With the debate about the new starting procedure last weekend and the comments that Lewis could be the looser I looked again a couple of weeks ago at his Blue Peter exploits when he was seven. He had the talent then and he has it now.
It was great to see Jenson and John.
Thank you Joe, not least for relief from the depressing comments from some about Mercedes(domination) and Pirelli. Both companies are doing a superb job.
I am biased, because I have a shifter kart, but someone recently asked our local driving group to rank our favorite racing series based on excitement. My top 3 were: MotoGP, Karting, Formula One.
Unfortunate that Indy car racing has claimed two of those little boys! Amazing that all that talent was in one race though. At our local kart track you can throw a blanket over the first four or so cadets. Oh, if F1 was so close!
Desperately sad. There will be an Indy car drive across the Golden Gate Bridge in about an hour with Marco Andretti in the lead in car No 25 in honor of Justin Wilson.The event was originally planned to promote Sunday’s race at Sonoma, it is now of course something very different.The two safety cars which were on site trying to save Justin’s life will also be present and will fly Justin Wilson flags from the back of their trucks. Will Power, Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden will also take part.
Joe, WOW WOW WOW fantastic, I remember taking my son karting in cadets worrying about the engine starting but then watching the lads all race around like pros brilliant grass roots entertainment, recommend to anyone with a greasy burger from the snap wagon if we were lucky (or not).
Added bonus at the end of John Button looking as if Barry Sheene was about to appear in the background, what a proud Dad he must have been and with all the commitment the families put in, success is often deserved.
Thanks for reminding me of the joy of those days and how important it is for us all to support the racers of the future. Cheers Joe.
Wow! As a father whose son wants to race, it’s amazing to see a young Jenson…and his father John who is clearly brimming with pride, but who also shows a bit of trepidation. Ironic in that two of the top competitors in that race have now sadly passed while racing. Jenson’s fortunes have been better–but it all brings into focus the discussions that have occurred recently in this blog and other venues concerning safety and the risks inherent in sports. As a parent you want to afford your children all opportunities, but it must be heart-wrenching for the Wheldon and Wilson families to feel they fostered the activities that resulted in their sons’ demise. Difficult choices…
Wow, amazing racing from so many future single-seater racing stars – Anthony Davidson, Jenson (Yenson) Button, Dan Wheldon, Justin Wilson. Sadly two of those four are now departed which is a damn shame.
To me this captures the very essence of competitive motorsport.
In the old days we could watch European or BRDC F3 to spot the cream that was about to float to the top. Now there are so many one-make formulas and so very few competitive (non-paying) seats in F1. The genuine competition becomes a blur!
Fortunately, with the likes of the Red Bull and McLaren talent spotting programs we can be fairly confident there will always be a Verstappen Jr, chasing a Lewis Hamilton, or Vettel for glory, but we absolutely need a moch less complicated Formula that ensures that the driving talent, rather than engineering prowess, shines through.
But I doubt that we will get it with the current ring-masters in charge. It’s all about the money. Kerching!!!
Back doing some karting and quite a lot of driver coaching with young kids. He was due to enter this year’s Indy500 with Herta, but I think it all went south with no money.
Thank you for posting that Joe. Heartening, sad, poignant, brilliant, all at the same time. Re: Jenson Button – perhaps an early sign of his ability to conserve his tires until the end, no?
thanks for sharing Joe – from someone who hadn’t seen ‘Midweek Motorsport’, or this clip anywhere else, it was a pleasure to watch. Who cares if you didn’t stumble across this first.
I was until very recently a member of Clay Pigeon Kart Club (I live not far away from it) and raced in the TKM championship, but unfortunately I’ve had to curtail it due to family commitments and other things (certainly no danger of me becoming ‘the next Johnny Herbert’ I assure you!) – still dabble in some of the endurance racing up there when I have the time/money…
I would say to anyone who lives relatively near a kart club and enjoys motorsport – definitely go along and have a watch. As you can see, the racing is superb, and it ranges from the 8 year old kids dreaming of F1 right up to the people like me who do it for fun and dream of finishing without being lapped(!). Also, with the IKR championships that run alongside the MSA ones, it’s a cheap way to actually go racing – I would highly recommend it!
Firstly cracking stuff Joe, on so many levels.
I am sure we would watch that on tv if we were ever allowed. But that would kill it as the money would escalate with tv cameras there.
