Western Australian students in different parts of the world have diverse reasons for studying with SIDE.
In 2019, after two successful seasons in WA and Australian motorsport, Bart Horsten moved to England with his family to compete in the British Formula 4 Championship with Arden Motorsport. Bart is hoping to progress further up the ranks of single-seater racing in the UK and Europe.
Photos courtesy of Jakob Ebrey
His success in 2018 with Perth’s Fastlane Racing in the Australian Formula Ford Championship required a lot of commuting from WA to the east coast where nearly all the races were held. He honed his independent learning skills during this time; he needed to liaise with his teachers to ensure his education did not suffer. They have helped his transition to SIDE in 2019.
Bart is currently 5th in the 2019 Championship, and so far this year had had eight podium finishes at five different tracks.
Bart’s mum, Mary-Anne, commented on Bart’s desire to have a future career in motorsport.
Bart has always wanted a career in motorsport and more than anything wants to compete as a driver. However, he is aware that his education is also important and will give him options, so completing his studies to the highest level has always been a priority.
There is no typical day for Bart, so it’s really a matter of getting ahead with his work and study for SIDE and then at other times catching up. It requires a lot of organisation and planning, as well as focus, to complete all the tasks on time, taking into account the demands of training, working with his team manager and engineers, and participating in race weekends.
Bart says of his dreams: I hope to one day become a Formula 1 driver and compete with the world’s elite. Studying Year 12 with SIDE has allowed me to complete my schooling in the Australian curriculum while attempting to achieve this goal. It’s given me a great opportunity to work on developing my career while still being at school.
