Seventeen karters aged from 11 to 17 from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago will face off at Bushy Park next month (November 4-6) in the second Caribbean Junior Karting Academy Trophy (CJKAT).
Funded by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile’s (FIA) Sport Grant Programme, it will be contested by a quality field selected by the Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago Karting Associations, including a number of past and present Champions.
Calem Maloney, who was vice-champion in the inaugural CJKAT in 2019, is one of three regional drivers returning to the competition, along with Jamaica’s Zander Williams, who finished fifth in 2019, and Colin Bradshaw of Barbados. Seven drivers from the host country, six from T&T and four from Jamaica will race identical Vortex-engined Exprit OK-Junior karts, creating a level playing field so results are based on driver talent.
Drivers from the Trinidad & Tobago Karting Association (from left) Aran Sharma, Naomi Jade Garcia, Ben Mahon, Rylie Ramroop, Christian Ghajadhar; also competing is Adam Mustapha (not pictured).
President of the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), which is hosting the competition for the second time, Senator Andrew Mallalieu said: “There has been an excellent response from our own Karting Association, also those in Jamaica and Trinidad, so we have an entry of accomplished karters across a broad age range. Not only will this make for some exciting competition, but it also helps create closer links in motor sport around the region.”
CJKAT is modelled on the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, which has been the first rung on the ladder of the FIA’s single-seater path to F1 since 2010, previous winners including current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who won in 2011 at age 12. To allow more opportunities for Caribbean hopefuls to race, the regional series caters for a wider age range than in Europe, where the limits are 12 to 14 years old.
Drivers from the Jamaica Karting Association (from left) Zander Williams, Brandon Finzi-Smith, Luke Spencer, Matthew Warmington.
The programme will start on Thursday, November 3, with a day of training for competitors and volunteer officials before moving into the competitive stage. There will then be three days of racing, each day using a different circuit configuration; the format will be the same each day, practice and qualifying will be followed by three 10-kilometre races and a 15-kilometre Final. More background is to be found on the web site – www.cjkat.com – including profiles of each competitor. (RB)
