BRITAIN GETS CIK-FIA ROUND

Britain will boast its own round of CIK-FIA karting calendar in 2017, as the Trent Valley Kart Club’s PF International has been awarded the FIA’S karting world championship for OK and OKJ class machines.

The UK will crown the 2017 champion with the event due to take place in the twilight of the season on September 24.

TVKC and chairman of the Motor Sports Association’s Karting Committee, Nigel Edwards, believes the potential to crown a World champion at the Lincolnshire venue is huge for British karting.

“Its massively significant that it’s the penultimate round,” said Edwards. “It’s our chance to crown the Senior and Junior champions on our UK podium.

“There are young kids out there from the UK in the junior karting system who have the potential to win the world title at their home round. There’s also the senior guys with more professional experience, they’ve got a great chance too.”

Edwards hailed the input of PFI creator Paul Fletcher, who started the circuit build in 1994 and put over £5 million into the circuit. He received the MSA’S Malcolm Campbell award in 2016 for services to UK karting.

“When we had the first taste of CIK karting in 2011 the circuit had been 1100 metres,” added Edwards. “But to satisfy full CIK requirements the circuit was extended to 1382 metres, we added the flyover which is unusual. There’s only two circuits with one, us and the Mika Salo track in Finland.

“We have the full support of Paul [Fletcher] whose investment at the circuit continues. He’s spent £5 million to get it where it was and then another million and a half to get it up to international standards.”

BRDC British F3 driver Enaam Ahmed, the last British CIK champion at World level in 2014, said: “I think it’s really, really good. The tracks now in the UK – especially PFI – they’re proper, good tracks; they could rival most car tracks. It’s really good to have it in the UK, which will hopefully boost the UK karting scene too.”