The karting community has become relatively unfazed by the amount of motorsports celebrities that attend karting events year after year. Even with so many professional race car drivers coming back to their roots and a even entering a kart race here or there, it has just become the norm in the paddock to see these people.
But last weekend at Ocala Gran Prix, there was someone new touring the paddock and taking in the action.
Anthony Hamilton, the father of Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, made the long trek from across the Atlantic to America and with a couple days off enjoyed the chance to check out the Florida Winter Tour as a guest of the Latifi Family and Ferrolati Corse, a Canadian karting team. Hamilton is known for helping steer young drivers in the right direction as they move up the motorsports ladder as well as spotting future talents at very young ages, especially from kart racing.
Hamilton is currently helping mentor Nicholas Latifi, a past FWT DD2 class Champion and three-time member of RMCGF Team Canada, as he pursues his motorsports career. Latifi was racing in the Florida Winter Series put on by the Ferrari Driver Academy and with a break between events, Hamilton took the time to watch Nicholas’s younger brother Matthew in Ocala.
Sporting a RMCGF Team Canada jacket courtesy of the Latifi’s, Hamilton did not hide away at all throughout the weekend, taking the time to meet and chat with everyone who approached him. It was very pleasant to see how curious he was about the sport in North America and when it came race time, he was spotted on the sidelines checking out all the action at Ocala Gran Prix.
