– and targets the number one spot in 2011 As he looks back over a season during which he stunned observers by taking the fight to drivers with far more experience than he has, Harry Crawley admits he is justifiably ‘proud’ of what he has achieved – and now, he has his sights fully focussed upon establishing himself as the best in Britain in 2011.
Having finished a superb second in the Mini Max class of the Lewis Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone-backed Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship in 2009 and fourth in fellow national series Super 1, Harry graduated to the more powerful and notoriously rough-and-tumble Junior Max level this year – and he concedes that initially at least, it took some adjusting to.
“I was expecting Junior Max to be chaotic with loads of contact!” confessed the highly-rated young Dartford karting star, revealing that he was under no illusions as to just what he was going into. “It was a big step-up from Mini Max and a lot harder, and you really need to keep your concentration and be constantly mindful of what’s going on around you – you need to have eyes in the back of your head sometimes!
“Junior Max is faster, too, and initially, every corner came up sooner than I was expecting it to! It took me about three race meetings to adapt to the characteristics, and I wasn’t used to all the ‘smashing-and-bashing’ at first! You need to be so much more aggressive.”
Be that as it may, early summer, Harry was lying an incredible second in the Super 1 points table, following a truly standout performance to triumph at Whilton Mill – only his third national meeting in Junior Max – in which he went literally wheel-to-wheel against the defending British Champion and prevailed in a tooth-and-nail duel that went right the way to the chequered flag. The opposition does not get much fiercer than that, but in a supremely determined effort, the Hawley-based hotshot proved that he was in no mood to settle for the runner-up spoils.
“It was very pleasing knowing I had beaten all the best drivers in Britain to achieve that result,” he acknowledged. “There were a lot of drivers in Super 1 who were right on the leading pace, and if you made just one mistake you would pay the price. You need to be really consistent if you want to stay at the top.”
Consistent is something Harry unquestionably was – and indeed has been throughout his impressive fledgling career in the sport – and another very notable highlight of 2010 was his magnificent double victory in the hotly-contested Euro Max Challenge at Wackersdorf in Germany. Following one issue after another in qualifying and his heat races that had left him mired mid-pack and ostensibly with little hope, the Wilmington Grammar School for Boys pupil turned it all around in a torrential pre-final and grand final to mount the top step of the podium.
“It was a really good experience to race on a European level,” he recognised. “The competition was tough and the tracks enjoyable. Everything was just so different and there was a lot to learn, which was quite intimidating to begin with. I was quite nervous at first, racing against drivers I’d never even heard of before – but I think I adapted to it all pretty quickly.
“I was completely shocked by the end result at Wackersdorf, to be honest. In the heats, everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong; I managed to drag myself into the finals, and to go from 21st to first in the pre-final was absolutely mad!
“From pole position in the grand final, I was then able to just drive away from the rest of the pack. It was very difficult in those conditions; before it started raining the track had been very grippy, but as soon as the water came down it became mega slippery. I enjoy that kind of challenge, but it was pretty on-the-edge! It was a very emotional weekend all-in-all, and probably the proudest achievement of my career so far.”
Indeed, the result vaulted Harry into the lead of Euro Max, and allied to his similarly title-contending position in Super 1, things were looking extremely promising. Unfortunately, a rib injury then necessitated a lengthy recuperation period and came at the worst possible time, forcing him out-of-action for two months and destroying his chances of glory in both championships. Cruelly, it also denied him the opportunity to shine in the annual blue riband Kartmasters meeting, in which he would assuredly have been one of the hot favourites.
“It was massively annoying,” he recollected. “We were doing so well and had got so far in both Super 1 and Euro Max, and all for something stupid like that to happen and muck up the whole year...”
Without the setback, Harry would doubtless have enjoyed much more representative results over the second half of the season, but he nonetheless swiftly regained his erstwhile form and momentum and made a victorious return at Three Sisters near Wigan to demonstrate that he had lost none of his old prowess.
Putting it all down to experience and affirming that he learned a great deal from competing abroad, the recently-turned 14-year-old – still younger than most of his immediate rivals – concluded that on the whole, it had been an ‘excellent’ year. Remaining with Evolution Racing into 2011, he has the firm aim of concluding the campaign with the No. 1 plate proudly adorning his kart by dint of Super 1 success, as well as claiming a top three finish in Euro Max to progress on to the prestigious Rotax World Finals. That he has the talent and ability to do so is irrefutable, as he proved time and again in 2010.
“I really enjoy being with Evolution,” Harry underlined. “Everyone there knows what they are doing and are brilliant at their jobs – they can always diagnose what’s wrong when there’s a problem, and fix it straightaway. They’ve been a big part of everything I’ve achieved – if it hadn’t been for them, I wouldn’t have had the results I have done. They’ve helped to make me the driver I am today.
“I rate 2010 as one of my best years in racing overall. I improved a lot as a driver and I’m mentally stronger now, too. It was my first year in Junior Max, and I think I did myself proud when you take that into account – and next year, it’s all to play for! I’ve only got one goal for 2011 – and that’s to end the year as number one!”
