As the 2016 grand winner of the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, the Briton Callum Bradshaw was invited to participate in the CIK-FIA World Junior Championship in Bahrain by OTK Kart Group, the official supplier of Exprit chassis and Vortex engines to the Academy Trophy. Without special knowledge of the OK-Junior category, or prior testing, Callum demonstrated great potential within the 97 Drivers present.
The young Englishman started in the last group in Qualifying Practice, the one that was most disrupted by extreme strategies. His 9th time sent him back to 59th overall with the consequence of starting from the 10th row in every Qualifying Heat. The first went very well with a 6th position at the end of a 13-place climb. He continued to gain ground in three of the four remaining races and eventually moved up to 34th in the intermediate standings. Callum continued on his way to reach the top 10 of Prefinal 2 after a further gain of seven places. His exploits ended unfortunately on the first lap of the Final, an incident causing his retirement.
Callum, are you aware of the chance you have of racing in Bahrain with Tony Kart?
– Definitely! I know the value of this prize. It was a dream that I never expected to see realised. I sincerely thank OTK Kart Group for inviting me. What a great experience for me to be able to participate in the World Championship with a team as renowned as the Tony Kart Racing Team!
What differences did you see with the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy?
– The standard of the CIK-FIA World Junior Championship is of course much higher than that of the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy. The engine has a little more low end speed, but the difference is not fundamental. Technically, it may be useful to know how to adjust the carburettor. It is especially the competitiveness of the Drivers and the teams that makes a big difference.
How did your Competition go?
– I’m happy to have progressed at every opportunity, I have been able to significantly improve my performance over a lap. I overtook competitors in almost every race. Giving up at the very beginning of Final remains a disappointment because I am sure I could still have gained places without this incident.
Has your program for 2017 changed?
– I am still planning on X30 Senior, but I hope to be able to race a little more in OK in the British Championship. We are fortunate to have the 2017 CIK-FIA World Championship at PFI (GBR). It is difficult to resist the temptation!
Info CIK-FIA / © Photo KSP