In part two of this three-part series, we speak to Romain Leroux who competes in the Senior category of the X30 Southeast Asia Championship.
Romain Leroux races with the Stratos Motorsports team, and was the Overall 1st Runner Up in the Junior category of the X30 Challenge Singapore 2016. Having turned 15 this year, he will be competing in the hotly contested Senior category. We speak to him at the KF1 Karting Circuit during a practice session.
1. Who, or what started you on karting?
I’ve always loved racing, when I went for F1 here a couple of times, I realized that it was one of my dreams, so I researched on what we could do to get there - that’s what got me into it and I’ve loved it ever since.
2. Do you have someone you look up to, or inspires you?
Most F1 drivers inspire me because they work so hard to get there and that’s one of my dreams — to work as hard as them to get up to where they are. My parents helped me, but it was my choice — but most importantly they supported me, because without them I wouldn’t be able to do it.
3. How far would you like to go in karting or Motorsports? Dreams and plans?
As far as I can, I’m working on doing the best I can do get as far as possible, though the dream for every motorsport driver is to get to F1 but it’s a very hard stage to reach so I’m trying to get as far as possible. (How close do you think you are to that goal?) There’s still work to do…
4. As a karter we would imagine you like cars as well? Any favourite make or model?
I really like the Aston Martins, the old and new ones; I just love the design and the history of the brand, and all the racing they’ve taken part in.
5. Any advice for other young karters who would like to begin the sport?
I think the best advice I can give is — try it out, if you like it go for it, but don’t get your expectations up at the start. Just try to practice as much as possible, when you practice you’ll get somewhere.
6. When you race, are you a competitive person?
Yes, I think so… You want to win, but you don’t need to set too high a goal at the start, just try to practice, and when you race you’ll see your real level and try to improve yourself which practice.
7. How long have you been involved in the X30 Championship?
It’s my third year; I’ve been there since the start.
8. Have you felt that you’ve improved over the past 3 years? Any thoughts on the series and how it’s helped you as a karter?
Yes, a lot. I think it’s the best series in Singapore right now, because X30 has a lot of drivers, and it’s the only series around here that goes in two countries and different tracks, which is very good because you can see the best drivers that are good at all the different tracks. Also the fact that everyone has similar skill levels, there’s not one person that is very fast or very slow, so it’s very competitive.
9. How much time do you put into practicing?
I practice quite a lot, as much as I can, so maybe once a week or once every two weeks. I also do physical training almost every day to get my fitness level up for karting.
10. How do you manage your time between school and karting?
I think I’m managing it thanks to my parents, because without them I’d do only karting! It’s quite hard to do — between school, karting, and trying to keep my fitness level up — but I just have to manage it.