Born into a family of kart drivers, Harry Arnett has the spirit of a racer in his blood.
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After only a couple of years of competitive karting, Arnett,10, has already won multiple national championships.
In 2017 he won the Rotax Australian Championship and last weekend won the Australian Kart Championship series in the cadet 12 class by a narrow margin of 4 points.
During his most recent victory, he managed to climb back up into the top position after a first lap spin-out which saw him fall back deep into the pack.
However, challenges like this are what inspires Arnett to continue racing.
“I enjoy how tough and random racing can be,” Arnett said.
He admits the nerves do increase before each race, but once he is out on the track he goes into the zone, a place where he unleashes his talent.
Arnett also raced on the international stage last year at the World Championships in Portugal, where he experienced the challenge of driving against other junior racers from all over the world.
“It was intense, I had to push really hard on the track,” he said.
During the final race of the championship another driver bumped into Arnett which led to one of his kart’s tyre valve coming loose, after falling back into 24th position he was fortunate to finish the race.
Arnett will be racing this weekend at the Junior Sprint Classic within the cadet 12 class, and will hit the course this Friday for practice and to analyse the track’s braking points.
In the future he hopes to step it up a few gears and is determined to have a go at racing V8 Supercars at a professional level.
The sound of the engines, high-speed action and overtakes are what keep him on the edge of his seat.
Arnett’s father Craig has been racing karts since he was 8-years-old and is more than impressed with what his son has been able to accomplish in such a short time-frame.
“What he has achieved in three years, I didn’t even come close to in my 34 years as a racer,” Craig Arnett said.
Craig is impressed with his son’s consistent performance, an attribute which he believes will one day see him behind the wheel of a V8 Supercar.
“Karting is important because it teaches you the fundamentals of being a racer,” he said.
“Plenty of V8 Supercar drivers still race karts because it helps keep their skills sharp and it’s an opportunity for them to analyse their own driving techniques.”
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