For the Broughan household, karting has become a family affair.
So much so that when rising star Arthur, 13, heads for his first racing experience in Europe in May, he will be joined by his father, mother, brother and sister during his three-month sojourn.
Already a two-time NZ Schools and South Island champion, Arthur showed his skills with a brilliant drive to win the final the Vortex Rok DVS Junior class at the third round of the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy KartStars Series on his home track at Cresswell Electrical Raceway in Blenheim.
His event started strong, qualifying in first, then collecting a win, a second place and a fourth in the heats. He then placed third for much of the pre-final, before unfortunately spinning off track during an intense battle for the lead in the dying laps.
After dropping to sixth on the opening lap of the final, Arthur worked his way forward to be third on lap six and up to second on lap nine, behind North Island champion Ashton Phipps from the Mt Wellington club in Auckland.
The young Marlborough driver then pulled off a spectacular pass two laps from home to get to the front and celebrate a superb win. He also finished fifth overall in the Rotax Junior class, which made for a busy day.
His rise in karting was somewhat by chance.
“I tried rugby but I didn’t like it,” said Arthur. “Through some mates of my dad we went to a have-a-go day at karting and it turned into a bit of a big thing in our family. I was around 7 or 8 years. Karting suited me and I’ve done it since.
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“I enjoyed the speed, the challenge and having a bit of fun.”
So does that make him someone who likes solo sports?
“Karting is really a team sport too. Dad takes me to all the karting events and is right there with me. Mum sometimes takes me places. Bruce who is our mechanic has done so much on the kart and he has been a really big help. We get great support from Dane Harte Racing with the kart and supplies. And I have great sponsors like Liquid Action and Water Supply Products. That’s our team.”
While he would dearly love to win the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy KartStars Series, he will miss the final round as the family head on their European adventure, having been accepted for the FIA Karting Academy Trophy.
“Our plan is to go to Europe for three months while the FIA Karting Academy Trophy is on which I’ve been accepted for. I will race the three rounds of that and do some testing. And have a bit of fun.”
His father and brother will travel for the full 12-week stint with his mother and sister coming later, with the family joining up in Scotland to visit his mother’s family in Edinburgh.
The next target is national sprint championships at Manawatu in early April where he will contest both Vortex ROK DVS Junior and Rotax Junior before he heads overseas.
Caption: Arthur Broughan in action on his home Kartsport Marlborough track. (Credit: Bella Tahu)
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- Results: speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/2129936