9-year-old karter sees chance at F1 glory
JIM KENZIE/FOR THE TORONTO STAR
Sabrina Wick has her sights set on Formula One.
INNISFIL—Remember this name: Sabrina Wick.
“I want to be the first girl to race in Formula One!” says the 9-year old from Tottenham, Ont.
Well, Sabrina, you can’t be first. That would have been Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958.
Lella Lombardi is the only other woman to actually race in F1 and the only one to score points (well, half a point for finishing sixth in the rain-shortened Spanish Gran Premio of 1975). Three other women entered F1 races but did not qualify.
But unless Danica Patrick beats her to it, Sabrina could be next.
Sure, it’s a long, LONG journey from the Innisfil Indy karting track (a nine-iron shot from Cook’s Bay, Lake Simcoe, just south of Barrie) to the Grand Prix circuit.
But virtually every driver on the F1 grid in Montreal two weekends ago started just as Sabrina is starting: at a local kart track, at about this age.
Sabrina is racing in the Canadian Karting League, an arrive-and-drive program initiated this year by Russ Bond.
“Rusty” was no slouch as a karter himself, his racing career eventually taking him around the world in a competitive Formula Atlantic car.
He still gets around pretty well in a kart too, as he proved by demolishing a stellar international field in a media-and-celebrity challenge kart race that was part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans event in France two weekends ago.
The CKL provides even rank beginners with every race car driver’s dream: show up, get in the car, race, go home.
No maintenance, no repairs, no trailering — just like World Champion Jenson Button.
Except a lot less expensive.
It costs $99.99 to register. A mandatory training session — some of these kids have never sat in a kart before — is $50.
Each race event, which typically consists of a practice session, two heat races, and a feature for each of the various classes, is another $50.
The league is sanctioned by ASN Canada-FIA, the official governing body of motorsport in Canada.
“We know that few of our young people will never become professional racers,” says Bond, not wishing to stomp on anyone’s dreams, but recognizing from his own experience the cold hard truth about professional motor racing.
“But 100 per cent of them will drive a car at some point. We think that the lessons they learn here about car control, concentration, discipline, and most of all safety, which is our primary concern, will stand them in good stead in the future.
“Plus, a large number of the parents who bring the kids out here also decide to race. It really can be a family thing.”
CKN’s race director Mike Goodyear also had a tremendous karting career. He didn’t take it quite as far as his brother Scott, but motorsport has been a big part of his life since he was, well, Sabrina’s age.
“We try to make it fun for the kids and the parents, make it competitive, clean, safe — and as equal as possible.”
That last challenge belongs to technical director Mark Jonak (who — full disclosure but entirely coincidental — happens to be a rural Milton neighbour of mine). Before each session, professional drivers test-drive each kart to ensure they are all within two tenths of a second per lap of each other.
The only differences among the single-engine 6.5 horsepower Honda-powered karts is that pedal and seat placements vary to accommodate drivers of different heights.
I visited CKL last weekend to see what it’s all about. They had 62 entrants that Saturday — their highest total yet. The atmosphere is casual and friendly, but professional and on time (for a race meet — imagine that).
The organizers know most of the kids by their first names, and give them lots of encouragement.
That said, they have to toe the line, get in position when their class is called, and obey all marshals’ instructions.
Any run-ins on the track are strictly dealt with.
Sabrina won her first heat race. Brenden Clark of Orillia and Ben MacGregor of Barrie gave her a good battle, but the basic truth about any race car is power-to-weight ratio — both boys gave 40 to 60 pounds away to the diminutive Sabrina.
Sabrina spun out in the second heat, but ran well in the feature. I was too busy getting ready to race myself to pay enough attention and write down her finishing position.
Now, among the many reasons I was never more than a mediocre race car driver (“talent” was also pretty high on that list) was that I didn’t start in karts.
But they tossed me into the Masters class anyway, even stuck me on pole for the first heat. (It’s called “taunt the journalist.”)
I did manage to stay in front for a couple of laps (did anybody take pictures?) but eventually yielded to the inevitable.
While lying third I thought I had an opening to regain second. I tucked the nose in, hit the brakes, locked them up, and hammered the number two car right smartly. He managed to continue, I spun, and eventually finished fifth out of six.
In the Masters feature, I was gridded where I belonged (last) and managed to grimly hold on to that position until the checker.
Despite women’s general lack of success so far, motorsport is one major league sport where women do not have a built-in disadvantage; strength is important obviously, but muscle mass per se is not. Small size, lower weight, fine motor control and endurance are critical, and women are better than men at all of the above.
Endurance? They were engineered to give birth, for cryin’ out loud. If men had to do that, the human race would have lasted exactly one generation.
True, testosterone levels are an issue. But are you telling me that Serena Williams, Hayley Wickenheiser and Clara Hughes aren’t competitive?
Determination also counts. Bond recalls that when the CKL drivers’ suits arrived, Sabrina’s mom came to pick them up for both Sabrina and her 14-year old brother Tyler, from whom Sabrina caught the racing bug in the first place. Mom told Bond that Sabrina slept in hers that first night.
So, will Sabrina make it to F1? The overall odds say no.
But every 9-year-old in the world today who will end up on an F1 grid for the first time in 10 to 12 years will have spent last Saturday doing exactly what Sabrina did last Saturday: kart racing.
For more information on the Canadian Karting League, visit www.canadiankartingleague.com.
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