When Max Verstappen won his first world title in 2021, Xavi Radecke was extremely impressed as a fan. The title inspired him to get into karting. And now the 13-year-old karter from Bergen op Zoom also dreams of reaching Formula 1. On Sunday he won his second national title in a row and with this the speed devil certainly shows that he is a great talent. “You shouldn’t be afraid and above all don’t think,” he says.
As a 9-year-old, Xavi, inspired by Max Verstappen, got into a kart. Back then it was a rental kart. And it went so well that within a few months he was allowed to participate in the National Championships. “In the end, we have always gone one step further. Things are getting better each season and the team I am part of is getting stronger.”
Last season he won the Parolin Rocky F1 class and this season too in the four-stroke TM Mini 60 class he was much too fast for the other karters. “What makes me good? Especially that the kart suits me perfectly. I have a top team around me, including my mother who helps me with everything and my father as the chief mechanic. He knows exactly what I want and we can say to each other what we want.”
Xavi often reaches speeds of about 95 kilometers per hour in his kart. Yet he calls the sport ‘reasonably safe’. “We are not tied down with straps or anything, but in my opinion that actually makes it safer. Suppose your kart flips over or lands on its side and you are still in it? I once had an accident, but luckily I flew out. I had nothing and the kart was surprisingly still in good condition. Although it was a scary moment for me.”
“I get a lot of pleasure out of this.”
Xavi thinks the adrenaline from the high speeds is the best part. “It’s great to race. To fully focus on driving as fast as possible and above all not to think about what could happen. But also, for example, the engine sounds and taking the corners perfectly make it great. I get a lot of pleasure from this.”
Xavi’s life largely revolves around racing. When he is not training or competing, he is often behind the computer screen racing. He prefers to drive the circuits where Verstappen is in action. His father regularly joins in for a game, with Xavi always the winner.
Becoming the next Verstappen is the young karter’s big dream. “Every child wants that, of course,” he knows. “It is very difficult to reach his level, but I am going in the right direction. If I continue to perform and keep going, I think I can certainly reach a good level in motorsport.”