Harris ‘flies’ on US Sprint Car Debut

Oxfordshire driver impresses locals with his speed but damage sustained during Kokomo event prevents Brit Tom Harris from completing his first full weekend of Sprint Car Racing

After exciting local Sprint Car observers and fellow drivers with the speed shown in his 875bhp Bob East car, Banbury’s Tom Harris suffered damage in the second round at the Kokomo Speedway that prevented him from completing the first weekend’s racing in the spectacular race series that sees cars topping 130mph on dirt. Harris had already made significant progress at his first meeting at Gas City on Friday evening, starting to get to grips with the nuances of a Sprint Car racing on dirt to reach the C-Main. With further running Harris had further closed the gap to the local front runners in early heats at the second meeting at Kokomo before running wide on Turn 4 pitched him into a roll, requiring repairs to the car.

“It was frustrating not to get all the racing in but it was incredible,” says Tom Harris. “You turn in at 130mph, no brakes, just roll off the throttle. There is nothing like it! You’ve got to respect the car but it is an awesome experience and we are already fixing it before we leave to be out again next month. We need to build up a spares package to prevent us from missing out on the track time to be more consistent.”

Running the car himself from the legendary Bob East workshops, Harris spent time with Jarett Andretti, great nephew of Mario Andretti who also raced a Beast Chassis during the weekend. “We have learnt a lot and met a lot people and everyone wants to help us make a success of this,” adds Harris. “The local crowd was superb, cheering us on track and off and they all wished us well with what we are doing. That was really cool and makes us more determined to come back in August. I’ve got to try and fit some testing in if the weather allows."

Harris next plans to race at the end of August, returning to the Kokomo track.

Please credit Dave Merritt for the images attached.

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