After a long and gruelling buildup, Jamaica’s karting sensation Alex Powell said the recent visit to the island was just what he needed to rest and reset as he resumed preparation for the FIA Karting World Championships.

Powell readies for what, he hopes, will be a season-ending triumph with the Kart Republic team and aims to clinch what would be a historic World Championships podium finish. The American-born driver placed sixth at the prestigious event in 2021, but said he is raring to go at the 2022 title on September 15-18 in Sarno, Italy.

“I think it was important to come back to Jamaica just to rest and make sure that my mind is fresh going into the World Championship. I think we have to be prepared in all aspects for that race because, as we all know, it’s a one-off race and also the biggest race of the year.

“So everybody is going for the win and you can’t be conservative at any time throughout that weekend. So we have to be on top of everything,” Powell told the Jamaica Observer.

“So I think to come back to see my old friends for the first time in two-and-a-half years and again to reset will benefit me a lot and it’s good for my for my mental state, you know, to make sure that I’m fresh, ready, and very much focused for the big event next month,” he added.

Over the past few years, Powell’s passion for driving and desire to improve have been significantly intensified as he continually demonstrates a great deal of focus and seriousness about his craft.

After blazing the trail in the junior OK division, Powell, a Mercedes-AMG F1 protege, transitioned to the more competitive senior OK category just over seven months ago, where he again placed his immense potential on display.

He won two races in the ultra-competitive four-race FIA Karting European Championships, while placing third in another. Those performances were complemented by credible showings in the Champions of the Future and WSK Super Series, respectively.

Socialising with his local peers who were eager for photo opportunities, Powell said, has contributed to his positive mindset and serves as reminder that adversities thrown at him will only make him stronger.

“It motivates me even more to to keep pushing and to keep doing my best. You know, it’s a great feeling because I remember being in their position as well when I had drivers that I looked up to and aspired to be. So it just shows that, you know, nothing is impossible, but you just always have to be on top of your game. So it’s attack mode going in as we aim for the best to continue inspiring others,” the young sensation noted.

That said, the 14-year-old will attempt to push the limits to again rewrite the history books.

“We’ve been doing our job in majority of the races in the past few months so the aim is to maintain that focus heading into the World Championships. We’ve already been preparing from the beginning of the year, really, but it’s intensified over the past month. So we have done enough testing, we have enough knowledge, it’s just to put it all together for that big weekend, from my side, and from the team side as well,” said Powell.

“It would be awesome for me to be on the podium, but you know, being second or third in the World Championship isn’t really what we’re going for this year, we’re going for the win, and realistically, this year, I think we have a good chance.

“Of course, it’s always good to have more podium finishes, you know, but in the World Championship, you’re really going like all or nothing. So the goal is definitely to win,” he stated.

Winning or, by extension, securing a podium finish would set Powell up nicely to possibly transition to the next class by mid-year 2023 as he continues to chart a course towards his dream of competing on the Formula One (F1) stage.

By all indications Mercedes-AMG already has their young protege testing karts with manual transmissions.

“That, of course, makes me excited and I feel ready for the future, but I know I still have a lot to learn in the [OK] category that I’m in now and also the categories above that I might be moving into.

“So I’m open to learning and understanding new things, I know that it will be a difficult task moving into a new category next year if that goes through, so it’s going to be a different challenge and its one I’m looking forward to,” Powell shared.

Until then, Powell pointed out that the focus remains solely on the coveted World Championship prize.

“Just to make sure that we do the best that we can and that we’re on top of our game and then once we get the World Championship out of the way we can really put our focus on the next step, which we’re still trying to decide what that will be. But we need to be very prepared for anything that’s coming our way,” he ended.