French karting Cup, young Normans who dream of Formula 1
A major national event dedicated to regional drivers, the Coupe de France Karting, organized by the ASK Rouen76 club, was held this weekend of October 23 and 24 in Anneville-Ambourville (76). Among the pilots, young Normans who are promised a bright future.
The track of the Lucien Lebret circuit in Anneville-Ambourville (76) has seen great drivers who are now evolving in Formula 1 such as Pierre Gasly or Esteban Ocon. All the young people of the ASK Rouen76 club who train on this track have it in mind and all dream of Formula 1. A dream all the more anchored as some of them have a good track record.
Sunday, October 24, among the cadets, the French Cup was won by Tom Langlois (Norm-Sodi / Rotax), 13, licensed at the ASK Rouen 76 club, ahead of Matthéo Dauvergne (Norm-Alpha / Rotax), 11, licensed in the same club. Both have the same goal, to become a Formula 1 driver.
I like motorsport, adrenaline, racing, speed. And in Formula 1, we are at 300 km / hour on a circuit, so I would like to give it a try. I like Pierre Gasly a lot, but my favorite is Lando Norris because he is young and even if he has a lower level car than Mercedes and Red Bull, he still manages to make podiums.
I would like to one day do Formula 1 because it is the highest in motorsport. I know it’s not easy to get there but others have done it so it’s possible. It takes talent and money
Formula 1, a difficult grail to reach
The dream of Formula 1 is a lot of contenders for few elected among these young people. Because beyond the talent, there is also the budget. A competitive karting season amounts to spending between 5,000 euros and 150,000 euros depending on the category.
Some personalities in the world of motorsport are starting to denounce the lack of social diversity in the environment.
Motorsport has always been very expensive, including in my day. But now it’s even become horribly expensive to go kart racing. Today, driving a kart for a season costs as much as a full year in Formula Renault 20 years ago. It’s incredible !
Lewis Hamilton would also like F1 to be more accessible. He called F1 a “club for billionaire little boys”.
Still, most Formula 1 drivers started karting at a young age.
90% of F1 drivers have gone through karting. Pierre Gasly started here at the club. Today they rub shoulders with Leclerc, Verstappen. They were already competing in karting. If you don’t get out of karting, you can’t be a good F1 driver. It teaches you, the vision of the trajectories, your driving reactions, to have a strong mind and also to know your car and its problems well to be able to talk to the mechanics.
Pierre Gasly, in fact, started karting at the age of 8, in this club where he is still licensed. He made his first laps on this track. Moreover his mother, Pascale, was present this weekend of October 23 and 24 for this Coupe de France in Anneville-Ambreville. She came to present the prizes to this young generation. She remains loyal to this club which has helped her son to become what he is.
I remember when Pierre played in this club as a minimum and as a junior. It’s a lot of stress to watch our kids fight on the track. I hope that Pierre serves as an example and makes them dream. To get to this level, you need a lot of training, work, and improvement on a daily basis. You should never give up, know how to accept failure and be able to bounce back. It is true that the budget can be a drag. It is therefore necessary to be able to find sponsors, to be noticed by the French Federation of Motor Sport and to enter the sectors of the F1 teams.
Among these young Normans, others performed well. Lucas Baray (Norm-Energy / Iame), also licensed at ASK Rouen (76) won the Coupe de France in minims.
While waiting to realize their dream, Tom Langlois and Matthéo Dauvergne continue their journey. Next step in December. They both qualified for the « Grand Finals » of the Rotax MAX Challenge 2021 on the Bahrain international karting circuit where the world’s best drivers will meet.
Normandy wins the French Regions Cup
The Coupe de France karting at Anneville-Ambourville (76) also included the Coupe de France des Régions. This classification counts the points of the first driver of each League in each category. There were 14 leagues represented. Normandy won with 454 points, ahead of Ile-de-France (452 points). Followed by Ligue Bretagne Pays de Loire, tied for 3rd with Center Val de Loire (310 points). Hauts-de-France finished 5th with 259 points.