John button said £6000 for a season, I wonder what it is now.
Lot of people standing in very dangerous positions around the track!
Finally “choke the engine for reliability?” or did I mishear?
no you didnt …engines are run very lean for max performance but will seize up if not careful choking them (putting you hand over the carb) richens the mixture – not so bad at 50- 60 mph but much harder on a 250 at 130mph plus … lol
Back in the nineties I used to race 125 P and R karts in the British championships. I was stranded on the back straight at Shennington one day with engine challenges and watched at close quarters the kadet race with all these drivers and it was brilliant.
The paddock knew that there was a ‘special group’ of Ant Justin Dan etc but for me one stood out – lap after lap inch perfect and that was Jenson. I had a bet with my spanner man that he would go the distance and time proved me right.
The difference though is that these kids would do their homework and then kick a ball around the infield with mine and others kids who were all doing the same thing..
I went back to Shennington last year for the first time in many years and was staggered to see the difference- huge motorhomes, kids playing on their latest tech and rarely hanging out together as kids need to – some think its progress I do wonder though..
Thanks Joe for reminding me just how good karting is, that those four (plus others) were really talented and became rounded individuals at the highest level..
Peter….
I know exactly what you mean. I used to race International Heavy in Australia in the early ’80’s. I stopped around 1985 as I was getting into road bikes etc. Last year, I went to a meeting with a friend of mine who used to race and was also a very good engine tuner.
Well, every-one poncing around in their fireproof racing gear, then, sat in the karts, pressed the started button and away they went. I haven’t bothered to go back.
I was lucky enough to attend the World Karting Titles in Parma, Italy in 1981. Spent over a week there as a pit crew. Even met a driver named Ayrton Senna da Silva who went on to greater things.
Ayrton was staying at our hotel, and I commented to him, how well he was doing in Formula Ford at the time. He was amazed that a guy from Australia knew about that. Great times 🙂
Many years ago I went Karting with a (racing) mate who’s son had started racing Cadets. What astounded me at the time was to see these kids doing what 8 or 9 year olds do, hoofing a football around whilst their dad’s tried to get them onto their Karts for the race. Once the race started it was like they’d transformed into 20+year olds with plenty of racing years experience behind them! Their track positioning & racecraft was amazing. Then, 10 minutes after the race had finished, they were all playing football together again.
the other thing I find amazing is that, at the time there were grids full of these youngsters with apparently loads of potential. Why is it (and it can’t be just the money) that some of these guys made it into professional motorsport, but a large percentage of the have just faded away?
And that video is only apropos considering that the Wheldon family has decided to add the Wilson family into the annual post-INDYCAR season karting “friendly near Indianapolis at Mark Dismore’s kart circuit that the Wheldons has organised for Alzheimer’s (the disease that killed Dan’s mother), the Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am has added In Honour of Justin Wilson to its name. The Wheldon-Wilson race (an honour that goes back to the glory days of Indy racing with names such as the Joe James-Pat O’Connor Memorial, the Rex Mays 150, Ted Horn 100) features three amateurs paired in identically prepared circuit rental karts (64 kph / 40 mph maximum!) running 30-minute races each, with the final quarter featuring a star driver (usually an INDYCAR driver). Wheldon’s siblings and sponsors have raced as amateurs in this race, and are scheduled again.
Dismore also named the trophy for winning the next day’s 200-lap, 200-mile (322k) endurance karting event (can take four hours) for Wheldon, who had previously raced and won the event. NASCAR legend Ricky Rudd won the race once, and current INDYCAR driver-owner combination of Josef Newgarden (twice) and Ed Carpenter (once) individually have won the Dan Wheldon Cup. Most teams put two drivers in the event and drivers from all four rungs of the INDYCAR ladder usually participate.
There is a minimum age of 15 for the Wheldon Cup.
But it’s races such as the Wheldon-Wilson, and even karting events at Charlotte’s GoPro Motorplex that feature a rental kart format (roughly $1,350 for all three series in a year, driver only needs to pay the entry fee, circuit provides everything but the uniform and safety gear) that are still pure karting at its best. While the weekend is the same weekend as WEC in Austin, most Indy stars will run the Wheldon-Wilson.
Poignant and inspiring at the same time; what a fantastic piece of footage. Even at this stage, you can see the talent that sets them apart from the rest.
