Britain’s leading kart racers will all be in action at Rowrah over the next couple of weekends as the Cumbrian circuit hosts two premier competitions.

Saturday and Sunday sees the Motorsports UK official British Karting Championships taking place here. On the following Sunday, the equally prestigious Little Green Man Championships are being held.

These competitions are expected to attract more than 100 drivers at each event and there’s a very good chance that several future F1 stars will be amongst them.

Apart from future prospects, there’s at least one ex F1 star who is expected to visit Rowrah. David Coulthard, the former member of Williams, McLaren and Red Bull teams will be watching his 10-year-old son, Dayton compete in the Little Green Man event on July 21.

This is only the second time that Dayton has raced in Britain, just five weeks after he made his debut at Larkhall, near Glasgow.

David Coulthard himself is no stranger to the Rowrah circuit, having regularly competed here as a junior driver. In fact he was the Cumbria Kart Club champion back in 1983 and became a Formula 1 driver with Williams less than 11 years later. “Larkhall and Rowrah were my two local circuits 35 years ago, as they both lay about an hour’s drive from my home in Twynholm,” he claims.

Travelling to Rowrah takes rather longer nowadays, because David and his family live in Monaco, albeit with a second home in Chelsea. He will find that the circuit has undergone huge changes since he last raced here. For one thing, it is almost twice the size, having been extended from 640 to 1030 metres. There are now many more overtaking opportunities, making for more exciting racing. Excitement might not be high on his wish-list, however. David freely admits to being far more nervous when Dayton is out on the track than he ever was during his own motor racing career.

Another driver with a strong family pedigree is Archie Clark, grandson of Britain’s most successful rally champion, Roger who won no less than 27 international rallies.

Like his grandfather, Archie was born in Leicestershire but is a member of Cumbria Kart Racing Club and will compete in the cadet category on both weekends.

Two Cumbrian drivers are taking part, with 14-year-old Jessica Edgar of Ennerdale currently lying second in the Little Green Man Championships. She hopes a good result at Rowrah will push her into the top spot with two rounds remaining. She is competing in the Mini Class on both weekends. Her eight-year-old brother, Jorge, will compete in cadets.

57 years have elapsed since Iredale Edgar, the Great Grandfather of Jessica and Jorge, persuaded his fellow kart enthusiasts to build their circuit in the bottom of a disused quarry at Kelton Head. The quarry was purchased for £350 and many premier kart events have taken place there since then, all of them memorable. Racing over the next two weekends promises to be amongst the best ever seen.