Ever since Lewis Hamilton 'made it' it was official - karting leads to Formula One.
Then there was all sorts of pressure laid on the young shoulders of those who dared to dream of what could be. Of course any young driver wants to be a racing driver, a Formula One driver and they should be allowed to have that dream, but when it leads to some of the behaviour we have all seen at kart circuits between parents and their children (sometimes a team member and driver) its a bit worrying.
And lets be honest, unless you are picked up by the likes of young driver programs of Mercedes, Ferrari or Redbull its unlikely its going to happen. The money is astronomical. Even at elite junior car racing, some teenage stars are known to have their own race truck fully kitted out with enough spares to build two cars funded by family money which will get them so far, further than most, but not to the pinnacle of the sport. Only that last key connection with a team will do that.
There are other avenues such as driver academy's set up by smaller teams in lower formulae to help provide a stepping stone to promising youngsters, Arden springs to mind and also what TEAM Hard are doing in just about every area of motor racing including now a C1 endurance team.
So how should we approach the matter of coaching these young stars of the future?
Education should remain a factor, shouldn't it?
I remember a visit many years ago to Carlin still one of the big names in British motorsport, I accompanied a driver from my kart team and his father to speak to Trevor Carlin about their expectations of a new, young driver.
Karting experience was preferred, it gave the necessary introduction to wheel to wheel racing at an age where fear is rarely seen. Confidence could be gained in close racing, wet weather driving and some knowledge of set ups.
Interestingly, when given a scenario of two drivers walking through the door, both with a large cheque (I said it was a few years ago) and both drivers had some years of karting experience, but one of them had his much coveted #1 plate in his hand fresh from winning the British Kart Championship. I asked Trevor which driver he would take, his answer was simple and logical "We would put both drivers in the car to test, then we would take the one we could do the most with".
Gone are the days when raw speed is enough, the days of Nigel Mansell, a driver is now required to be able to work with an engineer at an early age reviewing data and making changes to their driving from one session to the next. If they can't understand and adapt to what the laptop is telling them they need to do - the money won't count for much for long. Just ask Mazepin.
So education is important, a driver has to be clever, to be able to problem solve, to be able to work as part of a small group of people all of whom have a role to play for the positive outcome they all crave.
Karting should be fun, the fun to a degree has been taken out of it by the dream of being the next Lewis Hamilton - not to mention the increasing costs. Costs driven up by the need to be connected to a team with experience and of course just costs of living. We do however need the professional teams to give the sport the credibility it deserves, but we also need the father or mother and son or daughter weekenders too.
Apart from making sure they understand the importance of learning and having fun, the kids should be taught how to race hard and fair while being careful of the influences of F1 and BTCC they see on tv on a regular basis, learning what is right and wrong on track is super important, as is off track behaviour. And not just the behaviour of the kids ......
Taking responsibility for their own equipment such as helmet and gloves etc. remembering to bring them for example! Thats not mums responsibility! Taking responsibility for their actions on track - that an apology in parc ferme for accidental contact in the previous race can go a long way to gaining respect or friendship, or just avoid a long term conflict.
I've seen kids develop a better relationship with a parent through karting, or gain in self confidence which has spilled over into improved school grades; these are often unseen and overlooked benefits which can occur within the karting bubble.
Like anything, an approach to karting should be structured, it should be thought out. Preparation is so important now as gone are the days when you can turn up to a club meeting and wing it; all grids are competitive, most novices have come from indoor championships so they are quick if not a little overwhelmed by the speed and vibration of a 2 stroke.
Keeping expectations realistic is a good idea, while letting them dare to dream of a trophy, to come home with a trophy is a fantastic achievement from an entry of 20+ drivers. The piece of advice I always give to a driver I'm coaching is simple "When you're in the car on the way home looking out the window, make sure you have no regrets". What I mean by this is give it everything on track, never give up. If you think a gap is there and worth going for - have a go. Ask yourself this "Will i regret it on the way home when my next port of call is bed and then school?"
You've waited for this race weekend for one or two weeks, grab it by the scruff of the neck and give it your best. If you can happily say you gave it everything and finished 8th you will be content with your own performance on the car journey home, if you finish 4th and never went for that move for the podium you will maybe not be as happy with your weekend. Dreaming of what could have been.
Should karting be the sole focus, above all else?
This is a tricky one, I think the answer should be no. We have seen drivers whos life revolves around karting and their aim of being a 'racing driver' at the expense of things like school, other hobbies and sports and even friendships.
We've already touched on school so we'll leave that there, I'd like to mention other hobbies and interests which are often left behind due to time or financial constraints. There are, what are known as, transferable skills, skills the driver has which have nothing to do with racing but make them better at it.
Apart from the obvious fitness element sports such as rugby or hockey demand good hand-eye co-ordination and the ability to look around them to make decision before passing or shooting or running for the line, based on where opposition and team mates are. This is very relevant to motor racing. We need good vision and it should be practiced.
Musical instruments teach people rhythm and concentration not to mention sub conscious processing of playing the instrument without looking or thinking of what the fingers are actually doing.
On stage performing can provide/enhance self confidence and acceptance of who you are, along with the ability to perform while others watch and will see any mistake made.
The list goes on, so why not give those other activities another look and see what they are bringing to the table in terms of your bag of strengths? Acknowledge them and use them - they give you an advantage over those who just sit and wait for the next race weekend.
So when it comes down to it, its fine to dedicate your time and energy to ANY given passion, but do take a look at keeping something else in there too, to keep the balance, to retain those transferable skills buffing your performance on track in unseen ways.
At the end of the day they are an advantage to you over a competitor and thats what we are always looking for, isn't it?
Our junior kart team was known for the fast progress of our drivers; getting on the pace much sooner than expected. This is down to the methodology we use to instil structure, confidence and the ability to recognise progress and see gaps to targets shrink. Building step by step we helped many young drivers get the the sharp end and some have gone on to be professional racing drivers, some still race for fun, some have left the sport behind but have actually been successful in their lives in many different ways.
We had race winners, club champions, British Champions, career racing drivers but one of the best memories is a junior driver who suffered with ADHD who became a front runner while running in our awning as a father and son duo, not only did he improve his grades and behaviour at school, he learned how to cope with lower doses of medication and he even had a career as a race engineer as a young adult.
We have a responsibility towards these young individuals; we are shaping them and their future whether its in racing or not.
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