After a successful karting career, Kas Haverkort will switch to motor racing this year. The 16-year-old Team NL driver will compete for the Dutch MP Motorsport team in the Spanish F4 Championship. “I am really looking forward to it and will do my very best. A place in the top three is certainly my goal in that respect,” says an enthusiastic Haverkort.
Kas Haverkort was less than four years old when he first stepped into a kart and has been taking part in competitions since he was seven. After striking results in various national championships, successes followed in Italian, Germany, European and world championships. On the basis of his results and future prospects, the resident of Heemserveen in Overijssel was selected for the KNAF Academy in 2018, to move directly to the Team NL karts selection in 2019.
When Haverkort reaches the age of 16, the time has come to make the switch to motorsport. The choice was made for the Spanish Formula 4 Championship, a title fight in this entry-level class for talented competitors that have already been the first step for various drivers on their way to the top of the motorsport ladder. The championship consists of seven rounds in which, in addition to five Spanish, also a French and Portuguese circuit are included in the calendar. Three races are held per race weekend so that the young talents can immediately gain a lot of experience.
“I am extremely happy with this opportunity and look forward to it. The tests at the end of last year went super well. I’m going to do my very best and although it is, of course, difficult to say exactly where I am positioned, a top-three is definitely my goal. Single seater cars are a really different feeling from karting, but it seems to go well. I will prepare intensively for the simulator and also go to the gym a lot. And then, of course, there will be the testing with MP Motorsport. We are going to make it a great season,” says Kas Haverkort.
Haverkort will run with MP Motorsport, the Dutch team that has already achieved many successes in the various Formula 4 championships. MP Motorsport, based in Westmaas in South Holland, is the largest Dutch motor racing team, fielding competitors in the Formula Renault 2.0, Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula 2 categories. Sander Dorsman, team manager at MP Motorsport, talks about having a Dutch talent to welcome into his team. “At MP Motorsport we are very happy that Kas is coming to drive with us. During an earlier test with us, he was immediately fast. Before the season starts, we will complete an extensive test program so that he is well prepared for the first race. Although it will only be his first season in motorsport, the goal is to compete for the title.”
The Spanish Formula 4 Championship starts on the weekend of April 25 and 26 at the French circuit at Le Castellet.