Media Release: Sam Brabham Set For Formula Kart Stars Debut

London, UK – Thursday, April 21, 2011; Sam Brabham is set to start his very first season competing in Formula Kart Stars this weekend, April 23 & 24, as the first round of the premier national karting series heads to the Rowrah circuit in Cumbria.

Representing a third generation of the Brabham family to embark on a racing career, Sam’s progression to the national karting ranks is supported by sponsors Grand Privé, the private and exclusive supper club, and Liberty International UnderwritersTM (LIU), a division of Liberty Mutual Group. Son of Le Mans winner and double American Le Mans Series Champion, David Brabham, and Grandson to triple Formula One World Champion, Sir Jack Brabham, Sam will contest the fiercely competitive Junior Max class with the Project One racing team. Aged 16, Sam’s karting career started a few years ago with arrive-and-drive racing at Buckmore Park in Kent where he secured podium finishes before stepping up to the Mini Max class with Project One. Sam graduated to the Junior Max category last year, notching up impressive club level results at both Buckmore Park and Bayford Meadows. The Project One team will now nurture Sam’s talent at national level in the Formula Kart Stars (FKS) championship, which prides itself in being the premier training ground for aspiring single seater and sportscar drivers. The Championship was established back in 1996 when McLaren boss Ron Dennis, Mercedes boss Norbert Haug and karting legend Martin Hines got together to create a junior karting championship which would provide a path for young drivers who wished to pursue a career in motorsport. Today FKS is supported by Formula One Management and is committed to the road to Formula 1 through racing and education. The Junior Max class is one of the post popular karting categories in the UK for drivers aged 13 to 17 years and Sam will relish the challenge of joining the bumper 24-kart field of promising young drivers competing in the FKS category. For further information and to keep track of round-by-round results visit www.formulakartstars.com Sam Brabham (No. 23, Junior Max): “I’m excited to be going into my first season of Formula Kart Stars. It will be a good experience and I will learn a lot. My aim this year will be to just keep on getting quicker, learn a lot more about the kart and how it works as well as focusing on improving myself and getting good results. “Most of the tracks are new to me but I’m looking forward to the challenge of learning new circuits, what changes I need to make to go quicker and what I need to work on. I know Gerard and the Project One team have a lot of experience and to have that level of support behind me gives me confidence. “I’m looking forward to tackling my first race at Rowrah. I hope to do well there and then steadily progress throughout the season. I’m sure we can do really well this year. “I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me get to this level, especially my Mum, my Dad, and Project One. Particular thanks go to my sponsors, Liberty and Grand Privé. Their support is really important as it gives me the foundation to place the building blocks for the rest of my racing career.” Rik Bryan, Grand Privé: “As an exclusive supper club for car enthusiasts and racing drivers, we are well placed to recognise a special talent when we see it. Grand Privé are delighted to be one of Sam’s sponsors this year and we will watch his progress with great interest. It’s not often we are able to support such a famous racing name at the beginning of their career but we couldn’t ignore Sam’s ability and commitment. We wish him every success in 2011.” Lewis Goodearl, Vice-President at Liberty International Underwriters: “We’re very pleased to be sponsoring Sam Brabham for the Formula Kart Stars 2011 Series and hope it’s the beginning of a long and successful relationship. “Sam comes from a prestigious racing family name and we have no doubt he’ll uphold the legacy and achieve great success in 2011 and in future racing formats to come.” David Brabham: “It’s an exciting time for Sam. He started a few years ago with arrive-and-drive to see whether he liked karting and straight away you could see he really enjoyed it. Everything really came from him, we never pushed him into it. He’s got a steep learning curve this year joining Formula Kart Stars but he knows that and he’s willing to push himself to improve. We’re looking forward to the whole season. “Considering he doesn’t do a lot of karting compared to a lot of other kids, Sam’s rate of progress has been impressive. We just want to carry that momentum now. It’s a bit more serious than it has been before but we feel he is ready to take that next racing step. “It’s great to have the support of Grand Privé and Liberty who are helping Sam at the very beginning of his career. It’s an exciting time where he’s not only moving forward with his racing but also learning about corporate sponsors and how to deal with them as well. It’ll be a great year for him. “The next generation of Brabhams have landed with Sam starting his karting career and his cousin, Matthew, who is a similar age, is doing Formula Ford in Australia. For a family that’s been in motorsport for as long as we have and to see another generation coming through is great.” -Ends- Media Contact: Emma Spearing, Hazel PR Mobile: +44 (0)7736 341828 Email: emma.spearing@hazelpr.com

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