SPORTS
|17 Graphic by Rachel Greenberg ’22
Kanthan proves karting is more than bumper cars Hannah Ratcliffe ’22 Web Arts Editor
acing around the track
R
sively pushing other drivers off the track to gain the
ers are much more aggressive,” Kanthan said. “[Other racers] will go for an overtake when there isn’t really much space and they’ll bump you off the track.” Despite these obstacles,
try weekend after weekend to race for the podium; this is the life of a professional race car driver, which is now the life of
cess as he consistently achieved
Kanthan grew up watching Formula 1 and IndyCar racing.
tion, SKUSA SuperNationals.
al track and asked him to try out for the junior league team. “My dad took me and my brother to an indoor karting track in New York, and I liked it so I joined the league and I won,” Kanthan said. “We then thought it would be a good idea to move to outdoor karting and then from there to Nationals.” Kanthan quickly realized his ous. Finishing third in his ie year in 2020 made him realize that he had what it took to race alongside the best in the United States.
ing time training in Italy, he
ment and frequent traveling, Kanthan’s family decided to switch him to online school. While there were efforts to keep tem in Westport with a possible hybrid curriculum, the district did not approve the request. “We pretty much asked if [the
pretty tough to deal with at the time just because people don’t understand the sport,” Lee Ann Kanthan, Vivek’s mother, said. “ I t ’ s just out of the norm, so a lot late it to just bumper cars and it is nothing like that.” Kanthan’s ultimate dream is to make it into Formula 1, where there are only 10 teams and 20 seats. Unfortunately, Formula 1 has become very dependent on money, so the Kanthan family is starting to look for sponsors to support Kanthan’s travels in 2022. Kanthan also hopes to gain more support from the local Westport community, which ing his races on his Youtube and Instagram accounts under his name. Despite his young age, he believes he has a spot in the future of motor racing. “Vivek handles stress very well on and off the track, and he also manages his time well given his busy schedule,” Vivek’s brother, Nikhil Kanthan ’23 said. “I think aspiring to be one of the best racing drivers
in the world is what pushes him to work on his craft, which, at the current moment, is karting.”
PODIUM RESULTS Kanthan became the SuperNationals Vice Champion in 2021.
racing category where erful at 11 horsepower hour. The karts
Phot o by V s contri bu ivek Kant ted han ’27 OBJECTIVE Kanthan’s ultimate goal is to make it into Formula 1, a motor racing championship.
