FIA Karting – Interview with Maxime Léger

Because of health restrictions on French soil, Maxime had no longer taken piece in any opponents since October 2020, nonetheless he came thru the Aunay-les-Bois meeting with flying colors thanks to the toughen of his team, made up solely of volunteers from the Val de Loire membership.

Are you able to repeat us about your background?

I’m 28 years former and I dwell in Mulsanne, very shut to the Le Mans circuit. I work in the arrival of Christmas decorations, nonetheless I’m smitten by motor sport. Most of my days off are devoted to karting and I continuously abet drivers at weekends once I’m no longer racing. Within the past, I personal pushed condominium karts loads, taking part in diverse leisure events. In 2016, I took piece in a abilities scouting operation for Handikart drivers in Excursions. I lost by a itsy-bitsy margin in 2nd region, nonetheless the Val de Loire membership that had launched the initiative called me wait on about a weeks later to repeat me that there became once a second kart on hand. So I started competing in 2017 in the regional championship amongst non-disabled drivers, in command to put collectively for the French Handikart Championship. I accomplished Third the first one year, doing my first laps on Saturday morning, as I had merely pushed for four hours in the night and right thru the old night in a leisure patience match. I won the following three editions of the French Championship. I also won the Global Handikart Trophy in 2018. This took region as a curtain raiser to the FIA European Karting Championship at Aunay-les-Bois. Three years later, it is suitable to personal been in a position to take half on this one.

Bodily, how did you ability this match?

I personal been actively making ready myself in order that I construct no longer favor to suffer at this stage. I’m an everyday at the gymnasium to toughen my muscle groups. A few years ago I weighed fully 46 kg, right this moment I weigh 57 kg. In most modern years, I personal tried to develop my participation in competitions with non-disabled drivers. In explicit, I took piece in the 24 Hours of Le Mans karting speed, first with a team quiet solely of drivers with diminished mobility, then with the Val de Loire membership alongside non-disabled drivers.

How did the OK venture in FIA Karting attain about?

With my membership, we were buying for a new pickle to absorb with the non-disabled drivers. To manufacture a label, we wanted to take piece in a serious opponents. The organisation of an OK European Championship match at Aunay-les-Bois became once a suitable different, because it became once doable to enter as a “wild card”. For the membership, it became once in truth something in truth new, requiring quite loads of organisation, which in all equity heavy on this form of match ought to you have to per chance no longer historical to it. We started by finding the funding and I’d favor to take this likelihood to thank all of the partners who believed on this venture, particularly the Val de Loire membership for its toughen. I became once lucky enough so as to attain four take a look at classes beforehand. Compared to the assorted drivers in the OK category, this could per chance well no longer seem devour grand, nonetheless it completely allowed me to manufacture further development. Our membership had competed in the FIA 24 Hours of Karting in OK, so we serene had engines which were very helpful for this preparation.

The drivers for the time being are very younger in OK, how did you abilities this cohabitation?

At 28, I’m twice the age of many drivers. However I didn’t count on myself and every little thing went properly, in the paddock and on the monitor, I skilled exciting nonetheless carrying duels, with none collisions! I managed to accomplish positions in every of my four heats. I knew that my potentialities of reaching the Closing were very slim, nonetheless I personal a terribly fine assessment of my efficiency, where I climbed from 60th to 52nd region, sooner than proficient drivers who speed all one year in OK. I became once riding a Kosmic-Vortex and several other times right thru the meeting people of the OTK factory came to give me advice, which I liked. I also got encouragement from many folks, which became once coronary heart-warming. Fairly quite loads of of us didn’t shriek I could per chance well compete with these forms of younger drivers, so it became once reasonably rewarding.

What difficulties did you’ve alongside with your OK kart?

With the excessive vitality of the engine and the grip of the tyres, it became once no longer straight forward to do away with the kart on the merely line in the broad, like a flash races with merely one arm. It became once a terribly broad effort for me. In OK, it is a ways important to do away with a accurate tempo in the corner, in another case the kart will stall with out warning. If that is the case, it is no longer straight forward to secure pack up. I’d favor to continue my profession at the wheel of a kart devour this. This could per chance well be less fulfilling to stride wait on to less grand engines afterwards! My next goal is to accomplish a accurate efficiency with my membership at the upcoming 24 Hours of Karting in Le Mans.