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Stratford karter Lucas Blantford not letting disappointment of dropping off prestigious programme due to lack of funds deter him from succeeding in motorsport




LUCAS Blantford is not going to let giving up on his dreams of reaching Formula One deter him from succeeding in the world of motorsport.

Future choices: Lucas Blantford contemplating at Shenington his next move in his ambition to be a racing driver. Photo: Mark Williamson
Future choices: Lucas Blantford contemplating at Shenington his next move in his ambition to be a racing driver. Photo: Mark Williamson

Unfortunately, the harsh reality of just how much money is needed to progress into single-seater racing has meant the 13-year-old from Stratford was left with no choice but to drop out of a prestigious programme.

Speaking to the Herald about the mind-boggling figures required even at the lower echelons of motorsport, Lucas’ father Adrian said a four-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, was £5,500 to £6,000 per day – and that was before considering the money needed for tyres, hotels and flights.

In total, Adrian revealed that one block of testing could amount to £30,000. More testing days allows drivers to get more competent behind the wheel but that comes at a cost, which is track specific but is on average around “£3,000 to £3,500 per day” in this country.

It is currently costing between £35,000 and £50,000 per year for Lucas to race in karts and with “£250,000 needed for a full season in Formula Four without testing”, Lucas, who clearly has the ability to make the step up the single-seater ladder, has been forced to give up his dream of reaching Formula One because of just how much money is needed to get there.

“I’ve heard you need around £10million to get to Formula One but that doesn’t even guarantee you a seat,” said Adrian.

“Lucas was disappointed to drop off the programme because reaching Formula One was the ultimate dream of his.

“He was on the programme for three months and was told he could go straight into the single-seater cars but he can’t race until he’s 15, so he’d have had to have gone through testing for another 18 months which would have cost a lot of money.”

He added: “Lucas has taken this disappointment on the chin because he’s very mature for his age. He’s a young boy and all he wants to do is race. Through his work with Andy Key from Fit4Performance, he’s learning to turn the negatives into positives.

“As a parent I was really disappointed for Lucas because he’s capable of progressing but we just can’t finance it and that’s hard for both myself and his mother to take. When you have children you don’t want to disappoint them.

“There will be kids Lucas’ age elsewhere in a similar boat and he is very lucky to go racing. It’s not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle and he would not be able to do what he loves without sponsorship. It’s just a shame talent is overlooked by money because there is so much talent out there.”

All is not lost, though, as Lucas, who is currently top of the Whilton Mill Kart Club Championship, will be racing in the Junior Saloon Car Championship from April after purchasing a Citroen Saxo with Derby-based outfit Wheatley Motorsport. The series is for 14- to 17-year-olds and with grids of more than 30 cars, racing is competitive.

The Saxos produce around 140bhp and are can reach speeds of up to 110mph.

It’s an exciting new chapter for Lucas to look forward to and going down this route opens up the doors of progressing into the British Touring Car Championship, the TCR-UK Touring Car Championship or GT racing.

“Lucas is relishing the challenge ahead,” said Adrian. “He gets to go racing and with such large grids it will help him improve his race craft. As the Saxos are bigger than his kart, Lucas will also be able to develop his spatial awareness. There’s already an expectation from other people on his shoulders and there’s going to be a lot of people watching him but he knows how to deal with that pressure.”

Anyone who would like to provide sponsorship to Lucas should email claire@lucasblantfordracing.uk.



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