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Ep113: Lewis Hamilton · Kidcast Daily

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  Welcome to Kid Cast Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today, get ready to zoom into the fast lane, because we're
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  talking about one of the coolest and most talented race car
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  drivers in the world, Lewis Hamilton.
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  Have you ever imagined what it would feel like to drive a car
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  as fast as a cheetah running at full speed, Maybe even faster?
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  Well, Lewis Hamilton does that for a living.
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  He's a superstar in a sport called Formula One, or F1 for
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  short. Formula One is a special type of
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  car racing where drivers zoom around twisty tracks and super
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  speedy cars, sometimes reaching speeds of over 200 mph.
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  That's almost as fast as an airplane taking off.
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  Let's buckle up and find out how Lewis Hamilton became such a big
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  name in the fast-paced world of F1.
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  Lewis was born in England in a town called Stevenage in 1985.
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  That's not too long ago, right? When Lewis was just a little
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  boy, he loved toy cars and remote control racers.
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  Imagine being so excited to play with your toy cars that you
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  dream about racing real ones someday.
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  When he was just eight years old, Lewis started racing go
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  karts. Go Karts are like mini race cars
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  for kids and beginners. If you've ever been to a go Kart
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  track, you know how thrilling it can be to zip around corners and
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  race your friends. Lewis was a natural.
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  He won a lot of races and people noticed how skilled he was even
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  though he was just a kid. Here's a fun fact.
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  When Lewis was around 10 years old, he met a very important
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  person in the racing world named Ron Dennis.
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  Ron was the boss of a big racing team called McLaren.
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  Little Lewis told Ron that he wanted to race for McLaren one
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  day. Guess what?
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  Ron was so impressed that he promised to keep an eye on
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  Lewis. And years later, Lewis really
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  did race for McLaren. But let's explain what makes
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  Formula One racing so special. Think of it like the Olympics of
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  car racing. There are teams from all over
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  the world, each with their own super fast cars and talented
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  drivers. The teams compete in races
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  called Grand Prix, held in different countries, sometimes
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  even on city streets. The cars look like spaceships on
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  wheels, with big tires and wings to help them zoom around corners
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  without flipping over. To win a race, drivers need
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  lightning fast reflexes, sharp minds, and a lot of practice.
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  Lewis worked super hard to reach Formula One.
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  He faced challenges and sometimes people doubted him,
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  but he never gave up. He practiced, learned from his
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  mistakes, and always tried to get better.
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  Imagine training for a school race, but instead of running,
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  you have to learn how to control a car going faster than anything
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  you've ever driven before. That's the kind of determination
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  Lewis showed. In 2007, Lewis finally got the
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  chance to race in Formula One. He joined the McLaren team just
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  like he dreamed. And wow, did he make a splash in
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  his very first season. He finished on the podium.
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  That's the top three in his first nine races.
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  That's like getting a medal every time you compete.
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  He even came close to winning the whole championship in his
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  first year. But Lewis didn't stop there.
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  The next year, in 2008, Lewis became the youngest ever Formula
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  One world champion at the time. That means he scored more points
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  than anyone else in the whole season.
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  Imagine being the best in the world at something you love
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  before you're even 24 years old. He won the championship in a
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  super dramatic final race, passing another car on the very
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  last lap to snatch the title. It was so exciting that fans all
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  over the world cheered and jumped out of their seats.
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  But Lewis's story doesn't end with just one trophy.
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  He kept racing, kept winning and kept breaking records.
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  Later, he joined another team called Mercedes.
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  With Mercedes, Lewis became almost unstoppable.
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  He zoomed past record after record winning race after race.
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  By 2020, Lewis had won seven World Championships.
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  That's the same number as another famous driver, Michael
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  Schumacher. Only two people in history have
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  ever done that. Here's a cool did you know
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  moment. Lewis Hamilton has won more
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  Formula One races than anyone else in history.