What a lovely Dad! Jenson was so fortunate to have such a loving and supportive father- no wonder he was at most or all of his races. That footage is exceptional – thank you for sharing Joe!
I don’t know what the current situation is with youthful karting in the UK, but in the Netherlands we now have a 2 race series in Lelystad (where a new track has been build). The first event had 127 kids (aged between 6 and 14) present in 7 classes, which apparently is a new record in Europe. This includes the youngest son of Jan Lammers.
Not sure if there are any new Johnny Herberts (or Max Verstappens), but there are some distinctive talents showing. I will keep the starting lists, to be reread in 10-15 years and see who I can brag about having seen while they were starting in karts… In 2 weeks time the next (last) race will be run.
joeblogsf1 
Brilliant!
Brilliant. Lovely to see John Button at the end as well.
Very poignant and, at the same time, sad post. “the 9 year old Jienson Button!”. Thanks for sharing, Joe!
Thanks for that. A nice bit of perspective on drivers we have followed over some years.
Great work as always.
Great Joe.
With the debate about the new starting procedure last weekend and the comments that Lewis could be the looser I looked again a couple of weeks ago at his Blue Peter exploits when he was seven. He had the talent then and he has it now.
It was great to see Jenson and John.
Thank you Joe, not least for relief from the depressing comments from some about Mercedes(domination) and Pirelli. Both companies are doing a superb job.
Both Jenson and Anthony Davidson must feel the loss of Justin Wilson greatly. Hopefully this brings them and others good memories.
I am biased, because I have a shifter kart, but someone recently asked our local driving group to rank our favorite racing series based on excitement. My top 3 were: MotoGP, Karting, Formula One.
I love karting so very much.
wish I had that shared experience with my dad…died when I was 15….so I really felt for Jenson, now again!
Unfortunate that Indy car racing has claimed two of those little boys! Amazing that all that talent was in one race though. At our local kart track you can throw a blanket over the first four or so cadets. Oh, if F1 was so close!
That’s all I could think watching that video. Very sad.
Great to see the sparkle in John Button’s eyes again. A man much missed
Wonderful!
Nice one Joe, good to see John (Poppa Smurf) again.
awesome – thank you!
Wonderful. Had to laugh at “A future Johnny Herbert …”
Don’t know who that Yenson Button chap is but his doppelgänger did pretty well in F1.
I have a very loose association with Clay Pigeon as my eldest son has worked there for the past 6 years
Great stuff,
Would that be Nigel by any chance?
Yes it woukd
Desperately sad. There will be an Indy car drive across the Golden Gate Bridge in about an hour with Marco Andretti in the lead in car No 25 in honor of Justin Wilson.The event was originally planned to promote Sunday’s race at Sonoma, it is now of course something very different.The two safety cars which were on site trying to save Justin’s life will also be present and will fly Justin Wilson flags from the back of their trucks. Will Power, Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden will also take part.
Joe, WOW WOW WOW fantastic, I remember taking my son karting in cadets worrying about the engine starting but then watching the lads all race around like pros brilliant grass roots entertainment, recommend to anyone with a greasy burger from the snap wagon if we were lucky (or not).
Added bonus at the end of John Button looking as if Barry Sheene was about to appear in the background, what a proud Dad he must have been and with all the commitment the families put in, success is often deserved.
Thanks for reminding me of the joy of those days and how important it is for us all to support the racers of the future. Cheers Joe.
Wow! As a father whose son wants to race, it’s amazing to see a young Jenson…and his father John who is clearly brimming with pride, but who also shows a bit of trepidation. Ironic in that two of the top competitors in that race have now sadly passed while racing. Jenson’s fortunes have been better–but it all brings into focus the discussions that have occurred recently in this blog and other venues concerning safety and the risks inherent in sports. As a parent you want to afford your children all opportunities, but it must be heart-wrenching for the Wheldon and Wilson families to feel they fostered the activities that resulted in their sons’ demise. Difficult choices…
I predict that Yenson kid will go far. 🙂
Great video! Sad to think that two of those little kids running up front are now gone.
Beautiful!
Brought a tear to my eye.
Priceless video, thanks for posting it Joe!
Great to see Jenson (did the commentator keep saying “Yenson” ;-).
Though, heartbreaking to see both Dan and Justin….
Amazing. I didn’t see a single dirty move.
