All Aspiring Lewis Hamiltons To Report To The Karting Show
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Stars from across the highest echelons of motorsport will be supporting the Karting Show at Autosport International. Double Le Mans 24-Hour winner and former Formula One star Allan McNish will be attending on Saturday and Sunday, and the Scotsman already plans to pay a visit to the Karting Show. A former multiple British and Scottish kart Champion, not to mention triple American Le Mans Series Champion and double Sebring 12 Hour winner, McNish approves of the status that karting is given within Autosport International.
"Karting has for a long time been established as the best way to get into motorsport,” he commented, “It teaches and develops all the talents that are required to be successful; it doesn’t matter whether it’s national racing, Formula One, sportscars, or Indycar in the States. I raced karts for five years and they were some of the best racing times of my career. At Autosport International, karting has correctly become a big part of the show; it’s a great place to get up close and personal to every part of the industry and it’s all under one roof."
British F3 star and 2008 Mirror.co.uk British F3 Challenge Cup Champion Oliver Turvey (from Penrith) honed his karting skills from the age of eight and contested both the Super One and BRDC Stars of Tomorrow national karting championships, clinching the British Yamaha and Junior Max titles. The 2006 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year has enjoyed a presence at Autosport International since his karting days and the 21 year-old will return to the NEC on Saturday and Sunday.
“I remember starring on the various stages in front of loads of people at Autosport International during the height of my karting career and I’ve done a lot with the show ever since,” said Turvey. “When I was in karting, I looked forward to the show as I knew it would be a great place to talk with teams and meet people that could help me to progress my career. I would encourage karters to visit the Karting Show and talk to as many people and companies as possible. It’s the ideal place to start because everyone’s there.”
McNish and Turvey will join a host of stars appearing on the Karting Show Stage to share their racing experience and encourage more people to start karting, including David Brabham, Martin Brundle, Jason Plato, Bradley Ellis and Paul di Resta.
Joining them will be the highest ever scoring British Formula One driver, David Coulthard, who will be attending Autosport International 2009 to look back on his illustrious career following his retirement this season and see the show’s unique feature in honour of the Scot’s outstanding racing achievements. Charting his meteoric rise from karting hero in the 1980s to Formula One superstar, the feature will display cars and karts from the David Coulthard Museum based in Twynhom, Scotland.
Although a route to the higher echelons of motorsport, karting is also a rewarding and budget friendly sport for racers of all ages. Whether you want to be the next British sensation or kart for fun, the Karting Show is the perfect place to find out how to get started in kart racing.
Expert advice will be at your fingertips, on everything from leisure karting to how to get a race licence in one easy visit to the Karting Show. Your first stop should be the Association of British Kart Clubs (ABkC) stand, to pick up a copy of the fully updated ABkC/ArKS 2009 Start Karting brochure. The ABkC offers free and friendly advice to guide you through the licence application process and help you to decide which class to enter and which club to join.
As well as the opportunity to chat to leading drivers, race teams and experts, visitors to the Karting Show can find out how to try karting at their local circuit with the MSA’s Let’s Go Karting initiative. Simply visit the Go Motorsport stand opposite the ABkC stand for comprehensive information for anyone looking to get involved in the sport for the first time, whether as a competitor, spectator or volunteer.
The cream of Britain’s young karters will be attending the Karting Show on Saturday when drivers from the Super One series and BRDC Stars of Tomorrow national karting championships will attend the NEC to collect their 2008 championship silverware. With over a thousand of Britain’s elite karters in attendance, it’s quite possible that the next Lewis Hamilton will be at the NEC this week.