Karting Africa, in partnership with WORR Motorsport, will host a historic international karting showrun in Angola from 10 to 11 October, marking a major step forward in efforts to develop future African Formula One talent.
Karting Africa stated that the Karting African Showrun will bring 39 drivers from across the continent to Benguela, Angola, for an event that forms part of the Angolan National League and is described as the biggest karting showrun ever held in Africa.
“Drivers from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are expected to participate, setting the stage for a tightly contested continental showcase.”
Karting Africa founder and head coach, Wesleigh Orr, said the initiative has the full support of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). “The goal is to build a world-class series on African soil, run by Africans for Africans. We want our drivers to have a championship that is held in the same esteem as the African Cup of Nations in soccer.”
Orr added that everybody wants to become a world champion in motorsport, but they want young talented racers to soon say, ‘I want to win the African Championship’. “We want the Karting African Cup to be a genuine African Championship. We want drivers from countries such as the Seychelles lining up against drivers from South Africa and the rest of the continent.”
He said they want to be part of promoting grassroots development across the entire continent, not only South Africa. “Building a respected African championship with the appropriate financial backing and partners would address another of the greatest challenges facing local drivers, the need to travel abroad to access high-level competition.”
He expressed that they are making sure that talent does not have to leave Africa to race competitively, which will help to address the prohibitively high cost of competing. “Karting is already an expensive sport, and international campaigns and travel, accommodation, equipment and logistical costs can quickly place competing out of the reach of most families. We want young drivers to hone their skills by racing in championships so competitive that even European drivers will want to join. For that, we first need to improve access.”
WOOR Motorsport said it already has international partners to support driver development and help African talent gain recognition beyond domestic competition. “The aim is to give promising racers opportunities to be scouted by Formula 1 and other leading international teams. We are confident that future Formula drivers will emerge from the series.”
Orr emphasised that the ultimate goal is to build stronger driver pipelines that produce racers who can successfully represent their countries. “We want to build a system that significantly strengthens motorsport across the region, raises the standard of competition across Africa, and gives local talent a credible pathway to compete at a high level without having to leave the continent to find it,” he concluded.
