CADETS REPRESENT THE NEXT GENERATION AT SANDOWN

The four Cadet drivers (L-R) Emerson Harvey, Jai Sparey, Courtney Prince and Michael Clemente on the front of the grid prior to the start of the V8 Supercars race at Sandown

Four Victorian Cadet drivers symbolized the next generation of Australian motorsport stars at the Dick Smith Sandown 500 on Sunday.

The four youngsters, aged between nine and 11 years old, had the opportunity to be a part of the pre-race activities on the grid prior to the start of the V8 Supercars race while representing the four Victorian Metropolitan Clubs in the Australian Karting Association.

With the fact that 51 of the 56 drivers, including 20 from Victorian clubs, started their careers in karting the appearance of the young drivers added further weight the karting ‘heritage’ on the grid for the opening V8 Supercars endurance race of the year.

“As an Association, we’re continually working to gain a closer relationship with the team at V8 Supercars Australia and this opportunity to highlight the heritage of the current drivers is another great example of this,” said AKA Media & Marketing Manager Lee Hanatschek.

“It is opportunities like these that not only put karting into the forefront of people’s minds when thinking of a career in motorsport, but also provide some great memories for some of the youngsters in our sport.”

In conjunction with the drivers being a part of the ‘Heritage’ event for V8 Supercars each drivers original karting club was recognised in the official race program.

The karting.net.au information stand also formed a part of V8 Supercars’ Students On Track program on Friday, which was attended by more than 2,000 school children in the region.

The stand, which also created significant interest across the weekend, was co-ordinated by the AKA with the assistance of Arrow Karts and Shamick Racing across the three days of the event. James Sera’s Karting Centre and the Oakleigh Go-Kart Club also had a joint display at the event.