Rising single seater star Jack Harvey took time out from his hectic testing schedule to pick up the Lincolnshire Young Sportsman of the Year award this week. The award, given to him at the annual Lincolnshire Sports Awards at the Lincolnshire Showground, was in recognition for his superb season in the Formula BMW Europe series.
The Racing Steps Foundation backed driver was honoured to receive the award, wanting to thank his home fan base for all of their support: “It is always an honour to receive an award like this,” he said. “Not only because it means that people have seen the preparation and season-long hard work to achieve the results we did this year. It’s also a massive boost to have the support from my home county.
“I started my career in Lincolnshire at the local kart tracks and coming home after each race weekend is always special, so it’s good to know that there are plenty of people supporting me here,” he added.
The award comes during a busy testing period for Jack. The 17 year old has been testing every week in anticipation for his participation in the 2011 British Formula Three Championship. This was due to involve him travelling to the far east to make his Formula Three category debut in the Korean series, but with this cancelled, he has focused on testing in the UK.
“Testing has been going really well so far,” he said. “We’ve been focussing on different things and I’ve been to tracks I’ve never seen before in the UK. It seems strange to not have driven at places like Oulton Park and Donington Park. But, the first two years of my car racing career has been in Europe and I’m learning and enjoying completely new tracks at the minute. We’ve been quick in testing and I’m getting more and more used to the car. The speed, power and grip is a big step forward and I can’t wait to get to the first round in April next year,”
Jack will be heading to another awards ceremony this weekend by making a guest appearance to the WTP (World Technical Products) awards ceremony. The event will see him go back to his roots, as it was the first championship he won back in 2003.
“I’m honoured to have been asked to go to the WTP awards this year,” he commented. “It will be great to see some of the people that were there when I won the title seven years ago. To be able to talk to the young drivers coming up through the series and aiming to be where I am and about my experiences so far will be fantastic. I always keep an eye on what is happening in karting and the guys that are making their mark and I’m really pleased to have been asked to attend.”
