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Ten year celebration for Courtney |
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Thursday, 13 September 2007 |
V8 Supercar driver James Courtney will celebrate ten years since he
etched his name in the record books of world motorsport by becoming the
first Australian to win the World Formula A Karting Championship
tomorrow (Friday).
When Courtney won the Championship he became not only the first
Australian to secure the title but also only the third ever Australian
to secure an official FIA World Championship alongside Formula One
World Champions Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones.
Courtney, 27, started his motorsport career at the age of seven in
1987 aboard a kart at the Lithgow kart circuit. He then went on to
claim a number of titles throughout New South Wales and finished
runner-up in the 1994 Australian Championship. After enduring a major
disappointment at the Nationals in 1995, when his engine seized while
on route to victory, Courtney turned his focus to the European scene
with the Italian Tony Kart team.
“I can remember being distraught after leading by a long way and
having an engine seize, about the only thing I thought would erase that
disappointment would be a world championship,” said Courtney.
Later that year Courtney went on to secure victory in the five
continents cup, the unofficial world title for junior drivers, at Braga
in Portugal ahead of Antonio Liuzzi and Alessandro Piccolo.
“The five continents cup was basically the world title for juniors
so to win that was a huge achievement against the best junior drivers
in the world on a circuit which was unfamiliar to me,” added Courtney.
In 1996 he graduated into the senior Formula A category with the
Tony Kart team where he finished fourth in that year’s World Karting
Championship at South Garda in Italy behind Jean-Christopher Ravier,
Nicolas Kiesa and Thomas Pichler.
“After spending a few months overseas in 1995 the following year
was a big change for me. I moved to Europe on a full-time basis and was
16 years old living by myself in a unit close to the Tony Kart factory
in Prevale, Italy,” said Courtney.
“The best parts about living overseas was the Italian food, my
scooter which Australian engine guru Jon Targett, who was also living
in Italy, had tuned up for me and being around karts all the time.
“The World Championship that year was a difficult one, I was
sitting in fourth and with about ten laps to go my throttle cable broke
and I had to drive the last ten laps with one hand. While I didn’t win
it was an achievement just to get to the finish.”
The following year Courtney came of age in the karting ranks and
was one of the front runners throughout the 1997 European season. He
capped the year off with victory in the World Championships on
September 14 at Salbris in Italy ahead of Japanese driver Kosuke
Matsuura and Frenchman Guillaume Renaux.
“It certainly doesn’t feel like it was ten years ago that I became
world champion but in saying that I’ve done a lot of things in those
ten years,” said James.
“I can still remember the day like it was yesterday, I could
probably talk you through just about every part of the circuit. There
is no doubt it was the biggest win of my career and something I believe
will be very hard to top.
“To be mentioned in the same breath as two icons in Australian
motorsport, Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones, is an honour. The win
certainly put me on the map in the world of motorsport.”
In the ten years since his World Championship victory Courtney has
excelled in almost every category of motor racing including victory in
the British Formula Ford Championship and the Japanese Formula Three
Title.
In 2002, Courtney was Jaguar's regular Formula One test driver in
between his commitments with Carlin Motorsport in the British Formula 3
Championship. He had five race wins during the year and finished
runner-up in the Championship while also securing pole position for 12
of the 14 races.
Courtney made his V8 Supercar debut at the Sandown 500 in 2005
before joining Australia’s premiere motorsport category on a full-time
basis at the start of 2006. He has since recorded 23 starts in the
series with his best finish being a pair of third places at the
Bathurst 1000 and Oran Park Raceway last year.
Courtney will be joined in this weekend’s Just Car Insurance 500,
the first endurance race of 2007, at the Sandown International Raceway
by David Besnard in the #4 Jeld-Wen Motorsport Falcon.
“David and I come from a very similar background. He was racing
karts in Europe just before I was and he was one of the guys I really
looked up to and admired,” said Courtney.
“In my mind he is one of the most naturally gifted drivers and also
is a good friend, to be able to race at Sandown and Bathurst with him
is going to be pretty cool.”
Practice begins tomorrow followed by qualifying on Saturday and the 161-lap race on Sunday afternoon.
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