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Deniel Vermeulen is on a mission to cement her name in go-karting – and dispel some myths about the male dominated sport.
“I don’t want them to view me as a girl; I want them to view me as a competitor,” says the 16 year old speed demon from Raby.
Deniel is in her second-year of the West Future Stars program at the South West Sydney Academy of Sport.
Recently she sat down with sport operations manager Stephen Craig to share some insights into the world of go-karting.
“There are two perceptions: either that go-karting is an elite sport or that it’s not even a sport,” she says.
Deniel says she uses such misconceptions as motivation, striving to showcase the mentally and physically demanding nature of go-karting.
And while she has set high goals, such as not just making F1 racing but succeeding in it, it all started from go-karts at Fast Lane Karting.
Appreciative of her beginnings, Deniel now combines her school and race commitments with coaching at Fast Lane Karting, sharing her knowledge and skills with young karters who admire her accomplishments.
Racing has its risk and go-karting is no exception, as Deniel found out – the hard way.
She crashed and ended up with three crushed bones that meant three surgeries and more than six months of recovery.
Deniel has used such setbacks as motivation to help her return to the track, where she continues to pursue even greater ambitions.
It was this determination that led her to land a spot in the local sport academy West Future Stars program, which has been instrumental in developing athletes across various individual and niche sports.
The program offers personalised mentorship aimed at fostering holistic growth, and in the highly competitive world of go-karting, Deniel has benefited from working closely with her mentors, who provide guidance on critical aspects such as nutrition, mental preparation, and building meaningful connections.
She credits the Future Stars program with giving her the confidence to push her limits and achieve more.
Deniel recently advanced to one of the top karting categories in Australia, where, as she notes: “There is only one other girl in Australia competing at this level’’.
She plans to travel to the United States this year to compete in an entry-level category for Open Wheelers, a key stepping stone toward her ultimate goal of competing full-time in the American IndyCar series.
For more information on the South West Sydney Academy of Sport, head to www.swsas.org.au or email sport@swsas.org.au
–with Abby Wijesekar