Motorsport UK is delighted to welcome the Electroheads e-kart Championship to the expanding Karting Pathway. After initial trial events in 2020, the brainchild of former Ferrari and Williams Formula One engineer Rob Smedley will become a fully-fledged Motorsport UK championship for the 2021 season.

The Electroheads series will be open to young karters who will be starting their motorsport journey, as the championship will act as the perfect entry point for both Bambino and Cadet age categories.

Both karts will be based around a standardised chassis with a 3kW motor for the Bambino category for six to eight-year-olds, while the Cadet variant for eight to 12-year-olds will boast a more powerful 5kW unit. All karts will feature a 48v lithium-ion battery and Control Area Network (CAN) for plug-in speed control and performance maps, which will be shared and monitored by the Electroheads team to ensure total performance parity across the grid.

Most importantly, the bespoke machines will offer identical or greater performance regarding weight, speed and acceleration, when comparing them to the petrol-powered equivalents.

Electroheads e-kart Championship founder Rob Smedley, commented on the partnership, “It’s fantastic to be joining forces with Motorsport UK. On our side we have been working on the project for three or four years and now we are really proud to announce the collaboration with the national motorsport governing body, as we share the same vision of reducing barriers to entry, including cost, time and know-how.”

“Our ambition has always been to make it far easier for the next generation of racers to experience the excitement of motorsport. We wanted to bring the knowledge acquired at the very highest level in Formula One to grassroots motorsport, to give something back to the community and especially the younger generations.”

Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers said, “We are delighted to work with Rob Smedley and the Electroheads electric karting initiative. Motorsport UK is continuing to establish a new Karting Pathway from entry-level karting such as the British Indoor Karting Championship with TeamSport, via arrive-and-drive Club 100 karting and the Daniel Ricciardo Series one-make kart series, all the way through to the pinnacle of karting with the Motorsport UK British Kart Championships. 

“The Electroheads project is extremely exciting, as we broaden the opportunities the Karting Pathway has to offer for young drivers, it represents as an innovative new element. Along with a high level of accessibility, the karts will offer complete parity, removing barriers to entry, creating an equal playing field for all, enabling the best drivers to rise to the top. We look forward to an exciting 2021 season as we work with Rob and his team to develop and promote this great initiative. Motorsport UK is continually exploring the ways in which we can diversify the sport and offer not only financial and social accessibility, but also combat broader issues such as diversity, inclusion and sustainability – especially through grassroots motorsport.”

The Electroheads e-kart Championship will be holding taster and demonstration events throughout the remainder of the 2020 season before the Motorsport UK endorsement in 2021, with its competitors enjoying all the benefits of Motorsport UK membership. For more information, visit www.electroheads.com.