most popular hobbies around the world and have an international world championship comprising 15 rounds and eight different categories, spanning the globe from China and Japan through to Europe?

While not every category races at every circuit, the series finishes this weekend in Bahrain with the Academy and U-18 classifications battling it out to see who can put themselves in pole position for a single-seater ride, taking the next step up the motor racing ladder.

Kart racers contain many of the same qualities as those found at the summit of motorsport, F1. Yet the action is very much more geared towards the casual observer.
It’s racing without the money, aerodynamic upgrades or team-orders.

The karting alumni reads like a ‘who’s who’ of the current F1 championship standings. 

Lewis Hamilton is perhaps the racer most associated with a karting background, yet ironically it is his current team-mate, Jenson Button, who paved the way for the skills learned in karting to be more widely-recognised within the F1 community.

Driving his Williams-BMW for only the second time, aged 20, while racing in Brazil in 2000, Button finished in a creditable sixth position, awakening team-managers to the potential available from investing in youth, thereby creating opportunities for others such as Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and, more recently, Sebastien Vettel. 

World records for the ‘youngest toÖ’ categories have been tumbling ever since.

Belgian Paul Lemmens, who was his team manager in Button’s karting days, said: 'In order to compete at the front in karting you already have to be hyper-professional. You must work hard, be capable of developing the equipment and do some soul-searching Ö Jenson had all these qualities and I am convinced that it is in karting that he developed them.'

Button started his karting career aged eight at a race in Dorchester in a manner that was to remain a constant – he was victorious. Aged nine he won the British Super Prix in his category and the following year won every one of 34 races in the British Open. His prodigious rise continued. In 1996 he stepped onto the World Cup podium in Suzuka and the following year became the youngest European Formula A winner (in what was then the highest category).

In Button’s own words: 'I loved my karting years. For me it is the best racing. You always fight bumper to bumper, and I learnt so much in a kart about driving and sport in general. I think that one of the most important techniques I learnt in karting is running in a soft and smooth way. And it has followed me all the way to Formula One.'

Hamilton also started karting at the age of eight and was crowned British Cadet at the age of 10, securing the F1-team sponsored Mclaren Champion of the Future series a year later – and a sponsorship contract at the age of 13.

In 2000 he followed Button by claiming the Formula A World Cup in Suzuka, having won five out of eight races to claim the European crown, defeating Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica in the process, even winning one race with a broken hand having fallen off his bicycle!

Intriguingly, there is a part of Hamilton that lives on in karting.  The chassis design ‘LH’ bears his initials and colours as a tribute to the dedication and commitment he showed, along with bringing the series a higher profile.

Vettel, by comparison, started much younger. He was given his first 60cc kart by his father aged just three. 

Spotted by the same man, Gerd Noack, who was credited with the discovery of a young Michael Schumacher, Vettel was sponsored by Red Bull from the age of 12. In 2001 he was crowned European champion having finished on the podium in every race, also winning the German Championship and the Junior Monaco Kart Cup.

So who should the crowds at the BIC this weekend be looking out for as the F1 star of the future?

In the U-18 category, Briton Henry Easthorpe won the first race in Portugal demonstrating an ability to protect a lead, while then moving through the pack in France after a disappointing qualifying to finish a creditable seventh. He currently leads the championship with 120 points.

Angerville in France saw local man, Antoine Hubert, claim the top podium placing and he lies second on 115 points. Charles LeClerc has been the most consistent performer to date, registering second and fourth positions and finds himself only 11 points off the lead.

Not to be discounted is another Brit, Ricky Collard, who came from nowhere to finish third in Portugal and is only five points behind LeClerc. With 50 available for a win, anything is possible!

At Academy level, Finnish driver, Joonas Lappalainen is the front-runner with 174 points having won the second of the two races in Portugal and having finished on the podium in every outing with the exception of a fourth place in the second race in France.

With 100 points available over the two races in Bahrain, Javier Cobian (158 points), George Russell (138) and Mattia Drudi (135) will also believe they are in contention. Benjamin Lessennes is the other racer to have won (the first race in Angerville) although, on 120 points, will probably need to take both chequered flags in Bahrain to raise the World Championship trophy.

The World Karting Championship, that was first raced in 1959 in Nassau, Bahamas, now finds itself welcomed to Bahrain. Jim Yamane of the US was the first winner and he has been succeeded by many more familiar names that have gone on to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Bahrain will be crowning two new world champions this weekend.