Five year old racing driver, Tommy “the gun” Thompson has become the first in the world to drive a Makita MM4 powered kart when he drove the BIZ-Makita machine at the Rye House raceway recently.

The BIZ-Makita kart is especially made for the Bambino category where youngsters start their high speed race tuition. Built by Biz, one of the leading UK kart manufacturers, this is the first time that the new Makita MM4 high performance 4-stroke engine has been installed in a race chassis. The Makita MM4 is the heart of the fast expanding Makita Outdoor Power Equipment range which already includes line trimmers, brushcutters, hedge trimmers, blowers and water pumps.

The BIZ-Makita kart was wheeled out for this inaugural test at Rye House at Hertford,  the circuit where Lewis Hamilton started his racing career that culminated in him becoming the youngest ever F1 World Champion. Tommy has clearly set his sights on that record and the Makita engine is certainly helping on his way.

Makita’s MM4 engine, which sets new 4-stroke standards, has all the attributes of today’s Grand Prix power plants. High power output - 1.4hp from 33.5cc - frugal fuel consumption, near zero emissions, low noise and minimal weight:  everything that racers like Schumacher, Alonso and Button hold dear. The Makita MM4 engine has another advantage – the wet sump pressurised oil flow system enables the engine to be run happily upside down – handy for a line trimmer but not needed for Tommy’s racing BIZ kart!

“Racing is the toughest test ground for engines,” acknowledges Kevin Brannigan, Makita UK marketing manager, “so we asked Biz to put one of our new MM4 33.5cc engines into a chassis to test. Tommy says it’s the best engine he’s driven in his four month long track career and as he’s clearly set to be a champion, that’s good for Makita. Perhaps a McLaren Makita has a certain ring to it in the future!!”

Tommy’s BIZ-Makita kart is powered by the 33.5cc MM4 engine that makes the EM4340L 4-stroke brush cutter the choice of Peter Anderson, Royal Horticultural Society Wisley equipment supervisor. “This is probably the lightest machine we have tested but it certainly has some “umphf” which gets the job done quickly and easily. The 4-stroke engine runs quietly and fuel consumption is really low,” says Peter.

For a five-year-old with ambitions of Grand Prix fame, these are the perfect credentials for his racing engine.