Jakob Robinson still remembers his first time behind the wheel of a kart. He was 11 at the time and the occasion was a birthday party at the Dubai Kartdrome five years ago.
“The first time I sat in a kart was amazing,” he said. “The sense of speed was incredible and the fact you are in total control only adds to the adrenalin that you have inside of you.
“This led me to progressing into my own kart and everything was intensified. What got me hooked was the speed and the adrenalin rush, coupled with the fact that karting is so competitive, which adds to the challenge.”
Things did indeed intensify after that first drive around the kartdrome. Jakob was back soon after with his younger brother, Lachlan, taking karting tuition courses. Within months they were racing competitively.
Their progress since has been astounding.
Today, driving for the Scuderia Racing team, they are both champions. Jakob, 16, has just been crowned winner of the highly competitive Senior Class in the UAE X30 Challenge, while his brother has bagged the Junior Class title.
“Winning the 2016/17 UAE X30 Senior championship is a dream come true and I am extremely grateful to all those that made it possible,” Jakob said.
“Without the support of my team, Scuderia Racing Karts, Luka Jurkovic, Fabio Rota, Rajpal [the mechanics] and my parents, I would never have had the opportunity to compete at this level.”
Lachlan, nearly three years younger, went one step further and said he wished he could have had all the people who supported him join him on the podium.
“While I may have been lucky enough to hold the steering wheel, there were many others that helped win the championship,” he said, adding that his mother Tracey and father David gave up so much for them.
“Without their belief in us, we would never be able to race. Our team, Scuderia Racing Karts, Luka Jurkovic, my mechanics, especially Fabio Rota, and the karting community have all been awesome supporters,” he added.
The two brothers also finished runners-up in the 2016/17 UAE Rotax Max Challenge Championship. Jakob finished behind Amna Al Qubaisi in the overall Senior Max standings and Lachlan behind Lucas Petersson in the Junior Max.
David can scarcely believe the success his sons have enjoyed in such a short period of time.
“When Jakob showed interest in karting, after attending the karting birthday party, we were fairly laid-back about it as we thought it may have been a passing fad for him,” he said.
“However, Lachlan soon showed strong interest and we thought we would explore the sport in more depth by starting off with tuition courses at Dubai Kartdrome.”
David said after the tuition courses, there was no turning back, so they took tentative steps before allowing them to race competitively.
He also pointed to the fact they were 12 and 10 at the time, which is older than the average age when many children start out.
“At the time, I would never have imagined the boys on track racing competitively,” David said. “Even today, we both pinch ourselves when we see them doing what they love to do.
“Today Jakob, along with many in his Senior Category, compete with men who are old enough to be his father.”
Jakob and Lachlan have also represented the UAE at the IAME X30 World Finals – the older brother in 2015 and 2016, and the younger made his debut last year. This October, they both will be there in Le Mans, France, flying the UAE flag once again in the IAME X30 World Finals.
“This will be our third trip to the World Finals and the pride one has when they see their children representing the country where they live is something remarkable,” said David, who will be travelling with Tracey to France to support their sons at the World Finals.
“We are all truly honoured to be able to compete and represent our adopted country.”
David would love to see his sons’ burgeoning motorsports portfolio grow, but he insists academics will always be the first priority.
“Moving forward, we want the boys to continue to love what they do as long as schooling and education come first,” he said.
“Jakob and Lachlan will continue to race in the UAE next season. However, Jakob will be more selective in which races he competes in as he is entering a critical stage in his education. He will be starting his A Levels in September.
“We have plans to compete in the UK over the summer period and depending on finances, there may be a chance to compete in Europe.”
Until now, Jakob and Lachlan’s parents have funded their journey in motorsports, but they are hoping to find support now that the boys have had some success.
“Sponsorship is always a difficult mountain to climb,” David said. “However, it is made easier by achieving results.
“We truly hope the recent successes from both boys will open a number of doors for them to move forward in their motorsport careers.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
