17th June 2011

Young driver aims to star on world’s tracks - from the Cairns Post

Preparations are in full swing for Europe-bound Cairns driver Aidan Wright as he looks to make a name for himself on the international go-karting scene.

The 16-year-old recently received word from the sport’s governing body – the Commission International de Karting – that he had been confirmed as a starter in the CIK-FIA Under-18 World Karting Championship starting next month.

Wright will compete in a Zanardi chassis during the three-round series that kicks off at Ortona in Italy, followed by a round at Essay in France in late August, before the series concludes in Bahrain in the first weekend of November.

It will be his maiden international voyage, but Wright said he was excited about testing himself against the world’s best.

“I’ve never been overseas, so I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

“It’s going to be awesome to compete against the best drivers around the world.

“It will be good to see how good they are and where I fit in.”

Wright, who made his racing debut in 2005, applied to race overseas after strong performances in Australia.

“I thought I’d done pretty well in Australia, so I put in an application to race somewhere different,” he said.

“I needed an A-grade licence, and by coming first, second or third in a state or national tournament I had qualified for that.”

This year’s edition of the championships has attracted 83 competitors from 28 countries.

Wright will be the first Australian representative in the CIK-FIA recognised World Karting Championships for a decade, but has his sights set on a strong finish.

“Top five would be good, but I’m aiming for a top 10 finish – that’s my goal,” he said.

Going places: Cairns kart driver Aidan Wright has successfully applied to race overseas, starting next month.