As if it wasn’t already enough being one of Britain’s most exciting and highly-rated young karting stars, Harry Crawley has gone and proved that he is also one of its bravest, with a return both to the track and to the top step of the podium first time out since an injury that had threatened to derail his season altogether.
Having hurt his ribs following the Buckmore Park Super 1 Series meeting at the end of June, Harry initially thought it was little more than bruising and ‘nothing serious to worry about’ – but sadly, when he arrived at Bruck in Austria three weeks later for his next outing in the hotly-fought Euro Max Challenge, it swiftly transpired that he was wrong.
“I started to feel the pain during Friday practice,” revealed the Dartford speed demon. “In the last couple of sessions when all the grip went down it really started to kick in, because that put a lot of stress on my ribs. By Saturday morning I knew I wasn’t going to be able to race; I’d wanted to go out for practice, but I couldn’t even sit up properly so I knew that trying to go out would just do even more damage.
“I can’t describe how disappointed I was, especially as we had gone all the way from England to Austria for nothing – I was completely gutted. I didn’t even want to go outside the awning because I was just that upset.”
Understandably so, as he had been in the lead of the championship on dropped scores and looking very strong indeed – but having already had to miss the round at Salbris earlier on in the year and therefore not being able to afford any more ‘dropped’ meetings, the setback meant Harry’s title bid in his maiden campaign of international competition was cruelly over in one fell swoop.
Worse still, having originally anticipated a healing period of three weeks, after consultation the Hawley-based hotshot discovered it would be more likely at least six, and with the following Super 1 outing at Larkhall and the prestigious annual Kartmasters event next up on his calendar on successive weekends, it couldn’t possibly have happened at a worse time.
Acknowledging that he could arguably have entered Kartmasters, Harry conceded that he wanted to allow everything to heal fully so as to be ‘fighting fit’ for the resumption of Super 1 hostilities at Shenington in Oxfordshire this coming weekend, well aware that sitting in third place on dropped scores, he still stands a very good chance of success.
Following an encouraging test session at PF International – “It gave me a bit of a confidence boost knowing that as soon as I got back in the kart again I was right on the pace,” he reflected – the 13-year-old then headed to Three Sisters near Wigan for a club meeting, both to settle himself gently back into the groove ahead of Super 1, and also as a warm-up for the British finale at the same circuit in October.
With 25 Junior Max class drivers in attendance, Harry brilliantly sped through the pack from 20th to fourth in one of his heats – setting the fastest lap of the race along the way, and taking the chequered flag less than two seconds shy of victory – and from 17th to fourth in another, again with a better lap time to his credit than the race-winner having had to fight back from tenth position with two laps to go after being unceremoniously turfed off the track by a rival whilst lying a superb second.
A failure to finish his third heat after his chain guard fell off when he was in the lead meant he would begin the all-important final only tenth, but impressively undeterred, the Wilmington Grammar School for Boys pupil went on to demonstrate that he was not in the kind of mood to be taking any prisoners.
“I got a really good start all the way up to second,” he recalled, “and then into the next corner I took the lead. From there, me and the driver behind just pushed each other away to break the tow from the chasing pack. It was a tough race and really important to make as few mistakes as I could, and towards the end I just kept my composure and defended well to win. For my first meeting back in the kart, I thought that was pretty good...”
Far more than merely ‘pretty good’, it was a phenomenal performance, as Harry triumphed with a trademark supremely intelligent display, aware that he might not have been the quickest driver out there but leaving nobody in any doubt that he was the best driver out there as he prevailed by two tenths of a second.
Another encouraging and very timely lift, the result has left the Evolution Racing ace buoyant about his prospects for Super 1’s visit to Wigan in six weeks’ time – but first, he knows, he needs to focus on the more immediate concern of Shenington, when he will be pitting himself against the toughest opposition in the country. No fear, he insists.
“I felt proper chuffed at the end of the weekend,” he concluded. “Three Sisters is one of my best tracks, but it was the first time I had ever raced there in the dry, and I proved that I’m capable of winning – so I’m really confident for Super 1 now. There is quite a lot of pressure knowing that because I need to count Larkhall as my dropped round, if I make just one mistake it will be all over – I need to finish in the top five in every final until the end of the season, but I reckon I can pull it off.
“I haven’t been to Shenington since Super 1 last year in Mini Max, but I was very fast then and I’m a better driver now, so I reckon I can be quick again and the top five has to be the aim, maybe even a podium – it would be nice to get a podium again after so long away.”