Wow, amazing racing from so many future single-seater racing stars – Anthony Davidson, Jenson (Yenson) Button, Dan Wheldon, Justin Wilson. Sadly two of those four are now departed which is a damn shame.
Terrific – love it. RIP Papa Button, Dan and Justin.
thanks
A future Johnny Herbert! And some.
To me this captures the very essence of competitive motorsport.
In the old days we could watch European or BRDC F3 to spot the cream that was about to float to the top. Now there are so many one-make formulas and so very few competitive (non-paying) seats in F1. The genuine competition becomes a blur!
Fortunately, with the likes of the Red Bull and McLaren talent spotting programs we can be fairly confident there will always be a Verstappen Jr, chasing a Lewis Hamilton, or Vettel for glory, but we absolutely need a moch less complicated Formula that ensures that the driving talent, rather than engineering prowess, shines through.
But I doubt that we will get it with the current ring-masters in charge. It’s all about the money. Kerching!!!
Whatever happened to jay Howard ?
Jay Howard did o.k. too it seems – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Howard
Back doing some karting and quite a lot of driver coaching with young kids. He was due to enter this year’s Indy500 with Herta, but I think it all went south with no money.
Loved it. Thanks Joe.
Excellent find, thank you! Poignant too…
Thanks for sharing this Joe – what a find!
Just brilliant… Thank you Joe Saward, your the best….
Thank you for posting that Joe. Heartening, sad, poignant, brilliant, all at the same time. Re: Jenson Button – perhaps an early sign of his ability to conserve his tires until the end, no?
No?
Someone just listened to this week’s Midweek Motorsport..
What’s that?
and???
thanks for sharing Joe – from someone who hadn’t seen ‘Midweek Motorsport’, or this clip anywhere else, it was a pleasure to watch. Who cares if you didn’t stumble across this first.
I was until very recently a member of Clay Pigeon Kart Club (I live not far away from it) and raced in the TKM championship, but unfortunately I’ve had to curtail it due to family commitments and other things (certainly no danger of me becoming ‘the next Johnny Herbert’ I assure you!) – still dabble in some of the endurance racing up there when I have the time/money…
I would say to anyone who lives relatively near a kart club and enjoys motorsport – definitely go along and have a watch. As you can see, the racing is superb, and it ranges from the 8 year old kids dreaming of F1 right up to the people like me who do it for fun and dream of finishing without being lapped(!). Also, with the IKR championships that run alongside the MSA ones, it’s a cheap way to actually go racing – I would highly recommend it!
Firstly cracking stuff Joe, on so many levels.
I am sure we would watch that on tv if we were ever allowed. But that would kill it as the money would escalate with tv cameras there.
John button said £6000 for a season, I wonder what it is now.
Lot of people standing in very dangerous positions around the track!
Finally “choke the engine for reliability?” or did I mishear?
no you didnt …engines are run very lean for max performance but will seize up if not careful choking them (putting you hand over the carb) richens the mixture – not so bad at 50- 60 mph but much harder on a 250 at 130mph plus … lol
Back in the nineties I used to race 125 P and R karts in the British championships. I was stranded on the back straight at Shennington one day with engine challenges and watched at close quarters the kadet race with all these drivers and it was brilliant.
The paddock knew that there was a ‘special group’ of Ant Justin Dan etc but for me one stood out – lap after lap inch perfect and that was Jenson. I had a bet with my spanner man that he would go the distance and time proved me right.
The difference though is that these kids would do their homework and then kick a ball around the infield with mine and others kids who were all doing the same thing..
I went back to Shennington last year for the first time in many years and was staggered to see the difference- huge motorhomes, kids playing on their latest tech and rarely hanging out together as kids need to – some think its progress I do wonder though..
Thanks Joe for reminding me just how good karting is, that those four (plus others) were really talented and became rounded individuals at the highest level..
Yenson- that did make me laugh…
Peter….
I know exactly what you mean. I used to race International Heavy in Australia in the early ’80’s. I stopped around 1985 as I was getting into road bikes etc. Last year, I went to a meeting with a friend of mine who used to race and was also a very good engine tuner.
Well, every-one poncing around in their fireproof racing gear, then, sat in the karts, pressed the started button and away they went. I haven’t bothered to go back.
I was lucky enough to attend the World Karting Titles in Parma, Italy in 1981. Spent over a week there as a pit crew. Even met a driver named Ayrton Senna da Silva who went on to greater things.
