Rochdale karting star ready to rock the UAE in world finals

Andy King
Photograph courtesy of Chris Walker

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

Andy King is ready to whip up a desert storm in the United Arab Emirates this weekend, as the highly-rated Rochdale speed demon prepares to take on the very best of international karting talent in the prestigious Rotax World Finals at Al Ain Raceway.

A rookie in the blue riband event, Andy will be up against no fewer than 71 world-class rivals of the very highest calibre around, and he earned his World Finals ticket through finishing a strong third in the Senior Rotax class of the national Super 1 Series this year, triumphing twice along the way and tallying an impressive six further rostrum finishes – four of them in swift succession at the end of the season.

The 17-year-old, who is hoping to compete extensively on international shores in 2012, has not had the luxury of being able to try out the Sodikart chassis he will be racing in the UAE due to the difficulty of procuring one in the UK. That means he will head to Al Ain with no previous experience of it and will consequently be plunged right in at the deep end – but he has proven on many an occasion that he is nothing if not a quick learner.

“I was absolutely over-the-moon when I was told the good news,” Andy said, “It’s a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go and race somewhere like that and against the crème de la crème of Rotax drivers from all around the world. I can’t wait!

“The racing will clearly be hard and it will be important to remain focussed, but my goal has to be to win. Just having the chance to go there in the first place is something pretty special all on its own, so if we get a result, too, that will be the icing on the cake – but if we don’t, it will still have been a good experience and we can return next year and finish the job off.

“I won’t be putting any pressure on myself, but I’ll be aiming for the top because my ambition is always to be number one – and to win the World Finals would undoubtedly be the highlight of my career so far, an awesome addition to any driver’s CV.”