Sponsoring local youngster’s karting ambitions

Young motorsports driver Stanley Clark’s first experience behind the wheel was in a go-kart at Monk Park Farm when he was two years old.

Now aged 12, Stan is an emerging talent on the karting track – and we are delighted to be sponsoring him for the 2023 racing season, which he is hoping will be his best yet.

Monk Park Farm visit

We welcomed Stan back to Monk Park Farm recently to show him all the changes that we’ve made since he last visited a while ago.

Stan and his mum Wendy live near Thirsk and dropped by on one of his rare days off from karting and all the other sporting activities he’s involved in at Cundall Manor where he goes to school.

Stan and Wendy were amazed by the transformation at the farm. They enjoyed meeting our newborn lambs and chatting to farm manager Hayley about all the great things we’ve got lined up during 2023.

Stan said: “It was brilliant to visit Monk Park Farm again and remember the fun we had there when I was younger. We met lots of the animals such as the alpaca and two llamas, pigs, goats and guinea pigs. One of the best bits was when all the lambs came dashing over to see us.”

From the farm to the racetrack

Despite having his first taste of driving at Monk Park Farm, it wasn’t until a number of years later that Stan became interested in pursuing karting as a hobby. His 8th birthday party at the York Motorsports Village really ignited his interest after he beat his friends in a karting race, and it wasn’t long before he began visiting the outdoor track at Tockwith every couple of weeks to hone his driving skills.

Stan soon came to love the speed and skill of racing, and first started competing in May 2021 when he took part in a round of the national Cadet Kart Championship, with a second-hand kart and Wendy as his mechanic. By 2022 he had finished seventh overall at national level and reached the podium many times including clocking up several victories. Since then both his skills and his team have grown. He is now part of the Sam Pollitt Racing team, driving a bigger and faster kart, and with a specialist mechanic on race days. He also follows a strict fitness regime to keep him in shape for the tough physical demands of racing, and even has a performance management coach to help him develop the right mentality for the ups and downs of competing.

Not only that, but Stan can also often be found with a film crew in tow after being chosen from around 70 hopefuls to star in a new TV show. Driven Dreams, which is due to air soon, follows 16 of the UK’s most talented up-and-coming drivers on their adventures in grass roots karting. It’s an experience that Stan says he’s really enjoying.

A great start to the season

Picture by kartpix.net

Stan has already had a cracking start to his 2023 racing season after finishing in the top eight at the Ultimate Karting Championships last month, holding his own against some of the best young drivers in the UK. This success bodes really well for the year ahead, when he’ll be competing in a variety of races including the National Championships and the British Kart Championships alongside youngsters from all over the world.

Wendy said the sponsorship Stan receives from us here at Monk Park Farm as well as his other supporters will be invaluable to him as he progresses on to bigger and more challenging races.

She said: “We are so grateful to Monk Park Farm for sponsoring Stan this year. Our sponsors really do make such a difference to Stan’s development in the sport; without them, it would be really difficult for Stan to be able to compete as often as he does. At Stan’s level there are two or three weekend meets per month, each costing around £1,500, so it can really add up. Even a set of four tyres costs £150 so any contributions we receive from local people and businesses are very much appreciated.”

Looking to the future, Stan says he’d love to become a British champion and ultimately make it to Formula One – although he’d be happy just being involved in motorsport in some way, perhaps  racing in the British Touring Car Championship or working as a driver coach or a mechanic.

Here at Monk Park Farm, we are excited to be supporting Stan and seeing him progress on his motorsport journey. We wish him the best of luck for the season ahead – please follow Stan’s progress on his Facebook page here.