Another outstanding season of kart racing has earned Kieran Hartley the opportunity to represent his country at the 19th edition of the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Brazil.
Hartley secured his ticket to the prestigious event by capturing the Western Canadian Karting Championship which included a final stop victory earlier this month at Greg Moore Raceway in Chilliwack.
The 10-year-old Sacred Heart student captured the Mini Max title and will be up against 35 other of the best 10-to-13-year-old racers from around the world at the event in Conde-Paraíba, slated for Nov. 24-Dec. 1.
This marks the first time the Grand Finals have been held in Brazil. Over 50 nations will be represented in six different categories, racing at Circuito Internacional Paladino.
In Chilliwack, Hartley had to endure miserable conditions with rain and drizzle falling throughout the weekend to go along with cool temperatures.
Rain and slick tires were changed constantly and guessing the setup throughout the changing conditions were difficult for even the most experienced mechanics.
In total, Hartley won three of the Western Canadian races with earlier triumphs in Calgary and Saskatoon. He was on the podium for five of the six races and no worse than fourth. He will be the youngest member of the Canadian team.
The Rotax Max Challenge is a professional kart racing series established, owned and organized by BRP and its Rotax kart engine distributors. It is a "one-make-engine" formula: only Rotax kart engines that are checked and sealed (for equal performance) will be used. The success in the competition is mainly up to the skills of the driver.For many, it is the ideal first step into a career in motor sports.
A large number of current Formula 1 drivers started with Rotax engines; Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen among them.
Hartley’s growing passion for racing dates back to three years ago when he tried out for a driver’s scholarship and won one of 10 spots to race a kid-kart for the year at a track in Washington State.
He went on to win the overall championship and progressed to a faster kart the following year.
Back in June, he was one of 20 young racers from across the country picked to be part of the F1 Stars of the Future at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal — a program launched to promote motorsports to youth. He was escorted onto the track by one of the Formula 1 drivers for the pre-race ceremony and stood alongside his idols during the national anthem.
To follow Kieran's kart racing journey visit his his instagram account: khartley_racing.
