A KARTING team from Hamworthy has triumphed in a tough American race series against works teams with million dollar budgets.

One Motorsport Team, based on the Dawkins Road Industrial Estate, designs and builds its own karts. This year, in the fiercely-contested USA Gear Up F race series - with driver Michael Eastwell behind the wheel - they blew the competition away.

Team principal Sean Girdler told the Daily Echo: “The sole intention was to go with Michael and our own design, get to the USA and win the championship.

“We were the first British kart manufacturer to compete in the series for fifteen years, up against really big works teams - and they have budgets in the millions.

“We went in very low key, just me and the driver going over and doing it, and beat them all.”

The American series ran over seven rounds, in locations such as North Carolina, New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Boston.

It took place between April and September this year.

Sean, aged 37, from Upton, explained: “We had a base in Boston and travelled from the UK each month. All the parts were shipped out in Jauuary.”

The championship was clinched in the team’s One Kart Wolf machine, which is designed and built by One Motorsport Team from the chassis up.

Capable of speeds topping 90mph, the One Kart Wolf - and driver Michael - impressed the rest of the field on their stateside debut.

Now the team hopes continued success will generate more commercial interest in their operation

Sean said: “From winning the championship in America we’ve had some recognition. We have a US distributor and on the back of what we’ve achieved we’ve just tied up a deal to supply karts to the Middle East.

“Our other designed and built chassis is called the Atom Predator,.

“They all get predator-type names because we hunt everyone else down on track.”

Driver Michael, as a result of winning the USA series, now has the chance to race at Silverstone in the largest Formula Ford 1600 event in the world, next weekend’s Walter Hayes Trophy.