Malolles industrial estate, Vic. Sunday, 11 in the morning. The thermometer does not dare to rise above 4ºC at the Circuit d’Osona karting circuit. A group of 20 aspiring pilots, 16 boys and 4 girls, between 6 and 13 years old, fight the cold with a cocktail of nerves, excitement and enthusiasm for being the chosen one: it is their first driving test, the revalidation that It can open the doors to a pilot career. These are the first “test rounds” – that’s what they call them, so that no one gets too scared – of the recently created Escola Catalana de Karting. Something like a casting of drivers of the future who must nourish the base of Catalan motorsport.
“There are no children at the base and therefore the other categories of pilots are not fed,” summarizes the problem of the shortage of kids Belén García (25), an endurance pilot who acts as a mentor or coordinator of the Escola Catalana of Karting (ECK), a program promoted by the Federació Catalana d’Automobilisme (FCA) and the RACC to promote the growth of the quarry with the training of young drivers.
“The objective is multiple: firstly, to expand the base, to increase the number of children in motorsports, and this is done with karting, which allows incorporation from a young age; that they acquire sports techniques, without picking up vices; and progressively incorporate them into karting championships or other disciplines,” explains Pere Serrat, president of the FCA, very realistic in his purpose: creating a future Catalan Alonso is practically a utopia.
The 10 scholarships include 4 training sessions, free license and 20% discount on registration in races
“The ultimate goal, the dream, would be to have a Catalan driver in F-1, but we all know that many factors influence it and it is complicated. We want to give the first push to build a sporting future. And we want this program to have a mirror value: to help friends and family of the young drivers learn about motorsports. We want the ECK to have a snowball effect,” Serrat hopes to combat the notable decrease in the number of licenses for minors in recent years.
2024 has closed, according to data provided by the FCA, with only 10 international karting licenses and 33 licenses for children between 6 and 16 years old. Some very poor figures.
The reason for the fall is twofold: the economy and the lack of quality infrastructure. He motorsport It has always been a very expensive discipline, and with the crisis, low salaries, and the high cost of living, it is becoming increasingly difficult for families to face such a high expense, and with so little help.
Although the lack of karting circuits approved for competition in Catalonia also has an impact (only the one in Osona meets the measurement conditions), which is why many parents take their children to compete outside, on tracks in Valencia or Aragon.
“If we want to do training, we need competition karts, not rental ones,” explains Belén García. “This way, the kids can have continuity with the seats and pedals, with more stability with karts as God intended to take a first step to compete.” The RACC and the FCA accepted: the ECK would have 10 competition karts available, the number of scholarship places in the program, although the initial demand was higher.
The call closed with 33 registrations. In the first tests, 20 boys showed up. Divided into two groups – with previous experience and without experience – they lapped the circuit, under the supervision of Belén and the Just Drive technicians, who took note of the skills.
In the rounds, what is most valued in the boys and girls candidates for a place in the ECK is “attitude”, much more than technical quality or times. “You find two types of children: those who want to learn, seek to improve and ask questions, and those who go crazy, know everything and don’t listen… If one is like that but is very good, and can be calm down, we could incorporate it, but we also have to see the involvement of the family, if it is a good influence, if it is flexible, if it collaborates… We train both children and families,” says García.
After evaluating times, evolution and attitude of the 33 registered, the ECK will choose its first 10 members in the coming weeks, the chosen ones. Scholarship recipients are offered four training sessions, theoretical and practical, at the Circuit d’Osona, with 60cc competition karts, at a reduced price (175 euros each day, for kart rental, insurance, classes and overalls). ). Pilots must wear a helmet, boots, gloves, rib cage and protective collar. After training, they will be able to participate in the 2025 Catalunya Karting Championship, with a paid license (about 200 euros), and will enjoy a 20% discount on registration in the five races of the championship (about 100 euros per race ). Thus, the total cost for students is 850 euros.
“The problem with the engine is that it is very expensive; It is unfair and cruel. “Many are left without running for money.”
“The problem with the engine is that it is very expensive; It can be unfair and cruel, many are left without running for money,” García admits. “It’s a sport in which they don’t give you anything. But ECK can be an easier and safer way to get started… If three of the 10 chosen want to continue seriously, I would be satisfied,” says García, who on the day of testing saw “little things and qualities. ..”
Like those of a little boy from Tona named Diego Marca, 5 years old, the youngest of the candidates. At only 1.15 m, the kid barely reached the pedals. His mother, Sara, had to put her bag on her back so she could reach the controls, and then even three pads on the backrest. “He has always liked to drive since on a holiday in Lloret we put him in a kart when he was 3 years old,” explains Sara, aware of the difficulty in financing the boy’s hobby, which arose from the passion of his father, who is passionate about F-1. , Ferrari and Schumacher.
“We make a very big effort; A second-hand competition kart costs us 1,000 euros, plus 400 every two months to compete… We will have to work a lot of overtime,” says Sara, who is an administrator, while her husband, Alex, is the driver of a vat of cement. “I would like him to go far, Diego dominates the kart being so small. But my dream is not to reach F-1, but to be happy and do what he likes.”
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