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Karting enthusiast Louis Skalski is on track to fulfil every young racer’s dream after being snapped up by sponsors and earmarked for specialist coaching in a state-of-the-art machine to further his racing ambitions.
The 14-year-old from Karanah has also received the full backing of the British School of Bahrain (BSB) with head teacher Karen Moffat describing him as an inspiration.
“I started karting in 2011 when the track first opened in Sakhir and I was just racing for fun. Now it’s more serious. I find it both thrilling and competitive. I get such an adrenaline rush when I’m in the car.
“My dream is to be an F1 driver like Lewis Hamilton. I aspire to be like him and I would love to go into motor racing as a career.”
Louis displayed his driving prowess during the recent Red Bull Kart Fight at the Viva Karting Track, close to the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) he one day hopes to race on. It was his first competition, facing 40 challenging karters.
He clinched third place and notched the fastest lap time of 1m:02.508s. That lap also secured him a prize trip-for-two to Italy to watch the contest final, which he happily attended along with his mother Kaye, a 49-year-old administrator at an insurance company.
The youngster was quickly snatched up to join the ranks of Racertimes, a social media website and motorsports sponsorship platform for drivers, both young and old.
Ali Haji, Racertimes marketing manager, said: “He really caught our eye during the Red Bull Kart Fight. So far, what is most admirable about Louis as a driver is his passion and excitement to get into the field and to learn what needs to be learned so he can excel.
“Louis, being a young novice, makes him a much more interesting challenge for us to take on because we will be able to have a long-term relationship with him in his racing career.
“Racertimes will manage almost everything on his start in the karting field, from coaching him to supporting him financially, to race preparations and sponsor management, while teaching him what it takes to deal with the different organisations in the sport and the media.”
The first step was getting Louis a coach and who better to guide him than 34-year-old race car driver and BIC’s head driving instructor Gavin Halls.
Gavin, sponsored by Racertimes in return for his coaching know-how, has had years of experience driving in single-seaters in Europe in Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula Renault. He started racing karts at the age of seven and knows what it takes to make the grade.
Gavin said: “I had spotted Louis’ potential just before the kart fight and I was actually on track that day driving with him. I mentioned to my guys that he is something to look out for. We watched him closely and he did exactly what we expected.
“We plan to have him racing with the seniors next year when he turns 15 but until then he will be training a couple of times a week, getting up to speed in his new kart so that in his first race he will be fighting for the podium.
“He is basically doing a lot of on-track practice to get enough seat time in his kart because he is going from an eight-horse power 175kg kart to a 32hp 145kg kart. It’s a lot less weight and quadruple amount of power.
“He is a young kid that has never driven a kart like this before. Even though he has taken to it very quickly, we still need to get the last few kinks out of him so we have a lot of practice and driving to do.”
The karting prodigy may be a newcomer to the sport but he has already gained a growing fan base. His school has also offered to support his karting career until the end of December 2013 and Arnim Ramsey, chief executive officer of EARTH, a company specialising in ‘environmentally safe products and services’, is also backing him.
His new kart will soon be decorated with Racertimes colours and logos of BSB and EARTH.
Ms Moffat said: “Louis exemplifies the get-up-and-go BSB spirit and we’re very proud of the motivation and initiative that he’s shown in the pursuit of his passion.
“He is well on his way to achieving his dream to become an F1 driver and we wish him all the very best in accomplishing his ambitious goals.”
Louis’s parents, Kaye and Dan, 56, an aviation manager, are thrilled with their son’s accomplishments to date. His 19-year-old sister Charlie, a university student studying in the UK, describes herself as his ‘number one’ fan.
Kaye said: "When I was picking Louis up from school he told me that I had to go into the head’s office and my initial reaction was ‘Oh no, what has he done!’ Then they told me the great news about his sponsorship and on the way home, I kept saying, ‘I can’t believe it!’.
"Then my friend Arnim of EARTH offered his help and he is just such a generous person.
"I think if Louis has got a talent then he has to go for it. He is very fortunate to have all this help and support.
"If he improves and continues to keep his grades up, as that’s non-negotiable, then who knows where he will reach. I want him to continue doing well, really concentrate and move up to Formula One so he can buy me my house and a Ferrari!"
Dan added: "I am really pleased with Louis and I think he has shown lots of promise. He is enthusiastic. I just hope he can apply himself not only to the mechanics of the kart but also his schooling at the same time because of his age.
"I hope he will be disciplined in the mechanics of the car because if he understands it then he will have a good knowledge of the disciplines of racing."
