Sports · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Max Verstappen Overtakes 100 Drivers in Silverstone Karting Challenge “Max Vs 100”
Verstappen competes against 100 go-karts in Max vs 100 at Silverstone. He starts at the back of a 101-kart grid with 30 laps to overtake.
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5 of 7 outlets skipped it: qualifying uses one flying lap per challenger.
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Max vs 100 at Silverstone
Max Verstappen will attempt to overtake 100 other drivers in a go-karting challenge at Silverstone on Wednesday, September 16, with the race set for 30 laps and live on ESPN on Disney+.
“Max Verstappen is attempting a new challenge today (Wednesday 16 September) as he competes against 100 go-karters at Silverstone”
The event, dubbed “Max vs 100,” has Verstappen starting at the back of a 101-kart race and racing against athletes, celebrities, content creators and everyday fans.
Motorsport.com’s preview says the grid order for the amateurs is determined by qualifying at 2:20pm local time, with each karter getting one flying lap and the session split into five segments of 20 drivers.
The format is designed so that each time Verstappen overtakes a rival, that driver is eliminated from the event, meaning it could end before the 30 laps are over.
Verstappen’s challenge is staged on a purpose-built layout of the kart track at Silverstone, and he can talk directly to his rivals via radio as the race is streamed live via ESPN on Disney+.
How the race works
In the rules described for the challenge, qualifying consists of one lap only for each of the 100 challengers to decide the starting grid, and all 101 drivers race in identical karts weighing 85kg.
The tactical element is that each driver gets access to one “fast lap” in the first 15 laps, while Verstappen can use his shortcut only in the final 15 laps.
The Independent says Verstappen will line up at P101 and that every driver he is passed by is eliminated, with the race starting at 6pm (BST) and coverage starting at 5pm.
Motorsport.com adds that the amateur grid is set by qualifying at 2:20pm local time and that the race itself starts at 6pm locally with a pre-event show starting at 5pm.
Ahead of the event, Verstappen said, “A hundred is a lot, you know, but I think how they've set up the track from what they've shown me, I think it will be good.”
Who’s racing and what’s at stake
The field for Max vs 100 includes a mix of personalities, with Motorsport.com listing British content creators Zac Alsop and Jack McDermott—professionally known as Pieface—plus Love Island winner Amber Gill and ultramarathon runner Arda Saatci.
“The entry list for Max vs 100 has been released and it includes a vast variety of personalities”
The Independent also names Pieface, Amber Gill, and social media personality Alex Haddon among the challengers, while it says there are no professional racing drivers in the group.
In the lead-up, Verstappen told ESPN, “My dad was my mechanic and my engine tuner as well,” describing how his father Jos worked on his kart engines and even used a dyno in-house.
ESPN’s preview places the event on Sept. 16 and says it will be streamed live globally on ESPN on Disney+, framing it as an all-new test for the four-time world champion.
The stakes in the format are explicit: Verstappen must overtake all 100 rivals within 30 laps, and the rules mean the field shrinks as he passes opponents until he either clears the pack or the time runs out.