Harvey 2nd at Bridgestone Cup

press release

Bassingham-based kart racing champion Jack Harvey took a hard fought runner-up position in the season-ending Bridgestone Cup meeting at Garda in Italy at the weekend.

The Alpinestars-backed factory Birel racer went into the event knowing that it would be his final outing in the KF2 category for the 2008 season. With a move into the premier KF1 class just around the corner for the 15-year-old Asia Pacific Champion, another one-off title was his aim for the weekend.

From the moment he took to the track he was right at the sharp end of the times and eventually set the third quickest time in qualifying. With just two heats before the finals Jack had to work hard and he picked up two fourth place finishes in his early races to give him a fifth place starting slot for the first final.

At the start of the first final Jack was able to make a good start and a solid drive meant he crossed the line in third place, putting him into the same position on the grid for the last race.

At the start the pole position driver managed to make a break from the chasing pack. However, Jack was able to wok with another driver to catch up with him and they both moved past, putting Harvey into second place.

With just a handful of laps left to run Jack was unable to find a way past the new leader. As the chequered flag fell he was just four-tenths of a second away, taking a hard-fought second place.

“Second is a really good result, but I wanted to win,” admitted Jack afterwards. “It’s been a difficult weekend as it’s been so close every time I’ve taken to the track. Everyone has been running at a similar pace and it has been one of the hardest weekends of the season.

“I was able to work with the eventual winner and get on to the back of the leader and it meant we were both able to challenge and pass him, but I was probably a lap too late in making my move for second place and it meant I didn’t have time to narrow the gap to the front. It’s not a bad result, but it’s definitely been a tough weekend,” he added.

Jack now has just a handful of days to get ready before he makes his debut in the premier KF1 category, this time at his home circuit of PF International.

“I’m looking forward to my first race in the KF1 class. There is not a huge amount of difference from that to the KF2, but there is a bit more power and the lap-times are that bit faster and it is the top-tier of karting, so I’ll be racing at the peak of kart racing, which is where I’ve been aiming for a few years now,” said Jack.

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