98\10/20
Prince of wheels beats Damon Hill
By Robert Hardman
PRINCE William has outpaced Grand Prix drivers such as Damon Hill to set a lap record at a leading London go-kart circuit.
The 13-year-old prince clocked 19.66 seconds at the F1 Chelsea racing track in London 10 days ago, the fastest since it opened in 1993.
The time is now displayed on the scoreboard beside the name of William Wales, showing how far ahead he is of some of the biggest names in racing.
Driving a standard 163cc adult kart, the Prince, on exeat from Eton, only narrowly beat his younger brother, Prince Harry, who recorded 19.79 seconds on the 300-metre circuit.
Both were well ahead of their detectives, who were competing at the same time.
More than 60,000 people have used the circuit, including many Formula One drivers and the world superkart champion, Martin Hines. This week David Coulthard, Hill's co-driver in the Williams Formula One team, raced there in a Daily Telegraph competition before setting off for the Asian Grand Prix this weekend.
Despite being a former British go-kart champion and three times Scottish junior champion, Coulthard could do no better than 20.36.
The circuit organisers stressed that the Princes were using the same equipment as any other customer and were competing in a regular practice session.
"Prince William has a genuine talent and a wise head on his shoulders," said Hamish Goddard, a spokesman for the track.
"His weight may offer a very small advantage, but on the indoor track even this is questionable and cannot take away anything from his achievement. Being light only makes a real difference when you're trying to correct mistakes and he was not making any."
Any improvements in his technique will have to wait until the school holidays; go-karting is not on the curriculum at Eton, where Prince William has recently taken up fencing.
Like their mother, the Princess of Wales, he and his brother are keen followers of motor racing and have attended many Grands Prix.
Were Prince William to consider a career as a racing driver, his talent - not to mention his appeal to the all-important sponsors - would prove a tempting prospect indeed.
Sadly for the motor racing industry, he is the one 13-year-old in the world whose job prospects are a foregone conclusion.
Motor racing: Coulthard urges Hill to keep up the fight
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