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Bowyer in search of sponsorship to continue championship charge 

As a driver who won three major national titles in 2008 – and is bidding to add yet more silverware to his burgeoning collection in 2009 – Callum Bowyer is unquestionably one of Britain’s very brightest young motor racing prospects, but the Peterborough ace fears his progress could come to a shuddering halt should sufficient funding not be found to enable him to continue his impressive challenge. 

Last year, in addition to lifting the coveted annual ‘0’ Plate trophy, Callum triumphed in the UK’s two leading karting series’ – Super 1 and BRDC Stars of Tomorrow (now Formula Kart Stars), with the latter being the same one that first set none other than reigning Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton on the fast track to the heady heights where he now finds himself.  

What’s more, in recognition of his outstanding and rarely-achieved feat, the recently-turned 15-year-old was selected out of 30 aspiring young sporting talents as the Peterborough Evening Telegraph’s Junior Sportsman of the Year, a prestigious accolade and one that only served to underline his ‘star of future’ status.  

Having stepped up from Mini Max to the more powerful KF3 class this season, Callum has already been turning heads, and approaching the halfway stage of the campaign, he sits a threatening fourth in the chase for the crown in both Super 1 and Formula Kart Stars – despite giving away a year’s experience or more to many of his competitors at the more advanced level, some of whom have the support of leading organisations like Red Bull and the Racing Steps Foundation behind them. Now, though, due to financial woes, the Gunthorpe-based speed demon fears his career could end up being stranded on the starting grid. 

“The help we’ve had throughout the year from my team JKH and RPM with the engines has definitely made things a bit easier,” he acknowledged, “but it’s all getting a lot tighter now and there’s just not enough money left to finish the season. 

“We’re almost halfway through, and I really want to finish it and hopefully get a really good result at the end. We’ve struggled for money all the way through my career, but never to this extent before; we’ve just been chugging on, but it’s now reached a point where it could stop at any minute, with the recession, not as much work for my dad and the prices of everything going up.” 

Having been family-funded throughout his fledgling career to-date, Callum knows he is invariably on the back foot entering race meetings given that he has been unable to test like his rivals have in the build-up – a crucial disadvantage when the competition is so close and fiercely-fought. Nonetheless, that has never deterred him from giving his all on-track, and his potential is clear for all to see, with results that – considering the shoestring budget he and his family are on – are no less than phenomenal. 

“It’s not easy in the first place,” he reflected, “but then when the others are out racing and testing in the kart 24/7 – in the UK and abroad – and developing the engines, it really does affect the results. I would love to be able to go abroad and race in the WSK International Series or any championship to be honest, just for the experience. The quality and standard of driving is very different, but I won’t be able to go there without the funding. If we had the chance to go over there, I’m sure we could do quite well. 

“In the circle we are in, we’re probably the only ones without any backing or an endless budget. We just have to put a lot more time, effort and dedication into it; we have to work hard in the workshop and garage to make everything on the kart 100 per cent. It would certainly help being in the kart a lot more and having money to spend on what we want to, but we’re just chipping away and getting results, and the success we achieve does mean a lot more because of that. 

“One thing is that it does put a lot more pressure on, in that I know I can’t afford to mess up at all or put the kart in the barriers, because that would mean a £2,000 bill. I’m still pushing the kart to the maximum, but that’s always in the back of my mind. It just makes it so much easier when you have the money...” 

Another driver who struggled for funds in the initial phases of his karting career, lest we forget, was Hamilton himself, with the nine-time grand prix-winner’s father Anthony at one stage holding down three jobs merely to keep his son racing. Then, of course, he was picked up by McLaren-Mercedes, and the rest is history – and now Callum is desperately seeking a boost of his own to enable him to continue pursuing his dream of one day following his hero all the way onto the grand prix grid. After all, he has come far too far for it all to suddenly stop now. 

“What happened with Lewis just goes to show how much you can improve and how far you can go when you have a bit of help and backing behind you, because he’s the best in the world now,” concluded the Ken Stimpson School pupil. “With just a bit more help or a bit more backing imagine where we could be, but it’s all about whether we can get the help we need to get to the next stage, or even to carry on at this stage. 

“This been such a big part of my life since I was a baby – I’ve always been into motorsport. It means so much to me and I just love everything about it – the good and the bad and the highs and the lows. I don’t know what I would do if it all suddenly came to an end. I wouldn’t like to think what it would be like if that day came.”

If you are interested in sponsoring Callum, please contact Tracey Bowyer on 01733 701099 or 07960 400731, or e-mail: callumkf3@hotmail.com