"We're idiots with skills"
The role model, the stories and – possibly – the tall tales were found within the family. That’s why professional snowcross racer Emil Harr knew that he wanted to devote himself to the sport already as a five-year-old.
“You’re never satisfied if you’re not first, although I don’t complain as long as I’m in the top five,” Emil reveals in the garage. He’s been competing professionally in the US for a few years now, and he started out in the sport at an early age. Aged ten, he started attending competitions and training on the tracks together with his older brother, Filip Harr.
“We’ve got lighting rigs, snow cannons and a snow groomer, so we’ve built the tracks we’ve wanted since we were about twelve. We’ve only improved because of those resources. I prioritised it above everything else while my friends were out partying,” says Emil.
The chance to compete in the US came already when he was fifteen, a little too early, he feels. After that, a couple of years passed before he really felt comfortable in a team, but now he’s happy – with his team, Judnick Motorsports, his Polaris snowmobile and the past season.
"I’m spurred on by realising how fast I am! I’ve sat at home and watched these racers at night, and I’ve thought, ‘Damn they’re fast’. And now that I’m there, I just think they should move over, that they’re in the way when I’m riding."
That motivates me, knowing that I’m faster than most people there.
“In the US, you’re pushed to develop, everyone starts at the exact same time and there’s always someone behind you and someone in front of you. It’s not easy to overtake. You have to be smart, you have to be trained, you have to dare. I usually say that we’re a bunch of idiots with skills.”