Superkarts! USA Supernationals 28 entry opens July 31
Superkarts! USA Supernationals 28 entry opens July 31

Superkarts! USA Supernationals 28 entry...

Superkarts! USA Supernationals 28 entry opens July 31

Superkarts! USA Supernationals 28 entry opens July 31

Superkarts! USA has confirmed the opening day for registration for SKUSA SuperNationals 28. The November 12-16 event is set for a return to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway following the success of the...
Registrations open for the CRG Rental Kart World Contest
Registrations open for the CRG Rental Kart World Contest

Registrations open for the CRG Rental...

Registrations open for the CRG Rental Kart World Contest

Registrations open for the CRG Rental Kart World Contest

In just over 10 days, many rental kart drivers have already registered for the Sprint Cup and several teams have signed up for the Endurance Cup, the two main events of the Rental Kart World Contest...
Registration now open for  30th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix
Registration now open for  30th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix

Registration now open for 30th annual...

Registration now open for 30th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix

Registration now open for 30th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix

Registration is now open for the 30th annual The Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix, the world’s largest and most prestigious karting street race. This year’s race is August 30-31, 2025 and...
ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report
ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report

ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report

ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report

ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report

One month after Jesolo, the ROK Cup Italy is back on track for the fifth round of the season, on the occasion of the "night event" in Lonato del Garda. In total, 262 drivers livened up the...
A brilliant start to the International season for Modena Kart
A brilliant start to the International season for Modena Kart

A brilliant start to the International...

A brilliant start to the International season for Modena Kart

A brilliant start to the International season for Modena Kart

Drivers in the colours of the Modena Kart team have become regulars on the podiums of the biggest events since the start of 2025, in the WSK Promotion series as well as the ACI Karting Italian...
Carr drives towards glory as KZ King equals record
Carr drives towards glory as KZ King equals record

Carr drives towards glory as KZ King...

Carr drives towards glory as KZ King equals record

Carr drives towards glory as KZ King equals record

Liam Carr is knocking on the door of a maiden KA2 Junior SP Tools Australian Kart Championship after an immaculate weekend in Newcastle, while double KZ2 Champion, Troy Loeskow, recorded a...
A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO Challenge 2025’ initiative
A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO Challenge 2025’ initiative

A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO...

A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO Challenge 2025’ initiative

A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO Challenge 2025’ initiative

As part of their 2025 ‘ACO Challenge’, Team WRT continues its commitment to meaningful, human-driven initiatives. After winning the 2024 ACO ‘Coup de Cœur’ Award for its...
Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart Championship round two
Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart Championship round two

Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart...

Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart Championship round two

Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart Championship round two

Jac Preston has taken his first ever SP Tools Australian Kart Championship round win in KZ2 at Murray Bridge, South Australia, while Ky Burke broached the top step of the podium in KA2 for the first...
Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with Round 2 held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo
Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with Round 2 held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo

Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with...

Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with Round 2 held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo

Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with Round 2 held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo

The ROK Cup Italy continues its seasonal journey with the second round held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo (PV). Almost 200 are the attendants in the seven categories competing, in a...
IPK strengthens its presence in International Competition
IPK strengthens its presence in International Competition

IPK strengthens its presence in...

IPK strengthens its presence in International Competition

IPK strengthens its presence in International Competition

Since its creation in 2010, the IPK factory has rapidly established itself as one of the leading companies in the global karting market, thanks to its innovative technology and the quality of the...
Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as Italian flies in Melbourne
Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as Italian flies in Melbourne

Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as...

Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as Italian flies in Melbourne

Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as Italian flies in Melbourne

Young Queenslander, Cooper Folley has stunned the field in his first KA2 Junior round at the opening SP Tools Australian Kart Championship, presented by Castrol event sweeping to the win at the...
Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy
Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy

Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy

Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy

Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy

Great weekend for Kalì Kart colours at the 36th Margutti Trophy that took place this weekend in Lonato. In the OK Junior category, Ilia Berezkin dominated the OK Junior by winning all 3 qualifying...
Italian Champion to line up in Australian Kart Championship opener
Italian Champion to line up in Australian Kart Championship opener

Italian Champion to line up in...

Italian Champion to line up in Australian Kart Championship opener

Italian Champion to line up in Australian Kart Championship opener

Italian Champion Moritz Ebner is set to make his Australian debut at the opening round of the 2025 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship presented by Castrol in Melbourne next weekend (March 28-30).
Stars of Karting take centre stage in Melbourne
Stars of Karting take centre stage in Melbourne

Stars of Karting take centre stage in...

