In the second of this week's Q&A sessions, we spoke to Superkart racer Josh Rayman just after his races at Castle Combe.


What series do you currently race in?
This year I'm racing in the British Superkart Championship for the first time.


Favourite car you have driven?
I have fond memories of a Parilla JICA engine that used to scream, back when we did Super 1 in 2005. Revved to something silly like 19k, air-cooled. Fantastic.

What would be your dream car?
Tyrrell P34. Jordan 191. Metro 6R4. a Formula Super A kart.

Of things I could feasibly drive : a Division 1 (European) Superkart.

What's your favourite thing to do when you are not racing?
Drive virtual racing cars. Occasionally I play music.

I started running just under a year ago, which eventually became quite fun - ran the Silverstone half-marathon in March.

What is your favourite circuit?
Brands Hatch. Paddock Hill bend is stunning.

Do you/Have you used race simulations?
I use race sims extensively, mostly recreationally. I am currently getting a vague idea of the circuits for this season in rFactor (using a couple of the superkart mods).

I am also often pre-occupied with getting a negative handicap on GPLrank, as I was terrible at the game as a teen.

What is your proudest racing moment so far?
My first negative GPLrank.

Real life racing : I remember doing a prokart race at PFI once where I drove from around 40th to 7th in one race. That was quite fun.

Do you think more could be done to help young talent progress in motorsport?
There always can be - things like RSF and the Nissan GT Academy can only be good for the sport - but I think more can be achieved by sorting out the organisation of lower-level racing.

In the 80's, for example, Formula Ford is remembered as being an incredibly strong junior category, and I have never understood the general decline that the grassroots sport seems to have gone through since.

What's the plan for the rest of the season?
We just completed the first round at Castle Combe, and the plan for the rest of the year is the rest of the British Superkart rounds.


How can fans best follow your on track activities?
@IAMRAYMAN is frequently updated, and my team is on Facebook (facebook.com/RamotakRacing). I also post to Instagram, Google+, YouTube, etc which are linked to from my website, www.iamrayman.co.uk.



What one piece of advice would you give to anyone wishing to start or build on their racing career?
Network. Also, get handy with spanners (for the record : I'm not). Being mechanically minded is something that has always eluded me, but I'm trying to learn more this year.

Josh Rayman was talking to Matt Hunter.