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  That's right, he's won over 100 races.
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  Imagine collecting 100 gold stars on your schoolwork.
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  But each star is a racing trophy, that's how impressive it
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  is. But Lewis isn't just fast on the
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  track, he's also a champion off the track.
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  He loves animals and has a pet bulldog named Roscoe.
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  He's a big fan of music and fashion, and he often designs
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  his own clothes. Lewis also cares a lot about the
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  planet, so he tries to live in a way that helps take care of the
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  environment. For example, he eats a plant
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  based diet, which means he doesn't eat meat.
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  And he encourages others to think about how their choices
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  affect the Earth. Lewis has also inspired many
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  people around the world by being one of the first Black drivers
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  in Formula One. He's shown kids everywhere that
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  no matter what you look like or where you come from, you can
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  dream big and reach your goals if you work hard and believe in
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  yourself. He's always speaking up for
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  fairness and kindness, both in racing and in life.
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  Let's talk a little about what it's like to drive a Formula One
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  car just like Lewis does. Imagine you're playing a super
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  realistic racing video game, but in real life.
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  The car's steering wheel looks like a spaceship control panel
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  with over 20 buttons and knobs. Drivers have to press the right
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  buttons while racing at top speed, making split second
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  decisions. They wear special fireproof
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  suits and helmets to stay safe, and they have to be super fit,
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  just like athletes in any other sport.
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  Did you know that Formula One drivers can lose up to 8 lbs of
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  sweat during a hot race? That's almost as much as a big
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  bottle of water. The tracks Lewis races on are
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  all different. Some have tight corners like
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  hairpin turns on a roller coaster, and others have long
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  straight parts where drivers go as fast as they can.
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  Every race is a new challenge, and Lewis has to learn the best
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  way to drive each track. Sometimes it rains and the track
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  gets slippery, making the race even trickier.
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  But Lewis is famous for staying calm and focused no matter what.
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  Lewis also works closely with his team.
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  Formula One is a team sport. Even though there's only one
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  driver in the car, there are engineers, mechanics, and lots
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  of other people who help make the car as fast as possible.
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  During a race, the team can change all four tires in just
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  about two seconds. That's quicker than you can tie
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  1 shoe. Here's another fun fact, Lewis
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  loves to give his car's nicknames.
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  He's had cars called Nikki, named after another famous
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  racer, and Black Arrow, which is pretty cool.
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  Giving your bike or scooter a name could be your own way of
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  channeling your inner Lewis Hamilton.
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  Even with all his success, Lewis Hamilton always tries to help
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  others. He started a foundation to
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  support young people who want to get involved in science,
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  technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM.
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  He wants kids everywhere to have the chance to follow their
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  dreams, whether it's racing cars, building robots, or
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  inventing something new. So what can we learn from Lewis
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  Hamilton? First, never give up on your
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  dreams, even if they seem really big.
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  Lewis started out racing go karts and ended up winning World
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  Championships. Second, practice and hard work
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  are super important. Lewis is always looking for ways
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  to improve, even after all his wins.
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  Third, be kind and help others. Lewis uses his success to
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  inspire and support people around the world.
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  Let's do a quick recap. Today we learned that Lewis
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  Hamilton is a superstar Formula One driver from England who
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  started racing go karts as a kid.
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  He worked hard, believed in himself, and became one of the
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  greatest racers ever, winning seven World Championships and
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  over 100 races. He's not just fast, he's also
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  caring, creative, and determined to make the world a better
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  place. Maybe one day you'll be zooming
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  around a track, building race cars or helping your friends
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  reach their goals, just like Lewis Hamilton.
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  Remember, it all starts with a dream, a little bit of courage,
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  and a lot of hard work. Thanks for joining us today on
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  Kit Cast Daily. Keep asking questions, stay
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  curious, and who knows, maybe your story will inspire others
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  someday to see you next time for more fun facts and amazing
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  stories.