By RUSSELL BENNETT
TWO young speed demons are putting the pedal to the metal at the start of their burgeoning go-kart careers.
But 11-year-old Rhys Kemp from Pakenham, and Beaconsfield’s eight-year-old Bailey Collins are also learning valuable motoring skills in a controlled environment, which could one day stop them from becoming – in the words of Rhys’ dad – “another statistic”.
The two recently finished second and third in the club championships at their home Morwell circuit and, thanks to the expert tutelage of karting stars Joey Hanssen and David Sera, are well on track to becoming stars in their own right.
Rhys and Bailey only began their karting careers in February but the Collins Go Kart Racing team mates are already on the verge of stepping up to a class that will see them nudging speeds of around 90 kilometres per hour.
But Rhys’ dad Adam, and Bailey’s dad Chris – of Collins Racing – insist their youngsters have picked a sport, “no more dangerous than footy or cricket”.
They’ve been to courses all over the state, including Bendigo and the tight and technical Oakleigh course, and they’re not afraid to push themselves – even racing in what Adam described as “monsoonal conditions” in Morwell on slick tires.
That was at Sera’s insistence – to give the boys a real lesson in car, or kart, control.
They’ve also been taught about slipstreaming, flag safety and general racing awareness.
Rhys and Bailey often race in fields of up to 30 karts, which can see karts half-a-dozen wide across a track at times.
But the Gippsland Go Kart Club members are in great hands in the friendly environment of their home track.
Not too dissimilar to Formula One drivers, they even receive GPS data on screens in their steering wheels – showing their lap times and positioning on the track.
But their favourite things about the sport are the simple ones – making new friends, learning new tracks and benefiting from the experience of other drivers.
