Fresh from his sensational triumph in the Florida Winter Tour, Strawberry Racings Charlie Eastwood got his European and UK Rotax campaigns off to a superb start with victory in the opening round of the Euro Max Challenge and the runner-up spot in the first race of the Super One championship.
Building on a remarkable 2012 in which he triumphed at the annual Rotax Grand Finalsregarded as the world championships for the Rotax category of kartingat Portimao on the Portuguese Algarve (1 December), the 17-year old from Belfast, carried his rich vein of form into 2013 with victory in the Florida Winter Tour, in March (24).
The prestigious series attracts entries from 28 different nations and takes place over three rounds spanning from January to February. Charlie faced stiff competition from 60 driversincluding ex-F1 star Nelson Piquet Juniorand saw him travel to Palm Beach, Miami and Ocala. This gave Charlie and his team plenty to look forward to as the first race of the Euro Max Challenge beckoned.
His subsequent victory in a thrilling and hard-fought run to the chequered flag in Genk, Belgium (31 March) not only gave him the early points lead, but also confirmed his position as one of Irish sports most exciting prospects.
A week later, the globetrotting youngster was back at the wheel of his Tony Kart EVK, aiming to put points on the board in the opening fixture of the Super One championship at Three Sisters near Wigan. Despite a tough and sometimes bruising weekend, Eastwood returned home 3rd overall in the championship table, with ten points-scoring races remaining until the season finale in October.Its been a great past few months, said Charlie. Winning the Grand Finals was a dream come true and to do it wearing the colours of Ireland was extra special. Consequently, I was invited to take on nearly sixty other drivers in America off the back of my victory in Portugal which was an amazing experience. Everyone knows the connection that exists between Ireland and the USA but I was still surprised by the response I got in Florida. It was like being a rock star! Everyone was so welcoming, enthusiastic and helpful. Even when I beat their top drivers they kept on cheering for me.Eastwood - whose family appropriately runs Northern Irelands premier karting circuit, Nutts Corner at Crumlinis targeting a successful defence of his world crown and winning the Euro and British titles for the first time.It would be nice if I could do the treble. Winning the Euro Max, Super One championships and retaining my world title would be awesome, as these are three of the hardest karting championships anywhere in the world. So far, Im in a strong position and have a great team behind me, plus lots of support from my family and friends. Its all to play for! Keep up to speed with Charlie by following him on twitter - @ce_racing_nccand via his Facebook pageCharlie Eastwood.
