A magnificent gain for Wharton

Competitiveness and combativeness are the two words that could sum up the weekend of the talented driver James Wharton, racing in the FIA Karting European Championship in the OK category. During the second event in Sarno, Italy, the young Australian made one of the best progressions of the 36 finalist drivers, coming back from 27th to 12th place! James Wharton has scored his first points and doesn’t intend to stop there…

For James Wharton, the race at Sarno started with significant performances in the Free Practice sessions. “Throughout the sessions we have constantly improved our lap times thanks to the important work done with the Parolin Racing Kart team“, said the Australian driver. “Everything was in place for the Timed Practice and I was able to set the 2nd fastest time in my group, which placed me 8th overall out of a total of 55 competitors.”

A 15-place rise in the Final!

On the very fast international circuit of Naples, the Qualifying Heats were to be much harder than usual, with many crashes in the pack. “A lot of drivers were very nervous this weekend. Generally, it is important to ensure consistent results in the heats to ensure a good place on the starting grid for the Final. For my part, I was involved in incidents twice, which meant I dropped to 27th in the intermediate classification.” However, his result in the A/C heat showed his level of performance, with 2nd place under the chequered flag.

On Sunday afternoon, James Wharton continued his effort throughout the 30 km of the Final of the OK category. “My start was excellent! Afterwards, I raced at a fast pace and I gained several more places. All in all, it was a good race. Thank you to the team, to my engine builder and to all my partners!”

With 12th after starting from 27th place, James could be proud of his progress in this very tough situation. At just 14 years old, he is taking part in his first OK season and was able to register his first four points in Italy in the FIA European Karting Championship. Next stop Wackersdorf in Germany from 9th to 13th September for the final event…

James Wharton – Press release / Photo © KSP