Mostert lends support to bullied karter

Chaz Mostert has rallied behind a young British karter who has received widespread support after his parents made an emotional post on social media.

The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver posted a message of hope for 10-year-old karter Thomas Potter, who is being persistently bullied at the kart track.

His parents posted a distressing photo of Thomas in which he can be seen crying while in his race suit and helmet while competing - which has been shared more than 2,000 times - in a bid to stop the bullying of their son.

“Hey Thomas, Chaz Mozzie here down in Australia,” Mostert wrote.

“Sending my thoughts through a difficult time.

“Bullies are never an easy thing to deal with, and unfortunately in your case, it’s not a reflection of the person you are, but mainly jealousy towards your achievements and the kids around your age doing this are misled by their parents.

“My advice if you read this or not is you need to rise above this tough time in your life to take all the negative hate and turn it into drive.

“Drive towards your goals, drive towards you being the happiest young bloke you can be, love your family and show them who’s boss 💪🏽 and block those haters out, because there’s nothing more painful to a hater than them knowing they can’t affect you.”

The Northeast England-based karter began karting when he was six, inspired by his older sister Catherine.

The 2019 Bambino champion was recently featured on British news channel ITV News, dubbed as a “go karting sensation”, after a video showing his skills behind the wheel went viral.

Thomas has been the subject of bullying across his karting career, with the family saying it reached a “breaking point” last weekend.

“Having to wipe tears away before fastening a helmet is not the way to ever start a race!” the post reads.

“Things have been slowly developing for a while now. Yesterday was a breaking point for us. Enough is enough.”

Thousands of followers have reached out with their support for Thomas, with more than 2,500 comments and 5,000 likes on the post.

Fellow Supercars driver Will Davison also voiced his support for Thomas, sharing Mostert’s comment on Instagram with the message “Well done @chazmozzie. All behind you Thomas, screw the bullies and rise above the jealous negativity.”

Mostert took his own stance against online bullying in March 2021, launching the #nosocialhate campaign.

He is also a passionate ambassador for the Dolly’s Dream Foundation, aimed at stamping out online bullying.

If you or someone you know is needing support with bullying, reach out to a trusted family member, friend, teacher, an Elder, or a counsellor and let them know.

Talk to a Kids Helpline counsellor on 1800 55 1800 or visit https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/bullying

The 2022 season will resume in New Zealand across September 9-11.

Cars will hit the track on Friday. Purchase your ITM Auckland SuperSprint tickets now.