Michael Schumacher’s career began in the small German town of Kerpen. He was born in January 1969, and was introduced to motorsports at an early age when his father, Rolf, signed him up for karting at the age of four. Michael spent much of his childhood and teenage years at the Kerpen circuit, and later said that karting was the spark that ignited his passion for racing.
He soon gained confidence with the vehicles and tracks, and began competing in local karting events, winning several competitions, and making a name for himself in the local area. He attracted the attention of several important teams, and went on to win the National Karting Championships in 1984 and 1985. It didn’t take him long to progress to the higher categories, and he started driving actual racing cars in 1988.
It is typically very expensive to race cars outside the most prestigious competitions, and in most cases, drivers have to finance themselves. Thanks to his skills and potential, however, Schumacher secured sponsors and capital from private individuals who were already convinced that he had what it would take to make it to the top. Jürgen Dilk, a commercial agent with a passion for motor racing, sponsored him in both the German Formula Ford Championship and the European Championship, where he finished sixth and second respectively. In the same year, Gustav Hoecker, a Lamborghini dealer, backed him in the Formula König, where he won nine out of ten races and walked home with the championship.
The most obvious next step for Schumacher was Formula 3, but Dilk could not afford to sponsor him. In 1989, Willi Weber, who owned a racing team and was impressed by Michael’s skill, offered him a contract to race in the competition. Schumacher finished the Formula 3 Championship in second place, just one point behind the winner. He then went on to race in the same category in 1990, and came first. He also won two prestigious international races, the Macau Grand Prix and the Monte Fuji Grand Prix, and officially made a name for himself on the global scene.
