Johnny Herbert will host the Autosport International Charity Karting Challenge at the Birmingham NEC in January 2013.
The proceeds from the race will go to the Alzheimer's Society in honour of Dan Wheldon, the late
IndyCar champion and double
Indianapolis 500 winner. Yesterday marked the first anniversary of Wheldon's death following an accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Wheldon's friend Johnny Mowlem organised the Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race which was held at
Daytona Milton Keynes last December. The two hour endurance race raised £17,000 for the Alzheimer's Society.
The Karting Challenge at Autosport will run for three hours and begin on the Friday evening of the Autosport International Show. Herbert has been confirmed to race at the event and other stellar names will be announced over the coming weeks.
Herbert said on his Karting Challenge website: "Hosting the Karting Challenge at Autosport International will open up a new chapter in the history of the event. Autosport International showcases everything that is motorsport, and karting is where it all starts for the majority of racing drivers."
Roy Craig of Herbert's Karting Challenge will be partnered in managing the event by Baz Scott, MD of Race Drivers Inc. Race Drivers Inc. was involved in organising the charity kart race for this year's Autosport International, the Ginetta Celebrity Karting Challenge. The race raised £14,000 for the Race2Recovery charity.
Herbert added: "The 2013 challenge will be run in conjunction with Race Drivers Inc., and I thank Baz for his invaluable input. Thanks also to Roy, who has been involved with running my event for nineteen years. During that time we have raised many thousands of pounds for worthy causes and this time it's the turn of The Alzheimer's Society to benefit."
For more information, visit: http://www.facebook.com/CelebrityKarting
by Simon Stiel