Tom Harvey has acknowledged that whilst he might still have plenty to learn as he graduates to a higher level and prepares to make his debut on the European stage in 2011, he will nonetheless be ‘pushing absolutely to the limit’ in a quest to ‘do some spectacular things’ over the course of the year ahead.
Tom has already ably proven himself as one of the country’s most promising young talents by storming to the British crown in the Comer Cadet class of the Super 1 Series in 2010 – as well as securing an excellent third place in the title standings of fellow national championship Formula Kart Stars (FKS) – but as he now takes the step-up to KF3 as one of the very youngest drivers in the field, the highly-rated young South Wales speed demon well recognises that he has a challenge on his hands indeed.
With more than half as much power again at his disposal as what he has been used to before, the recently-turned 13-year-old is palpably enjoying his new TonyKart mount, whose speed he describes as ‘just amazing’. Although his testing schedule hit a bit of a setback before Christmas due to illness, he has rapidly been playing catch-up, and at PF International he lapped a scant 15 hundredths of a second shy of the benchmark – and quicker than some far more experienced campaigners.
That kind of form is tremendously encouraging as Tom looks to build upon his early progress and really come out-of-the-blocks fighting at the start of the season, when the serious stuff begins – and with Williams Motorsport, the Bonvilston-based hotshot is confident he could be in no better place as he embarks upon his learning curve.
Not only does the team’s reputation precede it, but having engineered Newport ace Jordan Chamberlain to European and British Championship glory in 2009 and the runner-up laurels in the World Championship in 2010, Williams clearly has a history of getting results with Welsh drivers. As omens go, there could be far worse.
“It’s a team that is well-known for bringing drivers on and has an excellent record of success,” Tom enthused. “We’ve been working together for a couple of months now preparing for the season ahead, and we get on really well.
“The kart actually doesn’t feel that different to a Cadet – it’s mainly the increase in speed in KF3, and particularly the middle-end power of the engine that really pulls you through corners and you’ve just got to hang on! That really hurts your neck muscles, and you need to keep your arms locked, too – if you hit a bump, you’ve got to stay straight to keep the kart pointing in the right direction.
“My physical strength is one aspect that I know I need to work on before the season starts. At the moment I can do 20 or 25 laps non-stop, but it will be tough in the heat of a summer’s day... It will take a bit more testing to build my stamina up to where it needs to be. I’m not ready yet – I can do the lap times, but in a race situation I would be lagging towards the end – but I will be ready.
“There’s another KF3 driver in the team with a year’s experience in the class already, so I need to work hard to catch up and get onto his pace and then beat him. I want to be the number one inside the team, like every driver does. I want to be pushing absolutely to the limit, doing some spectacular things and really getting my name out there.”
Practice does, after all, make perfect, but if physical fitness is the area with the most room for improvement, then notably, Tom’s raw pace already appears to be there in abundance – and he knows that he will need to draw upon every last split-second of it as he takes the fight to some of the very best drivers the world over in the WSK Euro Series and CIK-FIA European Championship, which he will dovetail with his Super 1 bid.
The only Continental circuit the Cowbridge High School pupil has visited thus far is Genk in Belgium, but in 2010 he brilliantly triumphed there in a 17-kart FKS thriller – what many hold to have been the race of the year. As he thanks GFR engines and THR Graphics for their ongoing support, it is evident that Tom is champing at the bit to get out there and test his mettle against the international crème de la crème.
“WSK will be really good – I’ll be racing against the best drivers in Europe, and even the world!” affirmed the Vale of Glamorgan ace in conclusion. “To have the chance to do that during my first season in KF3 is brilliant! I know it’s going to be extremely tough, but hopefully we can get some good results. The team has a really good reputation abroad – European Champions in 2009 and almost World Champions in 2010, too – and it will be another different challenge for me, needing to learn a lot of new circuits. It’s exciting stuff!”
