Motorsport: Hart joins Intrepid Force karting team

Josh Hart and his 2009 Rotax Max Euro Challenge campaign. Photo / Fast Company,Jenni Wade

The New Zealand production line of top karters continues with the news Josh Hart has been snapped up by the Intrepid Force Rotax Team to become the latest professional Kiwi racing driver in Europe.

He joins an ever-increasing list of young New Zealanders making their mark on tracks throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. Hart has joined the Rotax team as a fully paid-up member and will contest the four-round Rotax Euro Challenge series.

He begins his sojourn this weekend at Zeura, Spain, where he hopes to return the faith his new team has in him, by gaining at least a podium finish.

The Intrepid Team has been doing a lot of pre-season testing, running new model chassis and 2009 engines. However, it wasn't until late this week that Hart himself got to test the '09 engines.

"Compared to the best times that were posted on Wednesday, I'm about two-tenths of a second off the fastest times of the guys out there yesterday," said Hart. "Although the times are all unofficial, I'm confident going into qualifying for the race."

Hart believes he's well prepared for his first professional assault on the Rotax circuit in Europe after already completing several successful test sessions. He'll need his wits about him though, as he's up against 90 other drivers from 36 countries in the series.

Hart's big break came at the 2007 grand final at Al Ain, near Dubai, where his pace and race craft impressed Austrian kart shop owner Freddi Hochhauser enough for him to offer Hart a job and a drive in the Austrian Challenge. He was soon putting some of Europe's best kart drivers to the sword and a third in last year's European challenge sealed his current deal.

Previously, the two-time New Zealand Sprint Kart champion and two-time winner of New Zealand's Rotax Max Challenge series was a round-winner in the Austrian and Czech Republic Rotax Challenges and finished third overall in the 2008 European Challenge.

"It's great to see another Kiwi making it in karting after the successes of Wade and Mitch Cunningham," said Ross MacKay, motorsport journalist and karting enthusiast. "Before Wade in 2003, we had no one since the 1980s when Mike Thackwell rose through the ranks and got into Formula One."

As part of his deal, Hart will live and work in Salzburg and focus solely on the four-round Rotax Euro Challenge series. "He had a little bit of time with the same team last year and they're very professional," said Josh's father Raymond. "They have quite a structured set up and the way they do everything is just like a mini Formula One thing I suppose."

Raymond Hart has a track record of spotting and helping talented young drivers. Over the years he's been involved with the likes of Earl Bamber, Fabian Coulthard, Matt Halliday and Brendon Hartley.

2009 ROTAX EURO CHALLENGE

* Rnd 1 March 25-29 Zuera, Spain
* Rnd 2 May 27-31 Kartplanet Busca, Italy
* Rnd 3 July 22-26 Sosnova, Czech Republic
* Rnd 4 September 9-13 Salbris, France