MMorgan

Last updated 01:00, Friday, 06 July 2007

NEW F1 sensation Lewis Hamilton will start his first British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday 14 points ahead of nearest world championship rival Fernando Alonso.

And about 20 miles away at Shenington, near Banbury, four West Cumbrian drivers – Abigail Gerry, Greg Harper, Jason Edgar and his brother Justin

– will be battling it out on another circuit in Round 4 of the British Kart Championship.

Greg Harper, of High Harrington, races for Italy’s Tonykart factory team and he goes to Shenington as the championship leader in Inter Continental A.

Challenging him in this class will be Jason and Justin Edgar. Former British champion Jason is still recovering from an horrendous accident during the previous round at Larkhall near Glasgow where he sustained broken fingers and muscular damage around the shoulders.

Abigail Gerry, 12, from St Bees, is pursuing the same cadet title that Lewis Hamilton won in 1995. Last year she came close to achieving this, finishing behind Herefordshire’s Sam Jenkins.

Abbey and Greg will be hoping to make the same impact in karting as Hamilton did when he first came to the attention of McLaren boss Ron Dennis.

After presenting Lewis with his prize for winning the 1996 McLaren-Mercedes Cadet title, Dennis offered him a contract with the team 12 months later.

In the same year as Jenson Button entered F1, Hamilton became the European kart champion with financial backing from McLaren.

Both Button and Hamilton have raced at Cumbria’s Rowrah circuit but whereas Button was a regular winner here, Hamilton has less happy memories.

On his last visit to the circuit, he was beaten in all four races by Mark Fell, of Dalton in Furness, although he picked up valuable points on his way to second place in the 1998 Junior Championships.

Button’s early successes with the Williams team prompted Cumbria Kart Club to set up the Racing for Buttons scheme at Rowrah in March 2000 and many prospective young champions have since graduated from the training programme, including Gerry and Harper.

I was part of the initial intake, along with Ryan Kenmare, from Frizington, who was only six at the time.

Ryan, now 13, won the latest Northern Kart Federation Championship round at Fulbeck near Newark last weekend.

But another Buttons graduate, Workington’s Matthew Grierson, who now leads the championship.

Hamilton’s recent run of success has increased the interest in karting not just at Rowrah but elsewhere in Britain.

Many young people have been inspired by his results and want to try their hand at the sport that made it all possible for him. Find out more by calling Mike Armstrong on 01900 818580 or Paul Grierson on 01900 606627.