An eight-year-old from West Cumbria has been chosen to star in a new motorsport documentary.
Harry Neesam, who lives in Braystones and is in year three at Beckermet Primary School, has been selected as one of 16 drivers to star in ‘Driven Dreams’ a documentary that will follow the journey of young karters competing in the national Cadet Kart Championship and Junior Kart Championship this year.
The series is being developed by Street Star Studios UK in collaboration with Matty Street, owner of TeamKarting in Rochdale and is set to be aired on mainstream channels and streaming services towards the end of the year.
Harry was introduced to racing at the age of two when he was taken to British Touring Car Championship races with his parents. When he was six, he was old enough to try karting himself and had his first experience on track at the Rowrah Circuit. His grandad then bought him his own kart for Christmas and Harry was instantly hooked.
Showing natural talent from the outset, Harry quickly made a major impression on the circuit, coming second in his first-ever competitive championship in 2020. Having only a few months of experience, he also entered the British Karting Championships finishing 10th overall.
In 2021 Harry won the Cumbria Kart Racing Club (CKRC) Independent Kart Racing (IKR) Championship in the Bambino class and finished sixth overall in the national Bambino Kart Club (BKC) Championship.
Having looked into entering the popular Cadet Kart Championships, owned by Matty Street, Harry was then invited to put himself forward for the documentary. He was interviewed and screen-tested and was selected as one of 16 young karters to feature in the show.
The documentary crew will now follow Harry for his first year as a ‘cadet’ in the full 2022 championship, where he’ll be supported by his sponsors James Fisher Nuclear, V360 Group Ltd and Thomas Graham & Sons Ltd.
Harry’s dad Iain said: “This is a really exciting time for Harry and is potentially a pivotal moment for him as a racer, despite his young age. As soon as he got in a kart it was clear he had that passion and drive for someone so young.
“It’s been a massive learning curve for us as parents, we’re on a budget, we’re not mechanics and we don’t have a karting background so we’re all learning as we go. We’re also showing what can be done – Harry won the last round of the BKC last year, up against experienced children from all over the country and he came out on top. He’s always gone out and given it his all, making a name for himself, and people really respect him. We are very proud of him for that.
“Being part of Driven Dreams will be an amazing opportunity and something he can look back on with his friends and family in years to come.”
Harry said: “I was really happy to win the IKR Championship last year. Filming for the documentary will be really fun and I’ll get to spend even more time in my kart.
“When I’m older I want to drive LMP cars that are even faster than F1 cars, or I’ll join my friend Zak at school in becoming a computer game maker.”