Stars of Karting take centre stage in Melbourne

Stars of Karting take centre stage in Melbourne

Melbourne’s Grand Prix week started off with a bang with the Stars of Karting Event at Port Melbourne’s Todd Road facility on Monday. The short and sharp format saw qualifying followed up...
Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double round weekend at K1 Circuit
Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double round weekend at K1 Circuit

Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double...

Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double round weekend at K1 Circuit

Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double round weekend at K1 Circuit

The first event of the 2025 ProKart Challenge program was held on the February 28-March 2 weekend at the new K1 Circuit. The Winchester, California facility welcomed the Superkarts! USA regional...
Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy
Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy

Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025...

Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy

Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy

Karting Australia is proud to announce that Annabel Kennedy (Brisbane, QLD) and Hamish Campbell (Gold Coast, QLD) have been selected to represent the nation in the 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy...
WKA Realigns National Road Racing Schedules for 2025 and 2026
WKA Realigns National Road Racing Schedules for 2025 and 2026

WKA Realigns National Road Racing...

WKA Realigns National Road Racing Schedules for 2025 and 2026

WKA Realigns National Road Racing Schedules for 2025 and 2026

With a very busy Road Racing Calendar and events so close to each other throughout the year, racers have expressed their concerns that some events are simply not feasible to attend.  Responding...
2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury Wodonga
2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury Wodonga

2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury...

2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury Wodonga

2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury Wodonga

Karting Australia can confirm that the 2025 Rotax National Cup will be hosted at Albury Wodonga Kart Racing Club on September 13-14.
Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1 race week in Melbourne
Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1 race week in Melbourne

Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1...

Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1 race week in Melbourne

Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1 race week in Melbourne

More than 100 of Australia’s top kart racers will take centre stage at the Go-Kart Club of Victoria on Monday, March 10, as the Stars of Karting event launches "Race Week" for the...
2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the horizon
2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the horizon

2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the...

2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the horizon

2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the horizon

Fresh off a record setting campaign in Florida, the Superkarts! USA organization is turning its focus on the 2025 SKUSA Pro Tour. Set for its 16th straight season, the championship will again be...

DRIVER LINE-UP: CRG to compete in all categories

DRIVER LINE-UP: CRG to compete in all categories Read more

Scheduled for next weekend in Adria (WSK Master Series) and the CRG Racing Team has completed its driver line-up,

Australian Kart Championship to ignite Ipswich this weekend

Australian Kart Championship to ignite Ipswich this weekend Read more

Kart racers from all across the country are set to converge on the Ipswich Kart Track this Friday and Saturday to begin their campaigns in the 2021 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship presented by Castrol EDGE. More than 260 competitors will be in action across eight classes varying from the youngsters in Cadet 9 through to the elite KZ2 class, where drivers use a six-speed gearbox powerplant.

Manuel Espirito-Santo to make single -seater debut with MP Motorsport in Spanish F4

Manuel Espirito-Santo to make single -seater debut with MP Motorsport in Spanish F4 Read more

Manuel Espírito-Santo, from Portugal, will graduate to the Spanish Formula 4 Championship with MP Motorsport this year - the 17-year-old becoming the latest name added to a strong 2021 F4 line-up at the Dutch team.

Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix 26th running set for Sept. 4-5, 2021

Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix 26th running set for Sept. 4-5, 2021 Read more

After shutting down for a year due to the Coronavirus, organizers of the Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix, the world’s largest karting street race, have announced plans for the race to return to its usual Labor Day weekend dates, Sept. 4-5, this year. It will be the 26th year for this popular motorsport event, run through the downtown streets of the city’s Arts & Entertainment District.

New Chairman for Karting Australia Board

New Chairman for Karting Australia Board Read more

Long-time karting administrator Glen Egan has been elected as Chairman of Australian Karting Association Ltd (Karting Australia) at the recent Board Meeting.

Gil Molina joins MP Motorsport for European debut in Spanish F4

Gil Molina joins MP Motorsport for European debut in Spanish F4 Read more

Mexican driver Gil Molina will embark on his first European season in single-seaters this year, having signed to drive for MP Motorsport in the 2021 Spanish F4 Championship.

