Hario Karts

Fifteen year old Harry Bartle's driving CV is getting more and more impressive, this year he celebrates an amazing three championship wins; the British Kart, the UKC Kart and the British Open (the O Plate) Championships.

In addition to these wins he's competed in;

• The Rotax World Championship, only his second senior event where he crossed the line in an amazing third place,

• He was first across the line in the Kartmaster GP plate,

• He led the BNL Kart Championship before having to retire from the event due to clashes with events.

Harry is clearly talented, competing in senior races at the age of 15 is a major achievement.

Travelling the length and breadth of the country, flying to Europe to race, and testing in the first step on the motorsport ladder, the Ginetta G40 Junior EVO class for 14 to 17 year olds... and all this whilst studying for his GCSEs this year at Brookfield.

Harry’s racing could be a full time job and also full time for his dad Rob, who runs the family business, Autoselect Cars in Whittington.

You just can't fault Harry's performance; he has a knack of winning almost everything he enters! The most recent UK event was the British Championship in November 2024, this was held at six tracks across the UK. "This win in the Rotax Championship is the hardest fought he’s had, across six rounds it needed determination and grit," says Rob.

"The World Championship is different altogether. Harry secured a place by invitation based on his performance in 2024. 140 drivers start, in identical Karts, Harry was the youngest on the grid, mixing it with seniors this was only his second race against senior more experienced drivers.

"He secured a place in the final after being whittled down to 36 drivers in the heats. This is a single race so any slip up and your chances are gone, often you see drivers lower down the ranking taking the top spots due to the dogfights at the front of the pack which often results in people taking each other off track and out of the race.

"He crossed the line in third place but received a mechanical penalty which dropped him down to seventh place, an incredible result, up against the best drivers in the world."

I asked about the next steps for Harry. "This year Harry has been testing in Ginetta G40 Junior cars. This is the first step into the world of professional motorsport. The drives went well, and Harry’s ability is clear, but this is an expensive game. Without serious financial backing it’s not going to be an option to continue," explains Rob. "I’ll keep searching out options, anyone with a spare £million or two reading this, please give me a call!"

Harry has been invited to a Karting series in USA, and there may be a possible option in Europe, but again managing costs, schoolwork and exams might be a bit stressful. In 2025 Harry will race in the senior class in the UK with support and sponsorship from Strawberry Racing.

I ask if Rob worries about safety and managing Harry's life driving Karts? "I’m not worried about the danger, it’s the performance that has me worried, without top results it shuts doors to the future," says Rob.

Regarding school, Rob is thankful to the support shown by Brookfield, he’s competing at an Elite level sport, so he doesn’t lose any attendance marks when they have to take time out to travel to races. This aside, there is still the pressure of GCSEs to get through and the next step in Harry’s education.

The racing future ahead is unclear, "People expect money to be thrown at the top drivers and it’s just about waiting for the phone to ring to secure the next step," says Rob. "The reality is that in karting many spaces are taken by drivers with extreme wealth behind them. The remainder are the talented ones who make it through the ranks based on their skill. These guys deserve these top spots, but they struggle to stay there due to the funds involved."

This year Harry has been testing in Ginetta G40 Junior cars. This is the first step into the world of professional motorsport.

What is important is that living in our community we have one of the best Kart drivers in the world who has achieved some tremendous results so far. Let’s hope in 12 months we catch up again to report on another successful year.

Watch Harry’s drive in full on YouTube

STOP PRESS: The day before we went to print Rob contacted me to say he and Harry had recently been approached by a team, manager and sponsor who had been impressed by Harry's test Days. They have since agreed to support Harry with a drive in the Ginetta class for 2025! Fantastic news.

Words: Paul Chapman Images: Rob Bartle