10th November 2014

Oscar Piastri's podium finish for international debut - From the Weekly Review

(http://www.theweeklyreviewbayside.com.au/story/1814133/go-kart-oscar-piastri-s-podium-finish-for-international-debut/)

Oscar Piastri (right) on the podium in France

With half a lap to go in his first international race at France’s famed Le Mans circuit, 13-year-old go-karter Oscar Piastri was sitting fourth and feeling good.

“I thought to myself, ‘This is pretty impressive’,” he said.

By the time he had reached the finish line he was on the podium, having finished third after the driver in front suffered a mechanical failure.

“The guy in front of me started slowing and I just thought, ‘Am I really gonna get a podium in my first international race?’ ”

And he did, finishing behind winner Josh Smith from the UK and Germany’s Gilles Magnus.

It capped off an action-packed week for Oscar, who is in year 7 at Haileybury in Brighton East.

He started off slowly in practice, before improving in the heats, but in the pre-final races he was caught up in an accident.

“I started the final race from 21st. I moved up to about 10th, and then there was a crash, so we had to slow down, which brought me up to the leading pack,” he said.

“Once we restarted I was able to work my way on to the podium.”

It was the biggest race Oscar has ever been involved in, and it came barely three years after he got his start.

“I’ve been racing since October 2011. It all started about six years ago when dad brought a remote-control monster truck back from the States.

“I started driving that around and eventually I joined a local club. One of the people we met through that offered me a chance at go-karting.”

Despite his evident skills, he does not embarrass old friends on the go-kart track when he’s not competing, preferring to sharpen his skills in a simulator, watch Formula 1 and the V8 Supercars, and fit in a bit of homework as well.

Naturally he’s a big fan of Daniel Ricciardo, but said following his path into formula one was not necessarily a goal for the future.

“I’m not sure about F1. There’s a lot of money involved. Maybe the V8s or something like that, racing at Le Mans, sports car racing, something like that.”

For now his focus is on upcoming races in Tasmania before heading overseas again early next year for more international events.