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Record-breaking Charlie Robertson was rewarded for his superb 2008 karting campaign with his first transatlantic trip to compete against the backdrop of the glitzy lights of Las Vegas – and he wasted little time in proving that he is the brightest star of them all.

The Caterham-based ace led the title chase in BRDC Stars of Tomorrow – the same series that first set none other than current Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton on the fast track to the dizzy heights where he now finds himself – for the majority of the season, being cruelly deprived of glory on the very last lap of the very last race at Shenington, in a near-exact reverse of his McLaren-Mercedes hero’s heart-stopping end to the year in Brazil.

Having been informed of the Vegas trip – a prize for the top three cadets at season’s end – during the second meeting on the calendar at Rowrah in May, the possibility certainly seemed to act as an added incentive to Charlie, who found himself atop the points’ table when he left the Cumbrian circuit.

Victory on European shores at Genk – despite racing with a broken foot – allied to podiums in all bar the final two rounds and no finish lower than fourth saw the 12-year-old end proceedings with the most points to his name, but Stars’ system of dropped scores saw him ironically punished for his supreme consistency and the title go the way of perennial rival Roy Johnson by the scantest of margins. Still, there remained Vegas to look forward to.

“I expected Las Vegas to be really hot and full of bright lights and casinos,” he related, “and that was true! It was all quite overwhelming, with the sheer heat and number of people there. It was my first time in America too, so I hadn’t quite known what it would be like. It turned out to be a bit harder than I had anticipated…

“The track was actually laid out in a car park! It felt so small compared to the NASCAR Motor Speedway which was around it. We got to sit in one of the NASCARs as well which was good fun; I’ve got the NASCAR 2009 computer game on my PlayStation.

“I thought the karts would be pretty much the same as I’m used to, but they were really different. They had a lot more power, with 80cc compared to the 60cc cadets have in Britain, which made them a lot faster. We went out in the first session and I was really on the pace, but after that it took me a little while to get used to the chassis. It’s a very different way of driving too, and they tend to overtake in groups, rather than individually, with lines of five or six karts just drafting each other.”

Running with the Kartel Motorsports outfit – which was also looking after the two drivers in contention for the US championship – the Whyteleafe star battled severe jetlag to qualify first in his group and a strong seventh overall in the 25-strong field, despite being at a distinct disadvantage compared to his American rivals.

“I’ve done qualifying only once or twice before,” he explained, “and we were all spaced out with ten-second gaps between the karts on the track, so you couldn’t draft anyone. There was sand blowing onto the circuit too, which caused grip problems, and the extreme dryness took some getting used to as well.”

Sixth place in his first heat race was followed by a spin in heat two after Charlie put his back wheel slightly onto the dusty exit of one of the kerbs on the opening lap, leaving him 13th on the grid for the pre-final, in which he would gain six spots to seventh by the chequered flag. The grand final, though, would sadly not prove to be as successful.

“I got a good start and made up a position,” the Caterham School pupil recounted. “I was catching the lead group when I made a move on fifth place on the inside into the hairpin at the back of the circuit, and he shoved me into the barriers. My steering was a bit bent after that, and I ended up finishing second-to-last – although still best of the Brits.”

It was not the first time the Surrey-born speed demon had been battered about by a driver from across the Pond, after one of the US competitors had collided with him during their exchange visit to Britain in Stars’ final meeting at Shenington, leaving Charlie with a broken rib. Nonetheless, it was overall a highly rewarding trip, and Kartel’s team boss – American Le Mans Series favourite Joey Hand – was so impressed with his new charge he said he would be delighted to run him again in the future.

“I’d like to thank both championships for organising it,” the sportscar fan underlined. “It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Away from the track it was really fun as well, a really nice place to be and so glamorous! I’d love to race there again.”

In the meantime, though, the driver who became the youngest-ever Scottish Super Series Champion at just ten-years-old in 2007 has more pressing concerns on his mind – chief amongst them atoning for his 2008 disappointment with cadet title success this year.

“My aim is to win the British Championship,” stressed the Fusion Motorsport front-runner, who used to live in Aberfoyle near Stirling. “There’s quite a lot of pressure, because if I finish lower than second – where I came in 2008 – I will feel I’ve let myself down. It’ll be a tough year, much more difficult than last year, because there are so many more drivers at the top of their game now.”