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TKART magazine Editorial | Fraser Sheader, the talent that F1 didn’t manage to hold on to
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FRASER SHEADER
THE TALENT THAT F1 DIDN’T MANAGE TO HOLD ON TO

Mattia Livraghi
15 September 2022 • 10 min. read

Two icons of four-wheel motorsports: an F1 driver (Lando Norris) and a historic kart builder (Tim Gillard). One question: "Is there a driver among those you have known who would have deserved to reach F1?". The univocal answer: the name of an English manager. Who is he? We met him for you. And we tell you about him

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It all starts with two statements. In two different moments and places, Lando Norris (F1 driver) and Tim Gillard (historic kart builder and founder of the Gillard brand, recently sold to OTK Kart Group) were asked the same question: "Is there a driver among those you have known and seen racing who has not succeeded in motorsport, but who would have deserved to reach even F1?”. And both, surprisingly, give the same monolithic answer: Fraser Sheader. Nothing to say. Because, despite following the world of karting for 15 years, in the editorial staff of TKART, this name... does not say much. And because the names you expect are those of the karting champions of the 1980s and 1990s (for further information read "Special - Top kart drivers of the 80s and 90s"), who seemed destined for a future as protagonists in the premier class, but then, for one reason or another, never drove an F1 car. Yet, Fraser Sheader, born in 1983, has been into engines for a lifetime and he can go really fast with a steering wheel in his hands (the proof is in the pudding). Norris knows this well, seeing Fraser as his manager. And Gillard is also well aware of this, as he saw Fraser as one of his exceptional drivers. “I think Lando was joking - Sheader chuckles as he comments on his “nomination” by the F1 driver - but it's still nice to be mentioned. I am continually asked questions about my karting races with Lewis (Hamilton, editor's note), but I think he was much more talented than me and he deserved to get where he is.

Born in 1983, Fraser Sheader was one of the most promising talents in British karting and was also a protagonist on the international scene. He raced for historic brands such as Gillard Racing Kart, Tecno and Tony Kart. After he stopped competing, he managed the English team of Maranello Kart, to then follow, as a driver coach, his driver Jack Harvey at Birel. In 2010 he founded ADD Management, a management agency aimed at supporting young talent, especially in the transition from karting to racing cars. His partner is Mark Berryman and among the drivers supported by ADD Management there is also the McLaren Formula 1 standard bearer Lando Norris.

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