Ayrton was staying at our hotel, and I commented to him, how well he was doing in Formula Ford at the time. He was amazed that a guy from Australia knew about that. Great times 🙂
Putting a cone in the middle of the track would liven up post-SC restarts but it’s probably not feasible because Maldonaldo.
It looked suspiciously like Johnny Herbert was in the field too…
Yes, but if he was he was definitely cheating on age
Thanks and right you are Joe! I really enjoyed that, especially the last lap.
Wow. There was some talent in that race wasn’t there.
Brilliant video tinged with sadness at the loss of Justin Wilson…and Dan Wheldon.
Thanks for this Joe
Many thanks for this. Particularly now.
Wow, Just wonderful, Thanks.
Back when talent actually carried you on and meant more than how much $$$ you had. Thanks for the reminder, Joe.
Where was papa smurf’s pink shirt?
Thanks for posting that. Illuminating and very poignant. A real gem.
Perhaps the colemantator was under the impression that young Yenson was some kind of Scandiwegian?
Many years ago I went Karting with a (racing) mate who’s son had started racing Cadets. What astounded me at the time was to see these kids doing what 8 or 9 year olds do, hoofing a football around whilst their dad’s tried to get them onto their Karts for the race. Once the race started it was like they’d transformed into 20+year olds with plenty of racing years experience behind them! Their track positioning & racecraft was amazing. Then, 10 minutes after the race had finished, they were all playing football together again.
the other thing I find amazing is that, at the time there were grids full of these youngsters with apparently loads of potential. Why is it (and it can’t be just the money) that some of these guys made it into professional motorsport, but a large percentage of the have just faded away?
And that video is only apropos considering that the Wheldon family has decided to add the Wilson family into the annual post-INDYCAR season karting “friendly near Indianapolis at Mark Dismore’s kart circuit that the Wheldons has organised for Alzheimer’s (the disease that killed Dan’s mother), the Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am has added In Honour of Justin Wilson to its name. The Wheldon-Wilson race (an honour that goes back to the glory days of Indy racing with names such as the Joe James-Pat O’Connor Memorial, the Rex Mays 150, Ted Horn 100) features three amateurs paired in identically prepared circuit rental karts (64 kph / 40 mph maximum!) running 30-minute races each, with the final quarter featuring a star driver (usually an INDYCAR driver). Wheldon’s siblings and sponsors have raced as amateurs in this race, and are scheduled again.
Dismore also named the trophy for winning the next day’s 200-lap, 200-mile (322k) endurance karting event (can take four hours) for Wheldon, who had previously raced and won the event. NASCAR legend Ricky Rudd won the race once, and current INDYCAR driver-owner combination of Josef Newgarden (twice) and Ed Carpenter (once) individually have won the Dan Wheldon Cup. Most teams put two drivers in the event and drivers from all four rungs of the INDYCAR ladder usually participate.
There is a minimum age of 15 for the Wheldon Cup.
But it’s races such as the Wheldon-Wilson, and even karting events at Charlotte’s GoPro Motorplex that feature a rental kart format (roughly $1,350 for all three series in a year, driver only needs to pay the entry fee, circuit provides everything but the uniform and safety gear) that are still pure karting at its best. While the weekend is the same weekend as WEC in Austin, most Indy stars will run the Wheldon-Wilson.
Poignant and inspiring at the same time; what a fantastic piece of footage. Even at this stage, you can see the talent that sets them apart from the rest.
Fantastic bit of footage, very poignant that Wheldon and Wilson feature so prominently. Clearly 4 very talented kids.
What a lovely Dad! Jenson was so fortunate to have such a loving and supportive father- no wonder he was at most or all of his races. That footage is exceptional – thank you for sharing Joe!
I don’t know what the current situation is with youthful karting in the UK, but in the Netherlands we now have a 2 race series in Lelystad (where a new track has been build). The first event had 127 kids (aged between 6 and 14) present in 7 classes, which apparently is a new record in Europe. This includes the youngest son of Jan Lammers.
Not sure if there are any new Johnny Herberts (or Max Verstappens), but there are some distinctive talents showing. I will keep the starting lists, to be reread in 10-15 years and see who I can brag about having seen while they were starting in karts… In 2 weeks time the next (last) race will be run.
Heart-warming and tear-jerking all rolled in to one. Three boys, different destinies. Fate is the hunter