As part of its ongoing commitment to nurturing young talent, the Champion SV Racing team is proud to have formed a relationship with the Tarporley High School Karting Team (TKT), having recently hosted the aspiring drivers, engineers and mechanics at its Wettenhall workshop.
In only its first season of competition under the sole leadership of Danny Buxton, SV Racing notched up several high-profile successes.
It notably won the coveted Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup Teams’ Championship and finished runner-up in the UK Clio Cup and Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup Drivers’ standings, after scaling the winners’ rostrum at every circuit it visited in 2014.
In addition, SV Racing was a leading light in the Michelin Clio Cup Series and helped Barnsley’s James Dorlin to the 2014 Junior Saloon Car Championship (JSCC) crown, continually reinforcing its dedication to nurturing skilled young drivers by welcoming new recruits to each and every rung of its ever-expanding ‘stairway of talent’ as the season progressed.
Encouraged by the effectiveness of the SV Racing ‘stairway of talent’ initiative, Buxton is now focusing on supporting skilled youngsters from the North West region and recently invited pupils from Tarporley High School to the team’s Cheshire headquarters for an open day, where they were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the team and its cars, and given an insight into what it takes to operate on all levels of national motorsport.
Tarporley Karting Team (TKT), mostly made up of Tarporley High School pupils, has been operating for more than 25 years and has grown to become the largest and most successful youth Karting team in the UK, with over 40 Karts and drivers competing on the national stage in a series run by the National Schools Karting Association (NatSKA).
Kart racing in schools has existed for over three decades and the NatSKA series runs under strict regulations sanctioned by UK motorsport’s governing body, the Motor Sport Association (MSA), at many of the country’s most prestigious Karting venues, including Hooton, Glan Y Gors, Whilton Mill and Rowrah.
Karting covers a wide breadth of educational, academic, technological, social and sporting subjects, providing a tremendous stimulus for all those wishing to enter the adrenaline-fuelled world or motorsport.
There are classes to cater for all budgets and abilities and TKT aims to inspire the next generation of racing drivers, engineers and mechanics, by providing students with thoroughly enjoyable experiences in competition and race preparation, as well as a door into the industry.
Howard Malyon of the Tarporley Karting Team, said: “We jumped at the chance of visiting SV Racing’s base, taking 15 children who have active interests in motorsport and their parents to learn what is involved in high-level national competition. The Tarporley Karting Team is open to anybody between the ages of eight and 18 and many of them aspire to work in the industry as drivers, engineers and mechanics, so it was fascinating for them to learn things like how to prepare for races and the costs involved. We’re about getting children into Karting and making it as inexpensive as possible.
“Everybody really enjoyed the visit and we appreciated Danny Buxton’s time. Two or three of the older boys began thinking properly about what they might want to do as a career, realising that they could realistically have an occupation they enjoy that includes a lot of travelling and many other exciting opportunities. We’re keen to maintain a relationship with SV Racing and it will be exciting to have Danny present at some of our tests and events in a coaching and advisory capacity. We’re constantly looking for anybody who can help with funding and benefits in kind, as we’re on the first step of the ladder and any support goes a long way.”
SV Racing Director, Buxton, said: “SV Racing is committed to the development of young, talented individuals and the drivers on the team’s ‘stairway of talent’ have brought a great deal of success in 2014. For me, it’s good to have access to future local motorsport stars and it’s important to continue working with and inspiring skilled young people to create the next generation of professional drivers, engineers and mechanics.
“Hosting students and parents from the Tarporley High School Karting Team during an open day at SV Racing’s Wettenhall workshop was a delight, as it went down really well and the young Kart racers seemed to love hearing all about the team, its cars, racing activities and what a race weekend entails. As a result, I’m keen to forge a long-term relationship and, while the Tarporley High School students will have opportunities to attend SV Racing’s pre-season tests, I will also be on hand to do some coaching and give advice at some of their tests and race meetings.”
For more information on SV Racing, please visit the www.svracing.co.ukwebsite, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @SV_Racing on Twitter and Instagram.