8 October 2007

Karting challenge: Prelude to F1

VROOM: Guest-of-honour Mr S Iswaran (right), Minister of State for Trade and Industry, flags off the Caltex National Karting Challenge. Looking on are Assoc Prof Tan Teck Koon (left), Dean of Students, and Mr Ricky Lin, President, NUS Motoring Club.

It was almost like an international Formula One (F1) race as nearly 400 karting enthusiasts from 15 different countries, including Singaporeans, Slovenes, Swedes and Brazilians were flagged off at the inaugural Caltex National Karting Challenge (5-7 Oct).  

The event was jointly organised by the NUS Motoring Club (NUSMC) and Singapore Motor Sports Association (SMSA) to build motorsports awareness among youths as F1 racing comes to Singapore. "We hope to promote go-karting as a motorsports subculture that is accessible to both the young, and the young at heart," said Mr Ricky Lin, President of NUSMC.

	STEPPING STONE: The inaugural Caltex National Karting Challenge may well produce a future Singapore Formula One racer. Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso are among the many F1 stars who started off racing karts.

About 100 teams comprising participants aged from 15 to almost 60 raced at a converted track at East Coast Park. Guest-of-honour Mr S Iswaran, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, who flagged off the finals on Sunday, said go-karting may not be as elaborate as F1 but it is more accessible to motorsports fans.

At the special celebrity race featuring local artistes such as Melody Chen and Allan Wu, saw Mr Iswaran coming in first together with Mr Ricky Lin.

Affiliated to the SMSA, the NUSMC specialises in running motorsports and automotive events and programmes for the NUS community and youth at large, including road safety clinics, advanced driving courses, and basic karting clinics.