Ghada Abdel-Kader profiles Egypt's national karting champion Karter Tarek Khedr was the only Egyptian in the International Rotax Max Challenge 2010. Extremely talented, Khedr is Egypt's national champion. After winning the National Rotax Championship in 2009 he came second in the Middle East Karting Cup 2009, and is ranked second among Middle East drivers. "The Rotax competition was very strong with such a large number of drivers, all of whom are champions. It was the first time a karter is able to finish in such a high position in an international championship," Khedr said. Khedr has been into karting for six years. His love for the sport began when he was a child. "I loved watching Formula One. I dreamt of participating in such races. Karting is a good start for any race car driver in order to reach Formula One standards," Khedr told Al-Ahram Weekly. Khedr, 24, started in national karting competitions, with 9cc engines. Next came competitions in small tracks in Cairo, Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh. On a small track on the Cairo-Ismailia road, he trained every day. "I tried to teach myself by downloading articles on the Internet and watching videos of professional kart racers and how they improved their timing on the track. I tried to apply it in my training," Khedr said. Khedr said karting needs certain skills. "First of all, the racer must have the talent. It also needs physical fitness because a 20-lap race can last from 35 to 45 minutes. It also needs mental practice and strength in order to keep the same concentration level during the entire race. A race is always full of surprises so the driver has to be alert to anything." "Internationally, the International Karting Federation made certain rules to guarantee the safety of the tracks and the drivers. Here in Egypt we have only one international karting track, in Sharm El-Sheikh -- Gibli Raceway which is sanctioned internationally. Each corner of the track is secured. There is a run-off area on the track if a driver cannot continue the race for any reason. "The rest of the tracks are not internationally approved and neither are the types of race cars. The speed of the race car is limited to 70 km per hour, using 28cc to 35cc engines. And national races don't need high- level skills like international ones," added Khedr. Khedr said there are big preparations before any race. On the professional level each driver must have his mechanics team. Race car driving needs tune-ups after each race to make sure the car goes faster on the track. Each driver pays his own expenses. A group of drivers and lovers of the sport created a team called Team Egypt, managed by Moataz Kotb and Zeyad Abu Attia. "We conducted a fitness programmes for the drivers. From the technical side, we are working with VPD, one of the leading racing teams in Europe in karting. They helped with their technicians, sending them to our races to help fix our race cars. We also consulted VPD about the races to enter." Egypt's team has 15 volunteers, all youngsters. They who drew up a marketing plan then visited various companies seeking sponsors. In the last world championship, Misr Cambio and its owner Suleiman El-Assar was Khedr's sponsor. "International karting race costs 3,000 to 4,000 euros. It includes transporting the race car to the track, mechanics and spare parts. All cars are especially designed for races and were imported from abroad. Spare parts are expensive and have a short life span to give maximum performance. "Due to the tough competition in Europe, every three or four races, the driver buys a new chassis and an engine," Khedr said. "More than 100 drivers participate in one race. In the national competitions, a car stays with me for a whole season. I face no problems." He said the Egyptian Karting Federation for now is drawing up a formal charter "which will support our team in the coming period. "My future plans will be discussed with my agent and will include kart races in Europe in order to gain experience. In fitness training, I will move to the earlier stages of Formula One." Besides racing, Khedr works in an IT software company. He graduated from MSA University, the faculty of information systems. His favourite kart racers are Spanish world champion Fernando Alonso, two-time winner of Formula One, and Brazilian Ayrton Senna, the former three-time F1 world champion. "Five years ago, karting was unknown in Egypt. It started to become popular two years ago after Egypt hosted the world championships twice and the number of racers increased. I hope in the near future we'll have an international karting track in Cairo which will draw the public closer to us. "The main tools in karting are the racing gear. The head gear is important in that the face is all covered up. The suit must be approved by the international federation and a new one worn every three years. The footwear must be a half boot to avoid any risk of major injuries. The car itself must be sanctioned by the federation. The chassis cannot be used for more than seven years."
