EX-F1 engineer Rob Smedley is trying to change the future of motorsport – with a little bit of help from Hollywood star Idris Elba. Smedley, who worked at Ferrari and Williams, has launched the Global Karting League, an electric go-kart series targeted at youngsters – whose parents don’t have deep pockets. The series, which kicks off in the UK, will offer kids the chance to turn up and race electric go-karts for a fraction of the price of traditional petrol karts. Smedley, who is also working with the Idris Elba Speed Academy, hopes Global Karting League will give young racers the opportunity to reach F1 from different demographics. “We started with a blank sheet of paper and wanted to massively reduce the cost and complexity and that’s how the Global Karting League was born.

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