Tom Harvey proved that he is back and back with a bang with a stirring charge to the runner-up spoils in the prestigious annual Kartmasters outing at PF International, barely a gnat’s whisker shy of victory – and the highly-rated young South Wales karting star is now buoyant about his prospects as he bids to rev his British title challenge into gear once more.

Unbeatable on the national scene with an incredible run of six MSA Cadet class triumphs in swift succession in the Super 1 Series and Lewis Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone-backed Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship earlier this year, Tom’s imperious form suddenly came to a shuddering and very unexpected halt at Glan Y Gors in North Wales a month ago, since when the 12-year-old has been inexplicably and worryingly struggling for speed.

“I’d had a drought of winning and being quick, which we finally figured out had been down to a bad chassis, because when we put a new one down it seemed to cure the problem and work really well,” he explained. “That meant I felt confident going into Kartmasters, but on the first practice day we were really slow – virtually a second off the pace – and didn’t know why. Then on Friday, just before timed qualifying we realised the kart was bent, so we had to quickly change chassis again...”

With traffic scarcely aiding his cause as he scrambled to set a decent lap time, 12th place out of the 30 competitors represented unaccustomed territory for the Bonvilston speed demon, and meant he would begin both of his heat races at the Lincolnshire circuit from the middle of the pack and unfavourable side of the starting grid – a double whammy if ever there was one.

“The outside is a really hard place to be when drivers on the inside just push each other through,” he acknowledged. “Everybody tries to slot across to the inside, which squeezes the outside line out. You just need to be aggressive to make sure you get in. In the first heat I was pushed back to 13th at the start but I was able to slot in at the first hairpin, and by sticking to the white line on the inside I gained loads of places and managed to get up to third!

“Unfortunately, we then had carburettor issues which caused the engine to keep cutting out down the straights. That made it a very difficult race, and I had to just try to hang on and drive as best as I could. If you’ve got a loss of power, you have to keep your speed up through the corners to try to compensate, and there’s more emphasis on being able to defend well. On the last lap I just clung to the inside line as tight as I could because I knew more drivers were catching me. That paid off, as whilst they could power past me in a straight line, they couldn’t get me in the corners.

“At the start of the second heat I nailed it around the outside of the first corner and braked as late as I could, which proves you can do it on either side – you’ve just got to be brave and keep your foot down, and then brake as late as possible into the hairpin so you don’t get hit from behind, because the risk in being on the outside is that if somebody gives you a little tap it can send you flying.”

A compromised ninth in heat one and seventh in heat two earned Tom sixth on the grid for the following day’s pre-final, but a ‘terrible’ start – as the Fusion Motorsports ace found himself unable to get across and caught in the middle, consequently falling out of the top ten – left him just eighth at the chequered flag, barely a second adrift of the race-winner having intelligently worked in tandem with his team-mate to chase down the leading sextet, latching onto the front pack into the very last corner and requiring just one more lap to take advantage. And that was not his only problem...

“I woke up on Sunday morning with a really bad stomach, and when we got to the track I threw up,” revealed the Cowbridge High School pupil. “I felt really ill, but I was still determined to race – that wasn’t going to stop me – and the pain eased when I was out on the circuit, because the adrenaline just pumps you up so much.

“After a bit of a rough start to the grand final, I followed T-J Nelson and kept pushing him to the front. When his kart gripped up, I passed him to take the lead, and I had four other karts right behind me for several laps – but Connor Jupp then made a huge lunge on me and forced me back to sixth, so I had to work my way through all over again.

“Going into the last lap I was third. Jupp forced his way past James Kellett ahead and I went with him, and I then went up the inside of Connor into the second hairpin, but he drifted out onto the rumble strip which gave him a better run down the straight. He then turned in on me, which meant I had to slow down and lost my momentum, and there just wasn’t quite enough time left to have another go.”

Crossing the line a scant seven hundredths of a second adrift of the top spot, in a truly thrilling encounter in which any one of the top five could arguably have prevailed, a better fastest lap time than Jupp ably demonstrated that Tom had the pace.

Making a point of thanking Soixante Racing, Fusion Motorsports, his mum and dad and THR Racing Graphics for all of their support, the Vale of Glamorgan hotshot’s front-running performance in what was beyond doubt the toughest meeting of the year proved that he is back on-song, and ahead of Super 1’s visit to Glan Y Gors this coming weekend, his optimism is palpable. Last time he raced at GYG, things went far from according to-plan – something he is eager to avenge upon his return.

“I was disappointed, because ultimately there is really only one prize – the ‘GP’ Plate – but at the end of the day I’ve got bigger things to focus on, namely the two British Championships, which mean a lot to me,” Tom concluded of his Kartmasters weekend. “I’m leading Super 1 by 36 points and am just five points off the lead in FKS.

“The engine and chassis are both back up-to-scratch, so hopefully at Glan Y Gors I can make it another double celebration. There are a lot of strong drivers out there, but I’m really confident and I think I’ve got a good chance. I’m aiming for the top step of the podium this time – because I want to be up there spraying that champagne again!”