Harrison’s an ace driver in the speed-orientated sport of Go-Kart Racing

 
Today PembrokeshireSport.co.uk is delighted to enter the hurly-burly world of motor sport with regard to Go-Karting, where contestants, often too young to hold a driving licence manoeuvre their karts around amazingly tight corners and very narrow straights, because Pembrokeshire has a British champion in Harrison Whitticombe, who is only 16 years of age and is a student at Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest.
 
Harrison set out when he visited the West Wales Karting track at the Withybush Showground at Haverfordwest as a treat and readily admits that he was captivated from the start by the experience, where the impression of speed is emphasized by sitting so close to the ground – and he soon showed that he had all the attributes to compete well as he had all the natural attributes alongside a competitive nature, despite being so young.
 
He soon became very close to the track record and on a subsequent visit actually broke the record – and the result was that he managed to persuade his mum Dona and step-father Steve James to buy him a second-hand kart from Harry Reynolds in Llanddewi Velfrey.
 

Widened his scope – and races abroad in prospect

 
So he was able to widen his scope at the well-known Llandow Circuit, near Cowbridge, in The Vale of Glamorgan, about 15 miles from Cardiff, and as he moved through the age ranges so became aware of the needs of the sport as he encountered other youngsters with more experience – and did this with so much success that he now races in the elite category, and since reaching the age of 16 is also able to race against adults, which means an even greater increase in travelling than before as a member of MotorSport UK Academy, which enters him into races in Europe as part of the FIA Senior Academy.
 
This is another measure of his ability because only one karter each year is chosen and he was naturally delighted because a couple of years ago he was in the top two and so narrowly missed out. This has meant great support from Ysgol Caer Elen because he has already been invited to race to Portugal, Italy and Denmark – and plans are already afoot for him to sit his GCSEs early so that he can go to all three.




 

Travels far and wide to race his kart

 
Nearer to home he has also been part of the group of only 16 competitors invited to be given a wider experience that includes going to the Heritage Centre at Bicester, in Oxfordshire,  and has gone again this month as reward for his success.
 
He has successfully raced as far afield as the Warden Law Circuit in Sunderland and the quaintly-named Clay Pigeon Raceway between Dorchester and Yeovil, which helped him decide to race in the British Kart Championships, where the races are held over a duration of 15 minutes plus one lap, with two heats and a final where positions are decided on qualifying times – which are therefore ultra-important because as many as 36 drivers have been involved for top events and travel around the course at speeds of 75 to 80 miles per hour.
 
Harrison also takes part in Sim Racing through the computerised screen he has at home, a means of sharpening his experience and developing his skills before putting them into practice live on the track, with Dona and Steve watching from an adjoining room.
 

Ready to go again

 
Harrison took a break from the recent Winter series of events and is now ready to go again after the new summer season began on the all-tarmac tracks around the UK at Easter, where he will be steering  senior X30 kart in the IAME  British Kart Championships, with Dona and Steve in support alongside George Bagley, his travelling mechanic who takes his work holidays to help, and has such a vital role in their small team because the kart needs to be in tip-top condition.
 
He has also had help from Ron Meadows, who has been a director in the Mercedes Formula One car racing set-up and now runs the Argenti ‘Kart Republic’ and has supplied passes to represent them in the world championships.
 
There is no doubt that Harrison Whitticombe is flying the Pembrokeshire and Welsh  Flags with real distinction around the UK and indeed much wider afield and we at PembrokeshreSport.co.uk wish him every success for his future in such a speed-orientated sport, because he and his family really deserve to do well!