Inspiration for young HPV racers

A human-powered vehicle training session and demonstration with esteemed racer Damien Flack will help sharpen the skillsets of young Wimmera racers for future events.

About 25 Horsham West and Haven Primary School students travelled to Dooen Raceway to meet racing driver Damien Flack and his son Marcos, who is the youngest Formula One scholarship recipient.

The father-and-son racing duo taught students about racing lines, vehicle set-up, track camber, safety and mental toughness, followed by a go-kart demonstration.

Students also had the opportunity to take to the track in their own HPVS.

Mr Flack, a former Horsham West Primary School student, said there was plenty of energy and excitement from students about their school’s HPV program. “It’s very similar to what we do with our kart racing and car racing,” he said.

“There’s a lot of similarities and anything we can do to help them go faster is even better.”

Horsham West and Haven Primary School principal Andrew Parry said the training session provided students with new-found knowledge and inspiration in the engineering-based sport.

“We’re getting expertise from high-level racing and you can just see the engagement of our students and what they’re picking up,” he said.

“Understanding engineering and the little tweaks students can make on a kart is value-adding to their education.

“They can walk away with inspiration for the future.”