Sam steps up to National Championship in 2011

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AFTER only one full year competing at club level, Ashbourne’s teenage kartsensation Sam Randon is stepping up to compete in the British National Championships in 2011.
Sutton-in-the-Hill resident Randon, a pupil at John Port School in Etwall, will be the sole Derbyshire representative up against the best young British drivers at circuits across England, Scotland and Wales as he competes in the Junior TKM class.

“Competing at this level will be a big challenge for me as I have never been to most of the circuits before and the competition will be very difficult.” said Sam.

The 15-year-old will enter the SuperOne British National TKM Championship,which boasts Jenson Button as a previous winner, with the added attraction of racing being televised to an overall audience of 15.5 million in Britain and across Europe.

Sam’s father and chief mechanic Neil Randon, hopes this will attract more sponsors.

“To be competitive in the National Championship is very expensive, so we are appealing to local businesses to get involved and support Sam to give him the best chance of success. This can be a very cost effective way of getting your company name on national TV.”

Sam’s progress this year has been impressive as he collected a number of trophies and acolades at circuits across the UK.

“At the beginning of the season we were aiming for a few top five results, but once we got the chassis sorted out, I suddenly found that I could win heats and challenge the leaders, some of whom have been racing since they were eight,” said Sam.

Coming so close to his maiden overall event win in October convinced many that he could compete in the national championship.

Neil said: “Despite Sam’s early success at club level, this is still a big step up for him next year. “We have taken professional advice and the consensus is that he is more than capable of competing at this level with the right backing.”