It's a long journey from go-karting to Formula 1, but the majority of drivers will sit behind the wheel of a go-kart from a young age. In order to carry out the test, the kart had to be adjusted especially for Tom. Competition karts are capable of multiple adjustments, as everything has to be fitted perfectly to the driver.
Jean-Claude Hansen, coach at the ACL Kart Academy, explains: "Hobby karts have four-stroke engines. A competition kart like this, for example, has a Rotax Evo Max engine, which is a two-stroke engine, so we're talking about a big difference in performance and adjustment. On a competition kart, you can really adjust everything, from toe, camber, ride height, width of the rear chassis, to the air pressure for the tyres and windows."
Tom was able to test out a kart which had been developed in cooperation with Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris.
Hansen: "Lando Norris had a cooperation agreement with Italian manufacturers OTK. The kart was developed completely for him, with a design he came up with. Now it's available for everyone to buy and try out. My daughter Jenna is a competition driver and has been driving since she was eight years old. She's a big Lando Norris fan and obviously has to try out everything that Lando Norris develops."
Wearing a suit, driving a Lando Norris kart on a circuit with experienced drivers, for a moment Tom felt like a real kart driver. But once on the track, he felt a bit like a brake, as everyone wanted to pass him.
The junior kart had 21 hp, but Tom was nonetheless impressed by the speed and acceleration, given the kart only weighs around 80kg on its own.
At the end of Tom's test, he achieved a maximum speed of 113 kilometres per hour, with a best time of 38.7 seconds - four seconds away from a top time for junior karts.
The best time with a regular rental go-kart, which has 10 less horsepower and weighs 153kg without a driver, is around 47 seconds. Tom said he could really feel the difference achieving a time that was 9 seconds faster.
"I did seven laps in a competition kart and I have to say, it's impressive, especially the speed, it's a huge difference, compared to the rental kart. And above all, if you know the track here in Mondercange, it's not obvious to hit it at those speeds and also to make sure that the kart doesn't spin out at the end of the turn. There are a lot of factors that have to come together to be fast here."
After analysing the telemetry in detail, Tom's coach declared himself satisfied.
Hansen: "The first lap was a bit more difficult, it takes time for the tyres to heat up, until everything reaches the right conditions, but afterwards Tom really stepped things up and did the last few laps 9 seconds faster than his first lap."
Tom said he was pleased he'd managed to return the kart in the same condition as when he started, with the exception of a small dent, thus declaring the test a success.
