From karts to cars

While Kai Sotto is building a strong name for himself in basketball, another Kai is making headway in his bid to race his way to Formula 1 status. Fil-Aussie-British driver Kai Ballecer Veitch is only 15 while Sotto is 23 and has a long way to go before achieving his dream of competing at the highest level of car racing. But slowly, Veitch is trudging the path to where he eventually hopes to land – on the tracks of the world’s top-speed drivers.

Veitch, who traces his Filipino roots to Manila and Laoag, recently progressed from karting to the Ginetta Junior Championships which is the pathway towards Formula 4. Ben Waterworth of speedcafe.com described the Ginetta Juniors as “the UK’s leading entry point for young drivers aged 14 to 17 and one of the most established junior categories in the sport.” Drivers use identical Ginetta G40 cars which according to Waterworth, “provides a controlled, multi-discipline environment designed to develop racecraft and consistency with current F1 drivers Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar both having raced in the series.”

Jumping from karts to cars, Veitch had a quick transition and in his first three races, placed 16th, 12th and 11th on his recent debut weekend at the Donington Park Circuit in Derby, UK. Ahead of Veitch is a tough series schedule across eight rounds in the UK and Netherlands up to September.

“What I’m expecting this season is to be pushed hard,” said Veitch quoted by Waterworth. “I want to be in a championship where I’m learning every session and having to improve every time. My goal is to make the most of every lap, every test, every race and keep building through the year. I’m not going into it just to make up numbers. I want to keep improving and show I belong there.”

Veitch is with the Pace Performance team whose principal Sean Byrne said he’s in a position to make strides in cars after a career in karts. Byrne cited Veitch’s work ethic and preparation as the cornerstones of his development.

Veitch’s father Paul said a grassroots online program has been launched to track the teener’s progress and form the backbone of a support system. It’s called #TeamKV which Veitch’s father said “gives individuals and families a way to back Kai’s journey as he moves into cars while also refreshing the corporate partnership side for brands looking to support a young driver on the way up … given Kai’s Filipino heritage, we’ve been reaching out to Filipino businesses where there’s a natural cultural alignment, companies like Jollibee for example, as well as Filipino families and entrepreneurs who may want to support a young Filipino driver building a career in European motorsport.”