Meet the 9-year-old who loves driving 100kmph and ‘spraying champagne’
It‘s illegal for Koda Singh to drive or drink, but that hasn’t stopped him from hitting speeds of over 100kmph and spraying champagne off a podium.
NSW
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At nine years old, it‘s illegal for Koda Singh to drive or drink, but that hasn’t stopped him from hitting speeds of over 100kmph and doing pretend ‘shoeys’ on a podium.
The go-kart racer from Sydney is one of Australia‘s fastest up-and-coming drivers and could one day be Australia’s next F1 champion. He has taken home top prizes and regularly travels the country – and the world – to race. Alongside his brother Oscar, aged 11, who is also killing it on the racetrack, the pair make a dynamic duo.
When he was just eight years old – the same age most kids are riding a bike – Koda was crowned the 2022 Rotax Max Challenge Australian Champion, making him one of the youngest drivers ever to claim the title. That same year, he was selected to travel to Portugal to represent Australia.
“It’s so fun and competitive – you make lots of friends and get to travel,” said Koda.
The pair of pocket rockets are not alone in their need for speed. According to Karting Australia CEO Lee Hanatschek, motorsports are more popular than ever, with interest no doubt sparked by Netflix Formula 1 reality series, Drive to Survive.
Traffic is building on Australia‘s racetracks as kids, teens, and even adults flock to go-karting, an entry point into professional racing.
“Participation numbers in karting are well up across the country. Drive to Survive has opened the eyes of more than traditional motorsport fans.
“Never before in my 30 years of karting have I seen so many Australians competing on the world stage, both in karting and Formula 1,” said Mr Hanatschek.
It’s not just men getting involved, with Mr Hanatschek noticing a large spike in interest from women.
Seventeen-year-old Imogen Radburn is one of the fiery females making waves in racing. The Year 12 student from Nowra started off go-karting and is now racing in Formula Ford. She might be the only girl on the track but, if you ask Miss Radburn, that doesn’t mean anything.
“Once you’ve got a helmet and a race suit on, it doesn’t matter what gender you are. We are all here for the same goal and that’s to win.”
It’s not without sacrifice. The road towards professional racing is an expensive one. Koda and Oscar’s father Keith Singh, estimates he has spent “upwards of $100,000” getting his two boys into the sport.
“Growing up I wasn‘t financially ever able to do it, we just want to try and give them what I never had in a way.”
He says one of the most expensive parts of racing is “all the travelling”.
To qualify for national and international karting competitions, Mr Singh’s sons need to practice on certified tracks. However, few tracks in NSW meet the standards.
“We definitely need more tracks in NSW. We currently travel interstate a lot, and we will go to Italy this year to practice. We try to go there for a few races and then come back,” said Mr Singh.
According to Mr Hanatschek, this cost can be a huge barrier to many hopeful racers.
“You do see drivers who have got exceptional talent that maybe don‘t quite make it to their chosen field [because of the cost].”
However, he says it is important to remember that you don‘t have to be a driver to be involved in racing.
“There‘s other ways of being involved in motorsport and ways to chase the dream [other than driving], such as an engineer, or a mechanic, or working for a race team.”
Though, it might take a bit of convincing to get Koda and Oscar out of the driver’s seat.
According to the pair’s dad, the brothers are convinced “they are better drivers than him”.
“They have certainly got a bit of a bug. My sons always say ‘it’s the 1% that everyone else doesn’t want to do that he wants to do’.”
For all the hard work, there’s one thing young Koda loves more than anything.
“When I get on a podium, I get to spray champagne on people.”
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