Ukrainian teenager became the best kart driver in the world: he was inspired by a cartoon about racing

Ukrainian 14-year-old racer Oleksandr Bondarev topped the updated international official rating of karting athletes FIA International Karting Ranking (IKR). Writes about it Ukrainian Truth.

Photo: IStock

Bondarev became the first among all 12 categories and more than 1000 professional pilots in the world.

The Ukrainian Automobile Federation recalled that the Ukrainian racer recently won the podium at the third stage of the international Champions of the Future series in Italy, and this significantly influenced the result of the FIA ​​IKR rating.

Bondarev won the championship not only in his OK Junior category, but also became the leader in the overall standings.

He is currently preparing for the final and main fight for the European Championship 2023 title, which will take place at the end of July. Bondarev leads the championship and is well ahead of the competition on points after a podium in Spain and two victories in the Czech Republic and Denmark.

It all started with Wheelbarrows

Oleksandr Bondarev is a Ukrainian kart driver who competes in the OK Junior category as part of the Kart Republic professional karting team.

He started karting professionally at the age of five, and at seven he was already the youngest champion of Ukraine in karting.

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The entire wall in Sasha's room is filled with cups - up to the ceiling, writes Ukrainian Truth.

And the popular children's cartoon "Cars" is "guilty" of this - about cars competing for the title of the best racer.

At the age of 3, Sasha saw a story about a shiny red car Lightning McQueen - and got carried away.

He constantly reviewed the cartoon, collected a collection of all the cars from this animated film, played with them, arranged races.

Before "Cars", the teenager was not interested in cars at all. There was not even a delight common among boys to sit in a car behind the wheel with dad.

“I wanted to be like McQueen,” Sasha admitted. He is kind and fast. Everyone trusts him and invited him to the best team.”

I was more afraid for the coach than for myself

One day, his mother Oksana went to a service station and saw cups there. I asked whose. It turned out that the director of the service station Alexander Ivanchenko is a multiple champion in karting (racing on small racing cars).

He advised the coach Alexander Kononts, with whom Sasha began to train.

“I gave him the opportunity to try, and it started to work out. Ambitions appeared. The coach told how Sasha bargained with him: “I will do 8 laps. — Coach: “No, 10,” Oksana smiles.

“At first it was unusual. The first time the coach sat next to me on the side "lip" (bumper). He taught me, told me where the gas and brake are. At first, I was more afraid for the coach: if I turn sharply somewhere, he will fly off, ”the champion explained.

“I was not afraid for myself. There is nothing complicated: push the pedals and turn the steering wheel,” the rider smiled modestly.

There are no seat belts or protective glass in the go-kart; the driver is separated from the track by just a few centimeters. Basically, the rider is protected by a special suit.

While driving, the kart picks up speed up to 100 km/h.

Parents were scared that a 5-year-old child “flies” at such a speed. But "anything can happen outside the track," his dad Arkady is convinced.

When Sasha was 6, he played with his grandparents in the country:

“I climbed the Swedish wall, took two pistols, did something in front of the girls, and fell head down on the concrete floor,” the father told the story.

Two cracks in the skull, resuscitation, a matter of life and death.

When Sasha woke up in the hospital, the first thing he asked was: "Can I ride?"

Smog.

"I don't count my cups"

After a year of training, a 6-year-old boy entered the first competition.

He arrived 7th and burst into tears, because only 2 places separated him from the award - the first five finalists received prizes.

Later he began to win and won all three championships in Ukraine.

“In racing, the main thing is not speed, but the correct reaction. There was one case, I even have a cup from there. I took first place, because on the last lap the one who went first went in one direction, and I went in the other and so overtook him, ”the rider shared his trick.

“I don’t count cups, like some: 103rd, 105th… I’m not interested,” the guy said indifferently.

Sasha says that for him the main thing in racing is to have fun.

At school, even friends about karting, the guy is also reluctant to tell.

“I’m usually silent,” he laughed. “I’m not that kind of boy, I’m not a star.” Stars in the sky. The coaches tell me what I have to do, and I try to do it. For the sake of the coach, I must take first place. For my own sake - a little bit, more for the sake of the coach. He tries, but I have no choice. My dream is to be among the top ten best riders in the world.”

Most Formula 1 drivers started their careers in karting, such as Michael Schumacher or boyfriend idol Fernando Alonso. This is a two-time world champion in the Formula 1 class, who at one time became the youngest champion in the history of this tournament.

You can take part in the "Formula" from the age of 18.

Therefore, he actively trains and studies well at school.

“Studying well is my responsibility, because if there are no good grades, there will be no races. The coach said so, ”the teenager emphasized.

His mom says if he forgot something or left something unfinished, he can get up at 6 in the morning to finish everything.

Conquer Europe

In Ukraine, Sasha does not train in winter - there is nowhere, he only races from spring to autumn. And karting, according to Arkady, the guy's father, is not very developed here.

“In Ukraine there are only 3 certified tracks, while in European countries there are more than a dozen in each state,” he said.

In Kyiv, the track has not been repaired since Soviet times. Another old one in Poltava and a relatively new one in Kamenskoye, it is closer to European ones.

“And the question is not so much in the track itself, but in the number of participating pilots. If in Ukraine there are 6-8 children on the track in one age category, then in Europe it is 30. This is a completely different tactic, it is impossible to learn this in Ukraine, ”Arkady explained.

Parents realized that for professional development Sasha needed to go to Europe. And they started going to competitions there.

In the first races, Sasha was 18-20th. Three months later I was already 10-12, and after a few more months I started receiving prizes.

A few days before the competition, he flies to the place. She gets up at 6 am and trains for 12 hours. And so every day before the race.

“We were at the RotaxGrandFinal for 11 days, and it was really 11 days of training,” said mom Oksana. “It is important for him that I go with him, but Sasha does not like it when I am in training.”

“Before every race he has a lot of jitters. He says: “I won’t go, I don’t want to.” He is not afraid of the race itself, but of how his opponents and the car will behave. And when he gets into the car, he works,” my mother shared. “He treats racing as an adult – like his job, which takes a lot of time and effort.”

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During training, Sasha is attached to a camera on the helmet, then he reviews it and analyzes what he did right and what he didn’t.

In addition to the Ukrainian coach, the parents found another one for their son - from Spain. Andrey Gonta has been living there for 20 years, but comes from Ukraine. Helps Sasha move to Europe.

Threatens parents to quit their careers

In just a year, the young man managed to get to the prestigious RotaxGrandFinal competition and show the best result of Ukraine for all the years of independence - 6th place.

The rest of the participants from Ukraine did not make it into the top twenty.

“It's not the fault of these riders, but the problem. If we hadn’t taken Sasha to a competition in Europe all last year, he would also have received such a result, - the father is convinced. - There was an award, everyone was happy that Sasha had such a result, and he sobbed, because he understood that he had made one mistake. If not for her, I could stand on a pedestal.

After winning places at the stages of the championships of Spain and Portugal, Sasha was noticed by the Spanish team EKR KartRacing and invited to their place.

Mom Oksana explains that the biggest teams in karting are car manufacturers, like in Formula.

Winning is 50/50: half of the success depends on the rider, half on the car and how the technicians work with it.

“If they take a good pilot and a strong car, then the level of the team and the sale of the company's cars increase in this way,” Oksana explained.

“The path to Formula is not just a desire. There are thousands of boys racing, but only a few make it to Formula. There was no one from Ukraine there yet. But nothing is impossible,” Arkady smiled.

“Others’ children are mischievous in one way or another, but ours threatens to give up his career,” my mother said finally.

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