Birel ART Racing presents its 2021 drivers

Birel ART Racing presents its 2021 drivers Read more

19 names have been confirmed by the Racing department of the Italian company, which will be present in all categories, from Mini to KZ, OKJ, OK and KZ2. They will soon be joined by a driver from the "Richard Mille Young Talent Academy" programme who is still to be nominated.

Motorsport UK searches for young karting talent

Motorsport UK searches for young karting talent Read more

Motorsport UK are seeking applications to represent the UK in the 2021 FIA Karting Academy Trophy – a prestigious international championship for 12-14-year olds. The FIA ​​Karting Academy Trophy is a unique competition designed to pit the best young karters from around the world against each other on equal terms. 

Rotax British Kart classes ready for 2021 season

Rotax British Kart classes ready for 2021 season Read more

Motorsport UK, organisers of the British Kart Championships and JAG engineering, the UK distributer for Rotax, have today announced the calendar for 2021. The schedule has been designed to meet preferences indicated from recent surveys among the Rotax drivers and takes into account the current COVID-19 restrictions.

EMR Rotax and Karting South Africa - note on joining WOMZA

EMR Rotax and Karting South Africa - note on joining WOMZA Read more

There is an incredible amount of excitement and naturally some uncertainty since our announcement to join WOMZA. We feel that some perspective at this point will assist karters, teams, clubs etc to get a clearer picture of what is happening and why.

ROK Cup 2021 calendar updates

ROK Cup 2021 calendar updates Read more

The begging of ROK Cup 2021 season has been delayed of a week. The first race regarding ROK Cup Italia 2021 will no more be held on 21st of March at South Garda Karting in Lonato rather it shifts on 28th of March at the Franciacorta Karting track.

BRP Rotax not only successful in karting, also in Dakar

BRP Rotax not only successful in karting, also in Dakar Read more

Four. Wins. In a row. BRP and its Can-Am Off-Road vehicles just scored their fourth consecutive Dakar Rally victory (2018–2021), sweeping the top 11 places. Together, Maverick X3 racers completed more than 114,024 miles (183,504 km) of extreme off-road racing during this years’ rally, achieving another historic performance.

Alpha Karting keeps developing and strengthens its goals for 2021

Alpha Karting keeps developing and strengthens its goals for 2021 Read more

Strengthened by its experience and partnerships established in 2020 with successful and renowned teams, the Alpha Karting brand keeps growing through the integration of new partners including KPR in Ile de France. 2021 will be a turning point for the Alpha Karting brand which also centralizes its logistics services in Nantes. This move goes with ensuring continuity in the services and support provided to its customers.

Rotax South Africa: A new dawn for Karting

Rotax South Africa: A new dawn for Karting Read more

It is with great excitement that we announce a new dawn for karting - Karting SA  (sanctioned by World of Motorsport South Africa - WOMZA). For far too long, the Rotax Max Challenge Series has been subjected to unpopular regulations and changes by MSA and its appointees which often are not even involved in karting at all. We are therefore creating a dedicated karting regulating body that listens to karters, clubs, promoters, circuits, etc. when making decisions.

CRG extends the agreement with Rasmus Joutsimies for 2021

CRG extends the agreement with Rasmus Joutsimies for 2021 Read more

CRG is pleased to announce the renewal of the contract for the 2021 season with the OK driver Rasmus Joutsimies. The Finnish driver did an excellent job in 2020 with the official team, culminating with the 8th place at the FIA ​​World Championship and CRG management decided to extend the collaboration also for the 2021 season to give continuity to a work that is going on in the right direction.

Botho G. Wagner has passed away at the age of 85

Botho G. Wagner has passed away at the age of 85 Read more

Botho G. Wagner, the man on the left in the photo above, has passed away on 3rd January 2021 at the age of 85. He had been a karting enthusiast from the very beginning and a true “primary rock” of the discipline in his country. Notably, he had participated as a driver in the first race organised in Germany, on 24 April 1960 in Wiesbaden.

NGM Motorsport moves to CRG

NGM Motorsport moves to CRG Read more

CRG is pleased to announce a new important technical collaboration agreement with the NGM Motorsport team, which from the 2021 season will use CRG technical material in all categories and championships in which the team will take part. In particular, the collaboration with CRG will be very close for the KZ2 category, in which the Venetian team will line up three drivers of undisputed value: Giacomo Pollini, Natalia Balbo and Leonardo Bizzotto. NGM Motorsport is a very important reality in the field of national and international karting and boasts in its palmares various Italian titles and two prestigious placings in FIA events: 3rd place in the KZ2 World Cup last year and 2nd place in the European Championship 2018.

