Those who have been following the Formula 1 season, which is coming to an end soon with Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull Racing, securing the Drivers’ Championship, will understand the importance of Brentwood’s karting track at Warley Gap.
Most F1 drivers start as children in go-karts, and gradually work their way up the range of driving skills to progress from karts to cars to the top of the range vehicles which thunder their way around worlds circuits at 200 mph. Just this year, Essex’s own 19 year old Oliver Bearman made it to the elite F1 squad, driving for Ferrari.
With all this in mind, it was great fun to meet up with Alby Sanders and Ethan Sanders-Wilks of ESW Motorsports at Brentwood Carting track to find out more about the grassroots level of the sport. Earlier this year, Ethan competed at the Sodi International World Finals in Belgium where he came 10th in his category. An amazing achievement which ranks him as the number one British driver in his classification.
Ethan’s team are now looking for much needed sponsorship to help Ethan make the jump from karts to cars which will open doors for him to the world of professional racing. He is working toward the Junior Formula Series, the next rung of the ladder of his already remarkable driving career. If you know anyone who may be able to help Ethan please get in touch with me and I will put you in touch - it would be wonderful to see his career progress.
And although he spends his time on four wheels, he explained to me fitness is key so his body can withstand the speeds and bumps of karting.
Alby is the force behind ESW Motorsports, and is hoping to expand it further as Ethan progresses. Female drivers are under-represented and this is something Alby wants to address in the future.
We are fortunate to have this facility in Brentwood, which I was delighted to hear is going from strength to strength, and I wish Ethan all the best for his future training and success.
