TWO kart drivers are on the look-out for help as they try to take a step closer to fulfilling their lifetime ambition of taking part in the British Championship.

The duo, who are good friends, are Simon Pearson from Lychpit and James Dicks from Kempshott.

The pair have this year moved up from racing at the nearby Blackbushe track to racing at the Paul Fletcher International circuit - one of the best in the country.

This track is located to the east of Nottingham and both are looking to take part in next year's Kartmasters Grand Prix at the circuit. This is an annual event which attracts top competitors and is televised by Sky Sports.

The pair are also looking to race in the 0 Plate Championship, another race at PF International, which is a one-off race, again being televised by Sky, with the winner being given the 0 number plate for the following season.

What the duo need is sponsorship for the van which they have to rent for their trips to the Midlands. Tyres for the karts, two-stroke oil and paid race entry fees would also be a help to them.

The pair are also on the look-out for a mechanic to help keep them on the track.

Both drivers race karts with senior Rotax max engines, which are water-cooled 125cc engines with electric starts. They are capable of speeds up to 100mph.

The pair started out originally with one kart between three friends, with Robert Miller being the other member of the trio.

The intention was to race in endurance races where they would take turns to drive, but the bug proved too much for Simon and James and now they both have their own karts.

Simon, 20, has been karting for 17 months and is currently in his third year at Southampton University where he is studying mechanical engineering.

He finished fourth in the club championship at Blackbushe having only raced in five out of the 12 events.

Simon said: "Blackbushe is an ideal place to start karting as everyone is so helpful, but PF International is lot larger. It is like a mini F1 track."

His motor racing hero is record-breaking world champion Michael Schumacher and he said: "I think when I first started watching F1 in 1994, he was one of the top drivers and it just went from there."

James, 21, is in his first year at BCOT studying computing and has only been racing since February.

He managed to win three of his first five novice races and is following in his father John's footsteps as John raced in the late '80s.

Racing at PF International, the karts reach speeds of up to 80mph, with an average 55mph lap around the track - which seems very fast when you are only inches off the track surface.

James said: "I really enjoy it. One thing you don't realise is how noisy it is as the engine is working flat out."

His motor racing hero is Britain's own Jenson Button, as he said: "He started in karting before moving on to Formula 1."

Anyone who can help the pair is asked to telephone Simon Pearson on 07867 590954 or James Dicks on 07887 960180.