CHAMP KARTER SECURES TRS ARDEN SEAT IN MSA FORMULA
Enaam Ahmed won five major titles last season. Photo: KSP Photo Agency
Another karting World Champion has signed to begin his car-racing career in MSA Formula, the new FIA-accredited single-seater series for junior drivers. He is Enaam Ahmed, who won both the European and World CIK FIA Karting World Championships in 2014, a feat previously achieved by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
Londoner Enaam is joining the TRS Arden squad for his attack on the Ford EcoBoost-powered MSA Formula Championship, and team boss Gary Horner is delighted: “We are very excited to have Enaam signed with our MSA Formula team. He certainly impressed us with his performance in several championships last season and we are certain he can carry this through taking the next step up to focus on single seater racing.”
Enaam, who turns 15 next month, said: “I’m very excited to be with Arden, they’ve had good pedigree so I’m sure we’ll get on well. It was a hard decision but it was too good to turn down. The first half of the year will be about learning. I think it’s going to be the hardest F4 championship in the world. It will be a good stepping stone.”
Ahmed achieved five major titles last season: the CIK World Championship, winning all heats and the final from the pole by six seconds; the CIK European Championship; the WSK Super Masters; the Champions Cup and the Winter Cup. He holds the record for the youngest driver to win the karting double at just 14 – the previous record holder was a 15-year-old Lewis Hamilton.
He cut his motorsport teeth at the age of nine in cadet karts, in 2012 claiming the national Super One title and finishing second in the MSA Cadet championship. He moved into international KF Junior racing in 2013 with Ricky Flynn Motorsport, teamed alongside Lando Norris, against whom he will be pitched again this season in MSA Formula, Norris having signed with Carlin.
Ahmed, whose career is overseen by Edge Sporting Management, is the second of TRS Arden’s three drivers to be revealed. The squad confirmed its first pilot –British Super One Junior Max Kart Champion Sandy Mitchell – earlier this month.
MSA Formula – Certified by FIA, Powered by Ford EcoBoost is Britain’s official version of the FIA’s Formula 4 concept and will be the British Touring Car Championship’s single-seater support series, enjoying live TV coverage and bumper raceday spectator attendance. The championship will be decided over 30 races; three at each of the 10 BTCC meetings to be held between April and October.
The winning driver will hold the title FIA Formula 4 Champion of Great Britain, and will earn 10 Grand Prix Superlicence points to get his or her career off to a flying start, in addition to being awarded a career-enhancing test drive with a leading FIA Formula 3 team.