Winner announced in inaugural junior motorsport competition

The winner of the Rob Smedley-backed FAT Karting League has announced the winner of its shootout competition, including a prize of a fully funded British F4 seat.

16-year-old American Jackson Wolny has been declared the winner following a comprehensive selection process held in February this year, beating three other drivers to the prize.

Wolny and fellow American Shea Aldrich, Briton Ellis McKenzie and South African Monde-Jnr Konini, based in Scotland, competed in the process across a number of core areas demanded by modern racing drivers, including karting performance, simulator work, media and communications skills, physical fitness, as well as a test in Formula 4 machinery. 

Across all the disciplines, Wolny delivered what was described as a "standout performance."

He has already begun an "intensive testing schedule" with FAT's partner team Xcel Motorsport ahead of the opening round of the British F4 season at Donington Park on April 18th. 

"I’m ecstatic, British F4 is a dream come true! Europe takes racing very seriously, and I’m excited to compete with such experienced drivers," Wolny explained.

"The options for advancement in racing are usually limited to those with a lot of money, so the idea of making it to this level is typically not possible for most.

"I have so much respect for Rob & Ferdi [Porsche] for creating FAT Karting League, which is such an amazing opportunity for young drivers to move forward based on talent. I’ve been working really hard to get to this level and trusting that God has a plan for me. 

"I truly believed an opportunity would open up at some point, and I’m thrilled it’s with FAT Racing. I can’t wait to see what we can do together and where this journey takes us."

The FAT Karting League was formed by former Ferrari and Williams engineer Smedley and Ferdi Porsche to provide 5-17 year old drivers with "professional-grade, lightweight, competition electric race karts, transparent pricing, and a structured competition pathway" through the ranks of junior motorsport.

Equal competition is ensured across all participants with competitions across the US and the UK, culminating in the World Finals, which is where Wolny won his fully funded British F4 seat.

More details about the FAT Karting League can be found at https://fat-kartingleague.com
 

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Rob Smedley's reaction

Describing the process, Smedley, who is best remembered for his role as Felipe Massa's race engineer at Ferrari, spoke of the "rigorous, objective, and uncompromising" process.

"Jackson has earned his place as our 2026 Formula 4 driver through a process that was rigorous, objective and uncompromising," he said.

"This wasn’t a commercial decision, and it wasn’t influenced by background or budget; it was decided on outright performance. Junior motorsport has drifted too far from pure merit, and we set out to prove that there is another way. 

"Promoting Jackson from FAT Karting League proves that standards can be raised when access widens. For the first time, our ecosystem has taken a driver from grassroots karting into F4 purely on ability; something we are incredibly proud of. Now the focus shifts to execution at the next level for both the team and Jackson."

Smedley's co-founder Porsche, also added that the process was about finding the "complete package" and not just "raw speed."

"Our FAT Racing Shootout was designed to identify more than just raw speed; we were searching for the complete package, and with Jackson Wolny, we have found exactly that," he said.

"He has earned his place through performance, talent, discipline and mental strength, and we're excited to take the next step together in British F4. What makes this moment even more special is that Jackson will become the very first driver of our newly founded FAT Racing Department. 

"We are building a program that will grow to more F4 cars, as well as F3 and F2. Having him lead the first chapter of that journey is something we are extremely proud of."