Oscar Ray, eight, from Noosa Heads, has the need for speed, racing in the Australian Karting Championship in Ipswich on Saturday 15 July.
Oscar competed against the best 30 drivers under 10 years old from Australia and New Zealand over a thrilling three-day event.
Despite starting at the 20th position in the final, Oscar’s wise decision to avoid incidents dropped him back to 25th on the first lap.
Undeterred, he displayed tremendous perseverance and skill, overtaking 10 karts to finish in the Top 15 of this prestigious national race.
His dad, David Ray, said go karting was a family-oriented sport.
“Some parents have never ever been involved in anything motoring or anything engineering, and suddenly, they find themselves changing a sprocket, putting on a chain, changing tires, and this obviously builds relationships,“ he said.
“Now whether that’s going to have a few arguments along the way, I’ve got no doubt that’s going to happen, but naturally, you’re going to end up building these closer and more bonding relationships with your loved ones.“
The legendary drivers in motorsports who have started their careers in kart racing are an inspiration for Oscar.
His idols include Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Australian’s Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo.
“One of the benefits of go karting is that it is the introduction to motorsports,“ David said.
“So if you’re looking to have a successful career in motor racing, whether that’s in Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR, Supercars, the majority of those drivers have started their careers in kart racing. Now, the reason is, is that you get to learn the fundamentals of racing. So, racing lines, braking markers, steering inputs, overtaking, race starts, at a much cheaper, much more accessible, and much more family-oriented environment.“
Follow Oscar’s driving journey on Instagram @oscar_ray_racing
