York karting ace Graham Foster-Vigors is strapped in for national glory.

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE: York go-kart racer Graham Foster-Vigors shows off the spoils of his outing in the South Yorkshire championships

He is to tackle the National Championships next season after winning the South Yorkshire Kart Club Championship.

He will tackle six rounds in the the north and hopes to qualify for the National Grand Final which is being staged at Fulbeck, Lincolnshire, next September.

Foster-Vigors, 32, from Moorcroft Road, Woodthorpe, won the Formula Rotax 125 title at the Wombwell track, near Barnsley.

His machine can hit a top speed of 90mph and shot round the 1,500m one-lap track at an average of 65mph with races generally covering 10 laps.

After a long eight-round season starting in April Foster-Vigors clinched it at the final round. Needing to finish no lower than fifth, he kept his cool to out-qualifying his main rival Bryn Hawkins (Wakefield) and finished third on the day to clinch the title by two points.

During the season, in which he took three wins, Foster-Vigors competed against 20 other drivers and only had one finish outside the top three.

He started karting in 1994 racing twin engine Pro Karts finishing runner up in the SYKC Championship in 1998.

He then changed to the FR125 Max two stroke racing class with great success this year.

An area sales manager, Foster-Vigors is on the look-out for new sponsors next season as he estimates it will cost him around £2,000 to take part in the nationals.

His two sons, six-year-old Gorge and Charlie, aged 3, are already bitten by the karting bug and George hopes to start racing in a couple of years time.

Anyone wishing to help out should contact him on 01904 701750.

Meanwhile, the York University Karting Club is also hoping to make a big impression on the national scene.

In only it's second year the club has gained a place in National University Karting Championships which will run from February to May.

The campaign starts at Northampton on February 16 and other rounds are being staged at London (Wednesday, March 8), Milton Keynes (Wednesday, march 29, when rounds three and four will be staged) and Shenington, near banbury (Wednesday, May 3).

Club president Edward Day, of Tang Hall Lane, York, said: "We are looking to local businesses to sponsor our team. Sponsoring the whole five round championship would cost £1,000. Sponsorship of a single round or transport costs can be negotiated."

He can be contacted on 01904 414445 or 07931 717193 or can be e-mailed at socs318@york.ac.uk

The student karters have their own web-site as part of the York University site on www-users.york.ac/

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.