How Hong Kong kart racer Paul Tarrant shared a distinction with legend Ayrton Senna
Star Ferry to silver screen and second only to Terry Fullerton for Hong Kong-resident 1970s racer who died this month
Whizzing around Victoria Park in the 1970s, Hong Kong kart racer Paul Tarrant embodied a freewheeling era and a city gathering speed.
Tarrant, who died this month aged 68, competed for the last time on home soil when he finished as top local driver in the 1974 Hong Kong International Karting Prix (HKIKP).
By then, his short but successful career had launched him on to the silver screen and featured duels with a rival later dubbed “the man Ayrton Senna could never beat”: Terry Fullerton.
Sepia footage captures a track marked out with cones and tyres, and a stream of karts hurtling down a straight towards crowds of enthusiasts with cameras ready, in the shadows of a smattering of high-rise buildings. An excited announcer relays the action and the winners receive cartons of Capstan cigarettes.
Tarrant had the dashing looks to accompany his talent, even if, weeks earlier, a barber at Singapore’s old airport sheared his locks when he arrived for an event, because of the city state’s rule against men having long hair. With his go-faster trim, Tarrant won every race.