Indi Urwin (Year 9) recently had the incredible opportunity to compete at the world’s biggest kart race in Las Vegas, USA. The event, known as Supernats, is legendary in the karting world as the largest and most intense competition on the international calendar.
An empty car park beside the Las Vegas Speedway is transformed into a full racetrack using roading barriers and concrete kerbing, with no runoff areas. Drivers only have one practice day to master this temporary circuit, which features 11 tight corners and top speeds of 135 km/h down the back straight.
Just like Formula 1, qualifying is crucial for securing a strong position on the grid for the heat races that follow, as every driver aims to earn a spot in the finals on Super Sunday. This year, nearly 600 drivers entered Supernats 28. Indi competed in the fastest direct-drive kart category (X30 Junior) with a total of 60 competitors entered and was the only girl in the class. In fact, only 10 female drivers participated in the entire event.
Once the helmet goes on, Indi races like any other competitor, strategizing how to navigate around and through the 30 other drivers on track. Qualifying proved challenging on cold tyres, with only four laps to set a time, resulting in a 21st-place finish in her group. Two of her heats went well, with impressive drives through to 11th and 12th positions. However, a spin in the final heat and a collision with the barriers pushed her back in points, forcing a race in the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) to make the final.
The LCQ started strongly, with Indi running 4th for the first few laps, until contact from another driver ended her chances. Despite the setbacks, Indi said the whole experience was invaluable and that she learned a great deal. There is always a silver lining, and this arrived in the opportunity to meet one of her heroes, F1 Academy driver Lia Block. Indi was lucky to have her parents and brother older Jay (St.P 2023-24) along for the ride throughout this entire adventure. Jay also competed in the Pro Shifter class. Indi is definitely one to watch and we are excited to follow her progress as she gains more international experience.
Highlights from the event can be found on Instagram at @kartchaser