Around 12 months ago, Lincolnshire racer Jack Harvey crashed into a wall in Texas and a force of 100G was felt inside his helmet.Bassingham-born Jack Harvey has racing in his blood. He spent much of his childhood travelling around circuits to watch his dad race in karting or motorbike events, and his uncle does long circuit go-kart events at the likes of Silverstone and Donington Park.
But how is a racer built and formed? How do you build up the courage and bravery to sit alone behind the wheel of an unimaginably fast vehicle, overtaking others on a narrow track at over 200mph? “I’ve spent my whole life preparing for situations like this, and now I have the appropriate risk/reward levels.”
Jack soon became a serial winner at karting level, collecting trophies in all corners of the globe and eventually joining the McLaren Young Driver programme – which has birthed Formula One stars Lando Norris and Alex Albon in recent years, as well as a little known racer called Lewis Hamilton. However, in 2014 he made a bold decision that would alter his path entirely. Jack moved across the Atlantic Ocean to join IndyLights, the junior feeder series for American competition the IndyCar Series.
The 2023 NTT IndyCar Series kicks off on March 5 around the streets of St Petersburg, Florida, running for 17 races and concluding at Laguna Seca in California on September 10. He says: “We live in a small village outside of Lincoln, and here I am in another country doing something that not many get to do, meeting people like Letterman and my heroes.
“What they have provided for both me and my sister is mind-blowing, and being as lucky as I am to live the life I have, it comes from the hard work of my family.