Featured Driver – James Walton

When I first proposed the idea of promoting our drivers in the program I never thought it would be my own son so quickly! After the first 2 meetings we decided as a committee to leave the featured driver decision to the Clerk of the Course as we didn’t want anyone accusing us of favouritism in any shape or form. I was a little uncomfortable with George’s choice this month but the little man had a good day and James is very proud to be chosen. Below is a run down of his brief involvement with the sport.

In July 2006 our family was involved in the inflatable accident in Chester-le-Street and 6 weeks later James was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. We can’t be sure it was a direct result of the accident, but without any history of diabetes in the family it was likely that it was trauma related. As a result of James’ condition we found it increasingly difficult to sustain his blood sugar level when he was playing football and rugby and he was missing out on weekend matches with friends. That’s when we started to look for an activity that only needed short bursts of energy.

One of our friends told us about Warden Law circuit and we immediately booked his induction to see how he liked it. His instructor at the induction was Jay Southern who told us that he looked quite natural behind the wheel for a beginner (were you reeling us in Jay?) and nicknamed him ‘Stig’ as he went everywhere with his helmet on! We couldn’t keep him away from the place and decided to get his own kart rather than paying a fortune for arrive and drives (probably would have been cheaper when we look back!). Jay and his dad Allen gave us invaluable help and told us a lot of the pitfalls they encountered when they started. Actually, Allen told us that we would be better off buying a fishing rod! Now I know exactly what he means….

Allen sorted us out with a good second hand chassis and a Honda engine to get him in the seat quickly rather than go through the pain of the Tryton/Comer saga that was keeping a lot of the Comer Cadets in the paddock last year. It turned out to be a great decision and he cut his teeth in the Warden Law sprint races after about 5 or 6 weeks practice. With Allen and Jay’s help we avoided getting carried away too soon and concentrated on James’ driving skills and getting myself familiar with the setup and maintainance of the kart. It was a steep learning curve at first and it’s still seems like it gets steeper but we both learned the basics a lot quicker thanks to the Southern family.

In October of last year we decided to try some MSA racing but didn’t expect to the problem of getting a licence for a Type 1, insulin dependant, diabetic. After a conversation with Sheila Barter at the MSA she told me James would have to visit the MSA appointed Doctor in London for his opinion. James was aware that if the decision was not in his favour then he could never compete at National level should he wish to, but he didn’t worry about it too much. The MSA Doctor asked him if he knew the signs of extreme blood sugar levels and how to correct them which he answered without prompting. A quick check over for general health and he said, ‘Well James, I think I’m going to let you go racing!’. Talk about a load off our minds……..

In November of last year I was honoured to be invited by Bob Shipman to join the committee of the new MSA Club at Teesside. Although very inexperienced with karting and clubs in general I offered to help with the general administration and communication duties of the club and also to take advantage of the internet for ease of race entry and membership etc. Thinking back, I was struggling for spare time before and never realised the work and commitment the role demanded. I have, and still am, enjoying every challenge the club has and will continue to serve as long as I am wanted and I feel I’m providing some positive input. The workload has had one negative effect – lack of track time for James. We decided to switch to Comer Cadet for 2009 and he has found it difficult making the transition because of the lack of time behind the wheel. It all seems to going the right way now, but as I’ve been told many times, ‘Never think you’ve cracked this sport or it will bite you!’.

Through Karting and DYKC, we have met some great families and individuals from all backgrounds and we could not have hoped to find a better sport that involves the whole family.

Thanks AGAIN to the Southern family and also Bob and Liz Shipman, the Hardys, the Maddison family, Anton van Rooyen at Warden Law and everyone else that have kept us on the right path during our short journey so far.

Chris & Jit Walton