A YEAR TO REMEMBER
Brendon Hartley is our 2017 sportsperson of the year
Alot can be achieved with the right attitude. Brendon Hartley is a perfect example of that. The 28-year-old overcame his fair share of hurdles en route to his achieving his dream of a Formula One debut.
Laid-back and ever-smiling, Hartley was blasted into the spotlight of the motorsport world when he was a surprise call-up for Toro Rosso in October – a surprise not through a lack of ability, but rather that he did not have the bigdollar backing seemingly required to crack F1 and that he was relatively old for a F1 debutant.
Persistence, dedication and determination spurred on his rise to the pinnacle of his sport despite many moments when others would have tossed in the towel.
A world title – his second World Endurance Championship crown, a win in the one of the world’s most prestigious races – the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and a debut in the pinnacle class of his sport in the world, F1, is a pretty hard resume to top.
But Hartley is determined not to let his achievements change who he is as a person.
‘‘I am still grounded,’’ he says. ‘‘This will always be my home – Manawatu¯ . I like to think that nothing has changed. The cars are different and I have learned a lot, but the journey all started here.’’
Reflecting back on 2017, he rates Le Mans as his biggest achievement.
‘‘Standing on that top step [at Le Mans] is one of the most emotional moments in my career to date,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s the biggest thing I’ve done, that topped the Formula One debut. You know how many people have worked towards that one goal, the 250 staff at Porsche, the Porsche fans. You stand under that sea of people on the podium and it’s special.’’
But while Le Mans was the pinnacle for him, it was not until his F1 debut that the country really started to take note of his achievements.
His debut press conference, when he was seated alongside one of the biggest names in motorsport in Lewis Hamilton, thrust him into the spotlight.
In a world of heavily-trained drivers who speak in cliches, Hartley was a breath of fresh air.
The international media were drawn to his openness as they consistently passed up chances to talk to Hamilton for more information about the lad from Palmerston North.
That openness came from a career of rises and falls which started with karting as a sixyear-old.
During his journey through the grades, pressure never appeared to be an issue for him.
Back in 2003, New Zealand motorsport legend Kenny Smith praised the way the then 14-year-old handled his lofty expectations.
‘‘You have to have your head together to have a chance,’’ he said. ‘‘For someone of his age to withstand that sort of pressure says so much.’’
He rocketed up the ranks, a star at every level.by October 2005 everything took off at warp-speed when he was signed to Red Bull Racing.
Everything seemed to be going up in gears as he was promoted to reserve driver for Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in 2008.
But his career stalled when Red Bull axed him in 2010, his F1 career seemingly reduced to dust.
Few get second chances at that level, especially without big-dollar backing to sweeten the deal.
Hartley admitted earlier this year that he was not ready for F1 back in 2010.
‘‘I had my first F1 test at 18-years-old and I guess I did not really deal with the pressure. I stopped enjoying it. I was not happy,’’ he says.
Despite everything that happened, Hartley maintained his desire to find success in motorsport.
‘‘I took my helmet to a test and met with every team in the pit lane. I fell in love with [endurance racing]. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be a factory driver,’’ he told Stuff in 2015.
His performances had Porsche knocking and by 2014 he was back alongside Webber and German Timo Bernhard in the World Endurance Championship.
But there was a chance for everything to fall over again this year as Porsche announced their withdrawal from the WEC in July.
Once again Hartley chased his next opportunity, getting on the phone to his former Red Bull boss.
‘‘I called Helmut Marko and said ‘look, I am a different driver than what I was 10 years ago, I have learned a lot and if there is ever an opportunity I am ready’, ‘‘ he said during his introductory F1 press conference.
‘‘He didn’t say much. He just said he got the message and three months later he made the call.’’
That call sparked his debut in F1. And while constant mechanical issues meant that his best finish was 13th, he proved himself enough to score a fulltime drive in 2018.
Manawatu¯ Car Club president Richie Arber paid tribute to
Hartley’s success when the entrance to Manfeild was renamed in his honour on Thursday.
‘‘Brendon has succeeded where many others have failed all because he has a natural ability that has been honed from good oldfashioned hard work and a relentless need to achieve success, traits that can be clearly seen right through the Hartley family.
‘‘This is indeed a breath of fresh air in the motorsport industry where so many others get to the top due to the size of the family chequebook,’’ he said.
Former motorsport journalist Russell Harris added how important Hartley’s achievements have been not only for his sport, but for the region.
‘‘Over the past three or four months with Brendon’s success, it has brought tremendous focus on motorsport. We have never seen
the media in a frenzy as they were and it bought a great focus to our region,’’ he said.
Humble Hartley was quick to shoot down suggestions that he was the most talented driver in the country.
‘‘We are lucky in New Zealand that we have so many talented drivers. I know a lot of people say ‘You make your own luck,’ but I have been extremely lucky to have my father, my family and other supporters from New Zealand and probably even more importantly my brother.’’
Hartley is not about to settle for what he has achieved already, which makes 2018 a tantalising prospect.
‘‘I very much hope that the story is not over. I know I have a lot of work to do, but I am motivated and optimistic that I can do it.’’