Jack Harvey will kick-start his 2010 season with a star-studded charity kart race at the Autosport International Show at the Birmingham NEC next week 15-17 Jan). The Bassingham based racer will be competing alongside his Racing Steps Foundation team-mates in the David Brabham Celebrity Karting Challenge.

Alpinestars supported Harvey will have a busy schedule at the show, where, besides the kart race, he will be once again talking to the public and up and coming young kart racers, on the Karting Stage hosted by Formula Kart Stars. This year he will have a professional insight into the step between kart and car racing, following his successful first season in the Formula BMW Europe Championship in 2009 and his race-winning car from last season will also be on display at the show.

“I really look forward to the Autosport International Show as it's known as the unofficial 'start to the racing season',” says Jack. “I can't wait for the 2010 season to get underway and I enjoy being at the show and being able to give something back to a lot of the people who have supported me over the years.

“I've been on the Karting Stage for the last three years now and I enjoy being able to talk about my career and my aspirations for the coming season. It's also great to be able to support the younger drivers coming through the same levels of karting that I have been through and meet up with some of the drivers I used to race against. But I'm really looking forward to David Brabham's charity kart race. It's a fantastic way to start the year, racing against some of the top drivers in the world!” He adds.

The format for the race, this year primarily supporting Malaria No More UK, will be a 90-minute endurance race, with four professional drivers on each team, with the other two positions available to members of the public, for a charity donation!

However, for the first time the event will be held in the main 'Live Action' arena, where a 5000 strong audience will be able to cheer on Jack and the rest of the star-studded driver line-up.

“It's going to be a really special event this year,” says Jack. “I was invited to take part last year too and I'm honoured to be involved and helping to support the Malaria No More UK cause alongside David Brabham and the rest of the professional and charity drivers.

“It's going to be great to be able to race against some of the drivers that, hopefully I'll be racing against as I progress through my career in front of a big crowd. Me and the rest of the Racing Steps drivers will be trying our hardest to go out and beat the top stars too. It would be great to go head-to-head for the win against David in the closing laps, for instance! There's definitely going to be some competitive spirit out there.” He jokes.

With just a couple of weeks to go before the start of the show, there are still a handful of slots available left on the grid for the race, a chance for race fans from across the country to go head-to-head not just with Jack, but with some of their motorsport heroes from across the world.

The Celebrity Karting Challenge has become the annual battle ground for top racers from across world motorsport to prove which racing series boasts the best drivers, from karting to Formula One, sportscar racing to single seaters and rallying. Allan McNish, Johnny Herbert, Andy Priaulx, Darren Turner, Marino Franchitti, Emanuele Pirro, Matthew Wilson and Tom Kristensen are just some of the drivers who have previously joined Brabham for the spectacular showdown.

The all-star driver line-up for this year's event is almost complete, with Brabham's Le Mans 24-hour winning team-mate Alex Wurz and triple World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx the latest drivers to be announced.

Anyone interested in wanting to book their position on the starting grid for what is likely to be the most star-studded race of the year can contact Bill Williams at bill@racing4charity.com or call 0044 (0) 7712 578263. The latest race information can be found at www.racing4charity.com where you can also pay for your public place. Two entrance tickets to Autosport International, on what is an exclusive trade day, is included in the £300 public entry fee and places are very limited.

Ref: JHBMW1001