– Suriya Varathan, National Karting Champion
Kart racing or karting is a variant of motorsport road racing with small, open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits.
Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher ranks of motorsports, for example Ginetta Juniors, FIA Formula 4, FIA Formula 3, FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 1, with former F1 champions such as Nico Rosberg, Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher beginning their careers in karting.
American Art Ingels is generally accepted to be the father of karting. A veteran hot rodder and a race car builder at Kurtis Kraft, he built the first kart in Southern California in 1956. Instantly popular, Karting rapidly spread to other countries, and currently has a large following in Europe.
The first kart manufacturer was an American company, Go-Kart Manufacturing Co. (1958). In 1959, McCulloch was the first company to produce engines for karts. Its first engine, the McCulloch MC-10, was an adapted chainsaw two-stroke engine. Later, in the 1960s, motorcycle engines were also adapted for kart use, before dedicated manufacturers, especially in Italy (IAME), started to build engines for the sport.
Kart and body weight limit needs to be maintained else it adds ballast to the kart which will affect its (Kart) performances. ”If my mind can conceive it, if my heart can believe it then I can achieve it”, said the late boxer Muhammad Ali.
Sports keeps one fit both physically and mentally and that’s the probable reason why kids are encouraged to engage in sports during their school days. India has various sports though cricket is revered as the most loved.
Times are changing with motor sports too getting recognition in the past two years and we are joined by a young sportsman who is into professional Karting. Hailing from Coimbatore, the going wasn’t easy for the young lad especially with no proper facilities in the city.
Yet it was his passion and sheer determination that made him become a part of MECO Motor Sports and won him laurels on big stage. Though Suriya didn’t go in for a formal training yet he is right on track.
Suriya Varathan tells The Covai Mail that his love for cars was as old as he is but when it came to go-karting, it was his father who was the inspiration behind his decision to become a professional go-kart racer. He says my first experience driving in a professional go-karting track was completely different with the kind of handling and engine; it was indeed very different from what I had seen earlier.
Suriya started off his career at Bengaluru last year. He has already completed one season and one kart open pre-nationals. Last year he did one Kart Open and four Rotax Championships which were only learning experience. He participated in four rounds at Bangalore and Hyderabad respectively. Suriya clinched the 3rd place in the X 30 Championship which had five rounds with 20 races.
This year his focus was on Rotax National Championship which took place in Hyderabad last week where he had to be content at 2nd place in the opening round with four more rounds to go. On Friday, he participated in the FLGB 1300 category for the first time and won the race with two more races to go. The FLGB 1300 category is being held at Kari Motorway, Coimbatore.
When asked about the future of motor sports in India, he said it’s growing and India is developing in motor sports. To budding karters he says, it’s fun and India is soon going to turn into a motor sports hub. Financial backup and time is very important for progressing in motor sports.
When asked about his studies, the lad answered superbly. He said, when he is not racing, he makes sure to focus on his studies in order to maintain his good rank at school.
Remaining fit was another valuable point he added because ultimately it all boils down to how fit you are. He ended the interview by thanking everyone who had been a constant source of inspiration and support during his journey.