Behind the Wheel Sophomore Harry Voigt’s Race to Success
By Adriana Veizaga
Position: Staff Writer
aveizaga@email.lynn.edu
Spec Miata National Champion and Teen Mazda Challenge winner Harry Voigt tells the story of his leap from children’s go-karts to professional race cars and championships around the United States.
Voigt had a normal childhood in Colorado. He went to Denver Academy and grew up surrounded by different sports and activities inside and outside of the classroom. As a kid, he remembers go-karting with his dad every weekend in order to find new adventures. Little did he know this father-and-son routine would be the starting point for his journey as a racer.
“When I was about six or seven, my dad used to take me to a little indoor go-karting place to rent. One of the guys that worked there told him, ‘hey your son is really fast, you should buy him a go-kart,’” said Voigt. “It pretty much started just by renting go-karts on the weekends as something fun to do. There is no racing history in my family.”
In 2018 at just 17 years old, Voigt started competing professionally at the MX-5 Cup Series at COTA. Ever since racing has been a vital part of his life. Voight confesses that it takes a lot to prepare for a race weekend, both mentally and physically.
“There are a lot of challenges you have to overcome. You got a car to depend on and in addition, you have many things to deal with. It is all these external factors that take a lot of mental preparation. However, being behind the wheel is nothing but adrenaline. You are going at 130 mph, just inches away from other racers, it feels like a roller coaster,” stated Voigt.
In September 2021, Voigt participated in the Spec Miata National Championships at Daytona International Speedway. He placed second overall, edged out by NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Preston Pardus by 0.079 seconds at the finish. But Voigt was able to achieve the fastest lap of the race. Also, he placed first at the Teen Mazda Challenge, a program supported by Mazda Motorsports to give young drivers a chance to earn a six-figure sponsorship in pro-racing.
According to Voigt, “There were 75 drivers in the NASA championships for Spec Miata, and 12 of those were also participating in the Teen Mazda Challenge. It was very cool to place second overall and first in the challenge. It definitely helps to get my way started into pro-racing.”
Voigt is majoring in business at Lynn. He looks forward to combining his experience as a racer with his college degree in order to jump into the car industry from a marketing standpoint. After college, he would also like to continue his journey in racing, working towards securing sponsorships and eventually winning a Global MX-5 Cup.
Voigt standing next to his Miata MX-5 race car in Utah. Photo/H. Voigt. Voigt (left) at the Spec Miata National Championship podium in Daytona. Photo/H. Voigt. Voigt in his graduation photoshoot. Photo/H. Voigt.
