<i>Skolasport</i>'s first ever go karting mini championship

Skolasport is organising the first ever Go Karting mini championship for its participants at Badger Karting, Ta' Qali Raceway.

Starting on Saturday, the championship consists of five races, with the final race taking place on May 20. The kart drivers will be awarded points according to their finishing position, and the winners of each category will be awarded trophies.

Skolasport, sponsored by Kellogg's for the seventh consecutive year, has introduced the karting programme to students at a young age with the aim of breeding a generation of enthusiasts for the development of this innovative sport in Malta.

The go karting championship will help to identify and prepare young kart drivers for future national racing championships.

The karting programme, introduced in Skolasport three years ago, gained immediate popularity and today boasts 75 regular participants. This year there are three different courses. The beginners' course covers the basic aspects of karting, such as kart setup, handling, safety measures, racing line and cornering.

The second year course covers the same topics but on a higher level, with the emphasis on speed. Third-year students do rigorous training to gain kart racing experience. They have taken part in numerous mock races, qualifiers and endurances.

"The response for our karting school, organised through the Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport (KMS), has been very encouraging throughout these three years," Edwin Gauci, instructor at Skolasport and general manager at Badger Karting, said.

"The Skolasport Go-Karting Mini Championship is an exciting event for us. Although in past years we have trained young drivers at our school and some are now achieving success in this sport, this will be the first time that we will have Skolasport students making the grade."