Bart Harrison: Yorkshire go-karter aiming to follow in footsteps of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris finishes second in Senior British Championships aged just 15

Bart Harrison, 15, from Nunnington, near York, is only in his first season in the senior ranks and was aged 14 when he first took to the track this campaign with Mick Barrett Racing.

The majority of drivers who have raced in Formula One, the pinnacle of motorsport, have started their careers in a go-kart and Harrison is being coached along in his journey in the same team that helped McLaren’s Lando Norris and Williams’ Alex Albon, formerly of Red Bull Racing, along their journeys to the top.

It was also Lewis Hamilton’s success on the go-kart track that first caught the eyes of McLaren bosses in the late 1990s.

The final two rounds of the Senior X30 championship took place on the same weekend at the PF International Kart Circuit at Brandon, Lincolnshire, with Harrison pipped to the title by home-track hero Gus Lawrence – who is eight years his senior.

Coming into the final rounds just twelve points behind his main rival, Harrison was fastest in qualifying over the weekend, winning the first heat and coming fourth in the second, to take maximum points before the final race.

Harrison started from pole in the 18-kart final but was involved in a collision in lap two which pushed him off the track and set him back to eighth place.

He battled back to cross the finish line in fifth but with Lawrence finishing ahead of him, he just missed out on victory in the final championship standings.

Harrison cut a frustrated figure in the aftermath of the race but it wasn’t long before he had a smile back on his face as he received plaudits from all corners of the paddock for his remarkable performance across the season.

“It’s been a fantastic first season in the seniors,” said Harrison.

“Making the step up from Junior to Senior X30, racing against older and more experienced drivers was always going to be a challenge.

"But with the support of the fantastic Mick Barrett Racing team we have exceeded all expectations. I have learned so much.

"I think as a team we have created a fantastic platform on which to build for next year and beyond.”

Mercedes driver Hamilton is one of Harrison’s main inspirations but being part of a team that has seen racers go on to race in Formula One in Norris and Albon gives him plenty of hope for his future.

“It gives me a lot of confidence that people have made a huge future for themselves from the exact same position I have been in,” he told The Yorkshire Post last month.

Harrison, who attends school in York, has to combine his studies with a busy race schedule.

After a successful season in the domestic ranks, Harrison’s year will conclude at the IAME World Finals in Le Mans as he is part of a 180-driver field from October 18 to 23.

Harrison is set to run a reduced karting programme next year as he completes his GCSEs before aiming to enter Formula 4 in 2024.