WKA Celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2021

WKA Celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2021 Read more

As the sport of karting ages, more milestones come up on the calendar each year.  One prominent achievement is the Golden Anniversary of the World Karting Association.  Established in 1971, the WKA will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2021.  To celebrate and bring recognition to the plateau, WKA has officially launched the 50th Anniversary Logo, which will brand the organization throughout its Golden Anniversary year.

First1516171820222324Last
Champions of the Future: James Wharton among the best at Portimao
Mitchell Koolen
/ Categories: News, International

Champions of the Future: James Wharton among the best at Portimao

Between the two events of the 2020 Champions of the Future series held three months apart, James Wharton's progress has been spectacular. In the south of Portugal, the Australian hopeful showed he was capable of competing with the best in the difficult OK category. Despite an obvious lack of success in the final phase, the driver from the Parolin Racing Kart team was reassured about his level of performance a few days before the World Championship.

James Wharton, who is competing in the OK class this season, is getting ready to take part in the most important competition of the season: the World Championship. Once again, the World Championship promises to be very difficult and challenging, with a large number of competitors. 77 drivers are expected to take part at the Portimao circuit from the 5th to the 8th November."It is important to prepare as well as possible for this event," says the young Rookie, just out of the Junior class. "The second and final round of the Champions of the Future series was an ideal opportunity to check the competitiveness of the equipment and to test myself against the competition, as it took place on the same track in the south of Portugal."

MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCES IN THE HEATS

In Timed Practice, James Wharton confirmed his speed by setting the 3rd fastest time of his group, which put him in 8th position overall. After that, his progress in the Qualifying Heats proved to be remarkable, with a clear round during these four races. "The Parolin chassis, our technical team, the TM Racing factory as well as our engine tuner did a very good job and it was great to fight at the front in all of the heats. I even won one of them with an excellent start, but unfortunately I fell back three places due to a penalty for a bad position of the front fairing." James Wharton found himself in an excellent 4th place after the heats.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE LINE OF FIRE

At the beginning of the Prefinal, James quickly managed to get ahead of his team-mate Lorenzo Travisanutto, a reference in the OK category with his two World Championships and a European Championship. Unfortunately, a few laps later, he retired, the consequence of a crash in the middle of the leading group. He had started the Final with the firm intention to move back up, but this time, he had a mechanical problem, forcing him to retire with many regrets.

"In this race, the possibility of getting on the podium really existed. This incident in the Prefinal really frustrated me, because I had saved my second set of new tyres for the Final. But we have to stay positive. Both Lorenzo and myself proved that the Parolin team was working in the right direction in Portimao. The equipment we have developed together in the last few weeks is performing well and this makes me optimistic for the World Championship. We will have to be determined and ambitious, but without making mistakes."
    
ABOUT JAMES WHARTON

James Wharton is a 14-year-old Australian kart driver currently competing internationally in his first season in the premier class, OK, with the official Parolin Racing Kart factory team.

James started racing karting in Australia at the age of seven. He then shone in the most important single-brand world challenges before making his debut in FIA Karting competition. 13th in the World Junior Championship in his first season in 2018, he also won the KA 100 Junior class in Las Vegas at the SKUSA SuperNationals.

In 2019, in his first full season in OK-Junior, he achieved top results: 9th in the European Championship, 4th in the Italian Championship and 2nd in the legendary Winter Cup in Lonato. Despite an injury, he was fighting for victory in 2nd place in the World Championship when he was stopped by a mechanical problem. He was again victorious at the SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas in the X30-Junior category.

An official Parolin Racing Kart driver, James is involved in the development and tuning of the equipment thanks to a very good rapport with Albino and Marco Parolin. His discovery of OK, the top category in karting, was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He restarted competition in July 2020 with the aim of making it into the international top five.

James Wharton plans to continue his career as a single-seater driver with a first step into F4 as soon as he reaches the required age.

Previous Article Strong performances in OK and a podium in Junior before the World Championships
Next Article Tony Kart Racing Team on the occasion of the last round of the Champions of the Future
Print
1685 Rate this article:
No rating
Please login or register to post comments.