Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordnator

A contingent of six go-karters departed the island yesterday for Denver, Colorado, where they will compete against 200 of the best crop of karters from North and Central America, in a pre-qualifying meet for the Rotax World Go-Kart finals.

"The top six from each class will advance to the world finals which will be held later this year," Andrew Jackson, president of the Jamaica Karting Association (JKA) told The Gleaner yesterday.

Leading the team is the 16-year-old Timothy Stewart, who stunned the world last year when he won the pre-race final of the Rotax World Go-Kart finals, held in Portugal. He has moved from the junior class to the Rotax senior class.

Performed well

Among the other Jamaicans who will be taking part are Peter Moodie Jr. and Martin Anderson in the Rotax senior class, Mark Myers in the Rotax masters class, Philip Myers in the Rotax junior class, and nine year-old Colin Daley Jr. in the Rotax mini-max class.

"We are expecting a good performance from Stewart, Moodie and Anderson who have been doing well in the Rotax senior. Our karters have always performed well at international meets and expectations are high in the JKA," said Jackson.

Reports are that the Colorado track could prove very challenging to the Jamaicans. It is located in the hills and has several elevation changes which could impact on the engine and the driver's stamina.

Of the six, the karter all Jamaicans will be looking out for is Moodie, a multi-talented race drive, who has vast experience. He is also a mechanic by profession.

The Rotax Karting Series is run in over 60 countries and adheres to the same rules. It is the fastest growing karting series in the world.

The JKA is aiming to produce world class karters. So far, it has introduced the sport to age groups as young as five in the local championship.