Charlie Hart, a Year 10 pupil at Bolton School Boys’ Division, has been seeded 6th in the UK after the recent British Kart Championship final round which took place at Whilton Mill in Northamptonshire. He competed in a field of 72 entries and successfully secured himself a place in Team GB at the Rotax World Finals at Portimao, Portugal, which runs for a week in late November. The annual ‘Olympics’ of karting sees four to five hundred drivers aged 8-16 years take part from around the world.
His father, Chris Hart, said: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity and achievement for Charlie and we are very proud. It has been rewarding to watch him progress up through the various levels, often competing against boys much older than himself. Charlie is now signed to drive for Elite Motorsport in the 2023 Ginetta Junior Championship and has already started to test the car with the team. Ginetta Junior is for children between the ages of 14 and 17 and is the stepping stone to an adult career in motorsport which is where Charlie would like to progress. The races support the British Touring Cars and are often covered live on tv. We look forward to the World Finals and to see just how far he can go.’
Charlie has been karting since five years of age and follows in the footsteps of his father, who still races, and his grandfather. He began with indoor karting in Manchester then joined Team Sam Pollitt Racing at 6 years of age, a team based in Leigh with whom he has remained throughout his career. He began racing at Wigan’s Three Sisters track and at local clubs by age 8. At age 9, Charlie moved up to competing in national circuits. After three years at this level, he moved to the Junior 125cc Rotax Junior Class (ages 12-16) and last year was the youngest competitor on the grid. Despite his young age, he was seeded 10th in the UK and in 2021 competed in Belgium at the Rotax Euromax Golden Trophy. This year’s 6th seeding comes with him only having recently turned 14 years of age.
