In the first week of school, when the majority of us were preparing for a new year, Olivier Bellanger ’17 was competing in the state championships of go kart racing. He did exceptionally well; he won for the third time. So, what does it take to become a three time go kart state champion?

“I’ve always liked racing,” he said; he watched races on the TV as long as he can remember, but he always wanted to be the one racing.

He started at a young age – getting involved with electric ride-ons at the age of three. Then, at the age of seven, he got even more involved as he began racing go karts.

Every weekend since, Olivier goes to practice; he spends almost the entire day racing and perfecting his technique. You can only imagine how expensive this can be. Just the go kart costs hundreds of dollars. Fortunately, Olivier receives sponsorship from K-1 Race Gear and gets all of his accouterments for free! That is, a fireproof suit, a helmet, a rib protector, a neck brace, shoes, and gloves.

With all the expenses, Olivier says that he can only pick and choose which races he goes to. They are mostly in Florida – due to ideal weather – but he’s made it all the way to Utah for one race!

Olivier races in the highest level of go kart racing in the country. When he races regionally, there are between 10 and 30 competitors. Internationally, there is around 70, and for the world championships, 100 of the best go kart racers compete for the ultimate win.

He owes much of his success to his father, who learned the mechanics of go karts to become his personal mechanic. His older sister, Julia Bellanger ’14, is among one his supporters as well. His family continually supports him and cheers him on on the sidelines.

It would be difficult to put an end to something that you’ve been doing since you were three.

“[Racing is] my life. I don’t know what I’d do without it. I can’t imagine if I had to stop,” he ended.

Olivier’s next goal is to qualify for the world championships, which for the first time, will be held in the United States. Another dream of Olivier’s is to win the Super Nationals in Las Vegas, which is one of the biggest competitions in the world. And in the future, Olivier hopes to become a professional race car driver.

Good luck, Olivier!

To see more of Olivier, go to olivierbellanger.com.