The European experience that put Oscar on Targett

The Porsche pyramid has produced many young stars and one of the latest could be Oscar Targett.

He may be short in stature, but Targett is determined to achieve big things behind the wheel.

The 18-year-old has held his own against some of the best the European karting scene can offer and now back home is making a name for himself.

He is on a high after becoming the second youngest ever to lift the Porsche Sprint Challenge crown recently at Sydney Motorsport Park.

But this is just the start of Queenslander’s journey as he aims to join the likes of Matt Payne and Richie Stanaway racing for Grove Racing in the Supercars Championship.

It has been far from a smooth ride for Targett, who endured open heart surgery as recently as early last year.

However, that did not stop him from rising to the front of the grid and eventually dominating the one-make category.

With both parents heavily involved in karting, Targett was “into motor racing from day one.”

His father spent 11 years in Italy as a driver, team owner, chassis and engine builder and is even currently in Europe working with a karter.

With such a strong family connection and making his own mark down under (being a two-time top 5 finisher in the Australian Kart Championship), Targett junior also headed to Europe to blaze his own path.

Despite coming up against a stacked field where “50 drivers could win” Targett achieved eighth in the KZ2 European Championship and 20th in the KZ2 World Championship.

He did have ambitions to chase the European dream, but the result of one cutthroat program forced him to return home.

“I did my last year of karting in Europe and that was a big step and taught me a lot,” he recalled.

“The biggest difference is just the quantity of people that are not only good, but also have good enough equipment to win.

“At the end of 2021, I did the Richard Mille Academy Shootout in Spain with MP Motorsport in F4

I finished second in that competition to Tymoteusz Kucharczyk, who now races British Formula 3 and, I’m pretty sure, will be doing F3 next year.

“Martinius Stenshorne was third – who was an FIA F3 race winner this year.

“Unfortunately it was only if you win that program you get the next step and I came second.

“It (staying in Europe) was considered but the budgets required to race open-wheel cars in Europe is just crazy and unfortunately my family and supporters were not even close to making that budget.

“I would have loved to go down the open-wheel dream and chase the F1 dream that everyone thinks about and considered staying in Europe.

“But for me it is Supercars or GT3 or something with a roof is now my sort of style.

“Supercars is the sport I grew up watching so it only makes sense for that to be the end goal.”

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