Blackpool karting duo in hot pursuit of motorsport dream

Two best pals from Blackpool are racing around the country and racing the clock to fulfil their dream of becoming karting professionals.

Adam Davis and Steve Gray have won titles all over the north-west in hired karts and can both claim over 200 grand prix wins.

And now this high-speed duo are in a hurry to take their passion and prowess to the next level if they can find suitable sponsorship.

Both Blackpool born and bred, 27-year-old Adam works for a car dealership, while Steve, 29, is a tram driver.

They met through competing at the Karting 2000 open grand prix in Blackpool, a championship which Adam won five times (2009-13) after Steve had won the previous three. They formed an immediate bond and have been best friends and rivals ever since, as they compete mostly as individuals.

The duo enter TeamSport Go-Karting events at tracks around the country and have TeamSport Kart Champs titles to their names. They were team endurance champions for 2018 and are ranked in the UK top 40 for TeamSport.

They recently contested the British Rental Kart Championship in Milton Keynes for the fourth successive year.

This is the highest level that racers without their own kart can enter and it attracts top competitors from all over Europe. Adam and Steve have improved their placing each year

And the pair believe they could compete at an even higher standard if only they had the financial backing.

Adam explained: “We don’t have the money for our own karts. We are talking tens of thousands of pounds.

“We compete wherever we can in TeamSport events and both our mantelpieces are filled with trophies, but we would love to compete professionally.

“You can keep going in this sport as long as you are fit and healthy, but once you are in your 30s the big teams and sponsors think you are getting past it ... so the time is now really.”

The pair are well matched competitors and inspire each other to improve, often setting near identical lap times.

Adam added: “This means we have to push ourselves to the absolute limit to improve our speed, racecraft and overall competetiveness.

“Quite often beating each other becomes more important than beating everybody else. Once the visor goes down, Steve is just another competitor I need to beat.

“But the rivalry is always healthy and we have absolute respect for one another on the track, as we do for all our competitors.

“But when we are racing as part of a team, we are the ultimate pairing and have been praised for our planning and commitment to ensure the pit stops work like clockwork. This has won us many races.

“I wish we could afford to do this professionally. It would be a dream for two boys from Blackpool and we know we would do well, but without sponsorship it will always remain just a dream.”

Steve added: “I took part in my first ever grand prix at Daytona Manchester when I was 13 and finished second. That’s when the bug hit me.

“I have gone from strength to strength, with numerous wins at Three Sisters in Wigan using their twin-engine pro karts and at other circuits in the north-west. Not many tracks don’t know who we Adam and I are.”