Motorsport UK has shortlisted five drivers to move to the final selection shootout to decide the UK representative at the 2023 FIA Karting Academy Trophy.  

Harry Bartle, Kenzo Craigie, Lewis Islin, Scott Marsh and Harrison Whitticombe have been selected to take part in the first stage of a two-part assessment.

Stage 1 of the shootout will take place at iZone Driver Performance, Silverstone on 6 January 2023, with the drivers being put through their paces across fitness assessments and performing under pressure on karting and single seater simulators. 

An experienced judging panel comprised of Joe Turney (Motorsport UK Academy Graduate and Kart Republic factory driver), Graham Smith (General Secretary, ABKC) Dan Parker (Karting Manager, Motorsport UK) and Katie Baldwin (Competitors Pathway Manager, Motorsport UK) will then review the assessment data to inform who moves onto stage 2 of the shootout. 

The successful drivers will then move on to a practical kart driving assessment being held at the end of January 2023 with the winner selected to represent the nation on the international stage.  

Dan Parker commented, “We’ve had a very high number of quality applications this year and, after the successes the UK have had in global competitions in 2022, we’re really excited about the prospect of what the FIA Karting Academy Trophy could hold in 2023.” 

The 2023 FIA Karting Academy will unfold over three rounds, starting in Třinec, Czech Republic (18 – 21 May), before moving to Rødby, Denmark (15 – 18 June) and finishing in Cremona, Italy (27 – 30 July).