2015 Formula Kart Stars Launched
| 5 July 2014 |
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How does an entry fee of $64,000 sound for a junior karting series? Well, that's about what it will cost to compete in the 2015 Formula Kart Stars series, launched at the Britiish Grand Prix this weekend.
The two-tier fixed entry fee (£25,000 for Cadets, £35,000 for Juniors) will include controlled equipment designed and distributed by the Championship to keep a level playing field, tyres, fuel, fees, storage, awning space and transport of karts for the season.
There will be four categories: Cadet (8-10 years), Super Cadet (10-12 years), Junior (12-15 years) and Super Junior (15-16 years). The series will run twelve rounds over six weekends on some of the UK’s premier kart circuits and include F1 style hospitality and paddock environment.
Above: New for 2015 is the Formula Kart Stars FKS chassis and engine combination, unveiled at Silverstone
pic - FKS
The series has been backed by Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management (FOM) since 2009. Starting in April, the 2015 series will run in the UK before the rollout of global Formula Kart Stars in 2016, held mainly in Formula 1 hosting nations.
Organisers say Formula Kart Stars will provide competitors with the best possible route to Formula 1. It's been created with the support of F1 teams’ driver development programmes - Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Williams and Marussia F1 Team have already pledged to support the championship.
"The format has evolved following substantial research with competitors and kart teams both in the UK and abroad to identify the requirements for an affordable world-class karting championship" organisers said in a statement.
"Substantial testing miles have been undertaken in the new karts while the series has also worked to provide the competitors and spectators with increased interaction, such as market leading on-board data logging and live timing system."
Above: Lewis Hamilton with two of the 2015 FKS competitors, Bryony King and Caden McQueen
pic - FKS
There is also an education and prize structure to provide drivers with a clear career path. Each class winner will receive a free entry into FKS for the following season, while the Super Junior Champion will receive a fully funded season in single-seaters plus testing.
2015 FKS Class Overview:
Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Management:
“To address the astounding cost of getting started in motorsport and especially recently in karting, Formula Kart Stars will provide a championship where these young drivers will race with the endorsement of Formula 1 Teams and with all the style of Formula 1, but on karts and engines supplied by the Championship. A fixed affordable cost will provide a level playing field to allow talent to shine through.
“What makes Formula Kart Stars different is that they provide drivers with a highly competitive training ground at some of the best kart circuits in Britain but do not neglect their off-track development by underlining the importance of education and by working with competitors’ schools. This will continue to be an important element of our new Formula Kart Stars. It is the road to Formula 1 through racing and education.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 Team:
“I wouldn‘t be here without this Championship. Karting is where I learnt all my skills, it’s really where I built my foundation to enable me to drive the way I do today.”
Above: Max Chilton and John Booth at the FKS British GP launch
pic - FKS
Carolynn Hoy, Formula Kart Stars:
“Formula Kart Stars is a revolutionary way of doing karting. It’s addressing the fact that karting is getting so expensive, that it’s out of the range of most people. Speaking to Anthony Hamilton recently, Lewis’ father, he said if Lewis wanted to start now he wouldn’t be able to afford to go karting, so we’d have lost Lewis. The new Formula Kart Stars addresses that.
“Bernie Ecclestone has supported us since 2009 and we share a concern about the cost of junior motorsport because ultimately it will impact on Formula 1. Formula Kart Stars will go international in 2016; every country that has a Grand Prix will have a similar championship.
“We use proper kart chassis, proper race engines, proper race tyres, the whole lot. The difference is we’re providing everything, even down to the pit garages in Formula 1 style. Everything will be done to a very high standard, it will look like a mini Formula 1 paddock, but there’ll be no hidden extras.
“Karting is the foundation, this is where you learn to race, learn how to think like a racing driver. Through Formula Kart Stars, they’ll learn how to present themselves, learn how to behave and even if they don’t go on in motorsport, what they’ll learn in the paddock will give them a fantastic grounding in their own lives and careers, whatever they do.”
