Wright karts
Wright Karts is an English company founded in 1978, manufacturing and racing racing kart chassis.
SWRD/TEAM WRIGHTKARTS have contested the ultra-competitive Junior/ICA/Formula A/Formula SuperA/KF1/KF2/KF3/KZ1/KZ2 and Formula Super ICC World and European championships for over two decades.
SWRD Racing Engines is subsidiary of Simon Wright Racing Developments and specialises in the tuning of kart racing engines. SWRD Racing Engines have been an Iame agent for over 20 years (the longest in the UK). They also rebuild and repair other makes and models of motors.
Formula One star and 2009 World champion Jenson Button spent much of his karting career with Simon Wright Racing Developments/Team Wright Karts .
Dan Wheldon, IRL (Indy Race League) champion 2005 & Indy 500 winner 2005 & 2011, also spent the vast majority of his karting career with Simon Wright Racing winning multiple British Championships along the way.
Other ex-drivers include:
- David Coulthard - Formula 1 (7th position in all time point scorers) 2001 F1 Vice-Champion
- Dario Franchitti - CART/2007 IndyCar Series Champion/NASCAR/American Le Mans Series/2007 BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year
- Allan McNish - Formula 1(Renault)/American Le Mans Series Champion/Twice 24 Hours of Le Mans Champion
- Tom Ferrier - British Touring Car/FIA European Touring Car/British GT Championship
- Richard Bradley - Super Formula Series
- Jason Plato - 2001 BTCC champion
- Mika Salo - Formula 1/GT2 class 24 Hours Le Mans Winner 2008
- Justin Wilson - IndyCar Series/Champ Car/Formula One
- Oliver Jarvis - 2005 McLaren Autosport Young Driver of The Year Award/A1 GP (Team GB)/DTM
- Mike Conway - GP2/IndyCar Series
- Jake Rosenzweig - GP2 series
2011 saw Wright Karts acquire yet another British title, the "Junior TKM Open Champion", thanks to a marvelous victory from Junior TKM rookie Jake Walker.
To add to the British title, Wright karts took the "Australian National Light" title, with driver James Golding operating from the newly formed "Wright Karts Australia" team. The team also took The Victoria regional titles in the "Rookie" class with Reece Sidebottom and Jordan Carusso in the "Midgets" class. Carusso would later go on to also take the Queensland regional title.
In 2012 Team Wright Karts competed various top level karting Championships including "Formula Kart Stars" and the "MSA Super1 Series"
For 2012 Team Wright karts were pleased to announce a partnership with current Formula 1 World Champions, Redbull F1, to run the Official Redbull KF3 junior karting team. All of the Redbull KF3 drivers (Harrison Newey, Alex Gill & Rory Cuff) were using the "Wright Suzuka 3" chassis and Simon Wright Racing Developments tuned Iame Parilla motors.
The 2012 Season ended in success with Alex Gill taking the KF3 (pinnacle of Junior Kart Racing) national championships, beating Double European Champion George Russell at the last Championship round of the year.
2014 saw Wright Karts produce their first "Race specific" chassis for the rapidly growing "Bambino" category. The introduction of the "Wright Centaur" proved to be a great hit with the chassis winning the Bambino British Open Championships - Piloted by Oakley Keightly. This title would go on to be defended by the Wright Centaur chassis in 2015, this time driven by Freddie Taylor. The "Centaur" also claimed the 2015 BKC Bambino Championships with Taylor Orrdige.