An 11-year-old kart racer from Ottawa is getting ready to represent Canada on the world stage next month.
Oliver Aupry will be taking part in the Rotax Racing RMC Grand Finals in Bahrain, which bills itself as the kart racing season’s top event.
Speaking on CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Monday, Oliver says he loves everything about the sport of kart racing.
“I love the speed and a lot of things. I love everything,” he says.
His mom Lorraine says she’s very proud of Oliver.
“It’s a very hard sport. Lots of ups and downs. To see him push through every single time he does a success, or he has a failure, but he still keeps on going is really, really rewarding to watch,” she says.
Oliver got his grand finals ticket in September after a race in Saint-Hilaire, Que., and he’s been preparing for his upcoming visit to Bahrain using a home simulator.
“When I need to practice for Bahrain, I talk to my coach on Discord and we practice on my simulator to get ready,” he said.
“It was full focus every weekend with the coach on the simulator,” Lorraine added. “He has a performance coach too, to help him mentally, with his nerves.”
Oliver and his mom have already started packing for the trip, with the event set to start at the end of the month.
“We’re almost there. He’ll have some practices in the go-karts when we get there, in rentals, and then it’s full speed ahead as of the 29th of November,” Lorraine said.
Oliver says he has big dreams for the future.
“When I get older, I want to become a Formula 1 driver,” he said.
The Rotax Racing RMC Grand Finals take place from Nov. 29 to Dec. 6. Four-hundred drivers of all ages from 60 countries are taking part.
You can follow Oliver’s journey on his Instagram page, @oliveraupry96.
