The past 13 months have been some of the toughest of racing driver David Clark’s life.
Following an incident in a V8 Supercar at Mount Panorama, which claimed the life of Mark Porter last October, 29-year-old Clark was fighting for survival in a Sydney hospital.
After spending one week in an intensive care unit followed by six weeks in traction for a broken pelvis, two operations, a knee reconstruction and months of intense physiotherapy and rehabilitation, the Adelaide racer is looking to resurrect his career by going back to where it started, the kart track.
This weekend Clark will get behind the wheel to compete in the South Australian Karting Championships at the Bolivar Raceway.
“The past 12 months have been extremely tough on not only me but also my family, there isn’t a day when I don’t wake up and think to myself how lucky I am to be here with my wife and three children, ” said Clark.
“Despite these thoughts, I still have the urge for speed and I want to try and get back to the pinnacle of Australian motorsport, in a V8 Supercar.
“To start this process though I need to get myself back in shape and prove to people that I have still got what it takes to be a competitor, both mentally and physcially, and that I’m able to race at the top level. ”
Clark cut his teeth on karting circuits across Australia, claiming four national titles throughout the mid nineties. He also represented Australia in the World Karting Championships on three occasions, where his best finish was ninth place in 1993.
Following his karting career Clark moved into the Australian Formula Ford Championship before competing in the 2002 British Formula 3 Series.
At the start of 2006 he was plucked from the motorsport wilderness by fledgling V8 Supercar team, Optima Sport. Clark showed some impressive speed throughout his debut year in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, recording a race win and qualifying third fastest at a round, before it was cut short by the Bathurst tragedy in October.
The Optima Sport team are currently in the process of building a car to contest the 2008 Fujitsu Series, however, Clark’s involvement in the team is not guaranteed.
“For sure, I’d like to be a part of Optima Sport when it returns to the track but it all comes down to letting the right people know that I’m still the same driver and person I was before the accident, which starts this weekend in a go-kart, ” said Clark.
“I’m confident within myself that I can do the job but I’ve got to prove that to everyone else. I also need to get some sponsors together to help me restart my career as getting a drive is more than just talent these days, money is a big part of it. ”
Clark will be competing in one of the toughest categories in Australian karting, 100cc Clubman Light. He will be competing against some of the best drivers in the country including current Australian Champion James Sera, Western Australian Steven Scoble, New South Wales driver Jason Burns along with local hotshots Matthew Panella and Chris Fathers.
A total of 269 drivers will compete across 13 categories at the event with practice beginning on Thursday and Friday followed by qualifying and heat races held on Saturday. The championship finals will be contested on Sunday.
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