Whaley Bridge teenager joins dad for off-road thrills in Ultra4 races

A teenager from Whaley Bridge has become the youngest ever competitor in one of Europe’s most extreme off-road races.
Harvey Gallemore in the cockpit with his dad, Alex, alongside him.Harvey Gallemore in the cockpit with his dad, Alex, alongside him.
Harvey Gallemore in the cockpit with his dad, Alex, alongside him.

Harvey Gallemore, 15, was co-driving for his father, Alex, in the Ultra4 Europe King of Britain event at Walters Arena in Wales last month.

The pair had to tackle challenging bolder sections, fast rutted straights and tight forests that all go to make it one of the most challenging races of its kind in Europe.

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What makes things even more daunting for Harvey and is father was that it was their first ever event in a truck they had never driven before.

Harvey and Alex in action in their off-road vehicle.Harvey and Alex in action in their off-road vehicle.
Harvey and Alex in action in their off-road vehicle.

Alex said: “Due to the pandemic, we were struggling to get parts in order to finish the truck, which is a highly modified Land Rover Tomcat.

"Harvey broke up for his summer holidays on the Thursday and my wife drove through the night to get him to the event just in time for qualifying on the Friday.”

Ultra4 sees a monster truck essentially blended with a rally car and then raced on an 18-mile circuit designed to test speed and durability.

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Harvey said: “I was quite nervous, as we were in the Legends class and had to drive over huge rock sections and brutal parts of the circuit the smaller trucks could bypass.

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“Somehow, we managed to qualify third in our class due to the truck being fast and nimble, but the bolder sections were scary for the first few laps but then you just get used to being smashed around!”

The pair had their fair share of technical issues, as many other teams suffered, but the Derbyshire duo managed to push hard on day two and brought their truck home in fourth place.

“To be able to share the moment with Harvey, was probably one of the best weekends a father and son could experience,” commented Alex.

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“We could not have done it without the support of the Kova Off-Road pit crew who all come from New Mills, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Furnace Vale.

"We have all got the bug now and due to our result, we have been invited to take part in the upcoming Dirt race event in Essex.

"We just need to fix the truck first!”