The arrival of Lewis Hamilton as a genuine force in Formula One this season has opened the eyes of many to the potential of young stars in this post-Schumacher era. With the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil and Nelson Piquet Junior already firmly in the door the question of who will form the next wave of youngsters comes to the fore.
One name that will surely be on any list is that of Scott Jenkins, a young man – just fifteen – from Bristol, England, who among the brightest talents on the Karting scene, am apprenticeship followed by all of the above named young stars.
Scott, whose younger brother Sam is also making a mark in Karts, drove in his first race in the year 2000, and has since gone on to record a string of race and title wins that serve to showcase his undoubted talent. In 2006 he took the Italian Open title, was vice-Champion in the Eurpoean series, and won – among many others – the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix. He has since taken to racing in the USA with great success, notably a clean sweep in the USA Snap-on Stars meeting at Indianapolis.
Supported by his parents Lynne and David, Scott now has added and valuable support from Thunder Arabia, whose President and CEO Hassan El Wardany has been following Scott’s career for some time.Thunder Arabia recently took Scott to the Bahrain GP circuit where he tested single seater racing cars for the first time, and also invested in 2SJ Ltd, a company set up by Scott and brother Sam to manage their racing affairs.
Scott took some time out of a hectic schedule just recently to talk to UpdateF1, and here is what he had to say:
Steve Turnbull: Scott, first – thank you for agreeing to talk to Updatef1. Straight to the point – the spotlight is on young and up and coming racing drivers at the moment, thanks to the exploits of one Lewis Hamilton – how has this rubbed off on you?
Scott Jenkins:Yes – Lewis in Formula 1 has been very good for karting generally, and will hopefully bring newcomers into the sport. That being said both me and my brother have enjoyed an immense amount of publicity due to our own individual successes, and more recently with our joint business 2SJ which is designed to attract potential sponsors and investors.
Your record speaks for itself – championships, a great display in Monaco last year, and USA performances that a friend of mine has described – first hand – as ‘very, very impressive’ – what’s the opposition like in the ‘States, as opposed to Europe?
The opposition in the states is equally as good as Europe and at home. The Americans are very passionate about their racing and I feel privileged to be a part of it.
Reading your web-site, you became interested in Karting after trying one at a young age – do you now follow motor sport, are you interested in the history? If so, who do you look up to?
Obviously, I enjoy watching Formula 1, and I enjoy watching the super bikes (although I wouldn’t like to ride one – four wheels are more for me). I admire a lot of drivers in formula 1 and other formulas – and I understand the dedication that is needed to succeed in motorsport.
There is a very interesting section on there about your routine, too – some would say you have foregone an ‘ordinary’ childhood in pursuit of your dream – do you agree?
Yes – to a degree. I have missed a fair amount of school, which I have had to catch up. I don’t hang around with friends much, as I have to be careful not to injure myself – no roller boots, bmx etc. I train regularly with my personal trainer and in between I train at home. I am away from home quite a lot both racing and testing, but I am used to that now. The bonus is I’ve raced in some great places ie Rome, Monaco and most recently Indianapolis. Nowadays motorsport is not just about driving well – it’s a package – you need to speak fluently, be well presented and drive well. Now I have left school I am having tutoring in presentation and public speaking
And on that point, how do your mates view you – a fifteen year old potential star in the making, or their friend, Scott?
My friends are cool. I have a small circle of close friends – they support me and are pleased for me – but at the end of the day I’m still just Scott to them.
Thunder Arabia – an unusual line of support from some angles, but an impressive one nevertheless – how did that come about?
Unbeknown to us Hassan (El Wardany the CEO of Thunder Arabia) had been following my karting career, and we met him at the Autosport Show back in January, and it went from there really. We speak every week and talks are ongoing about my future in single seaters.
I see the planned route is to have you racing in British F3 in 2009 – that’s only 18 months away! Do you find that daunting, or is it simply a natural progression?
I think it’s a natural progression – although there is a lot of hard work to be done behind the scenes between now and then with testing etc.
What were the major differences between handling a Kart, and handling a single seater as you did recently in Bahrain?
The main difference is that karts are more nimble. The braking points in a car are very different as the car is heavier and you have the transfer of weight under braking. It also has a gear box which I don’t have in ICA or Formula A. That being said after my 3 day test in Bahrain I thought I was ok and the team were impressed with my times.
How competitive are you in life – I know a number of racing drivers who simply have to be the best at everything, does that apply to you?
I am a very even tempered person in general and I think this is good for my racing, but I am also competitive on an off the track.
How do you balance your education and your racing to an acceptable degree? Do your parents actually have any free time, or are they constantly managing your life??!
I have finished my exams and have now left school, which makes it a bit easier, and yes – my parents say its hard work, especially as there are 2 of us. We are a small team – Dean Panrucker of Millennium Motorsport is both my and my brothers race engineer, and we have a mechanic each – Cash for me and Dan Laws for Sam. Nigel Leonard keeps our websites upto date and James Earl from Clarke Willmott Solicitors helps us with contracts etc.
Have you been given any advice from any ‘known’ personalities along the way, and what advice would you give to others who wish to follow your route?
I’ve not had any direct advice from known personalities – but I’ve been lucky to be present at the Autosport Awards for the past 2 years, there you see the professionals on stage like Steve Rider and lots of different drivers, I have watched them and how they present themselves and tried to learn from them. Dean Panrucker advises me on my driving.
Your younger brother – Sam – is pretty handy too; how do you explain that, is it in the genes do you think, or is it simply determination?
It may be in our genes, but we all put a lot of effort into our racing and do lots of testing to ensure we know race lines and kart set ups for all the different circuits.
As you move down the route from Karts to single seaters things inevitably become more expensive – F3 is not a pastime, it’s a professional and costly pursuit; how far will Thunder Arabia help you in that area – will they aid your search for sponsors and such?
Yes, Thunder Arabia are on board at the moment and talks are in progress for my future in racing. There is other interest in 2SJ from Ireland and the USA, as well as some Formula 1 teams who we are in talks with.
When can we expect top see you race a single seater in the UK for the first time?
It could be as early as later this year, but most probably in the spring of 2008 due to my karting commitments for the rest of this year.
To finish, obviously F1 is your goal, and if your planned career path carries on as such when do you see yourself reaching that goal? And when you do – who would you most like to drive for?
According to my 5 year plan, it should be by 2010/2011 which is obviously my goal. However, I have recently had an offer to race single seaters in USA, so you never know how your career will develop. If I was fortunate to get to formula 1 I would like to choose any of the top teams;- but it would be an absolute privilege to drive for any formula 1 team.
Scott Jenkins, thank you again for talking to us, and we wish you, and Sam, all the best and will keep in touch as your career progresses.
Many thanks to Lynne Jenkins for organising this interview, and you can keep up to date with Scott's progress at www.scottjenkins.net
Written by Steve Turnbull on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:32:10
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