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Bearman on growing in Chelmsford: "Hamilton and Button both raced there"
Oliver Bearman is the latest Formula 3 star to take us on a trip around his hometown. Giving us the lowdown on life in Chelmsford, the PREMA Racing driver certainly knows all about where the best places to race are – including at tracks where several Formula 1 legends got their starts – but admits you might find him hopping on train to London to do some sightseeing.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
“My hometown is Chelmsford; it’s been a city since 2012. I haven’t lived here all my life, but I moved here when I was around three years old. My brother and sister were born here and now I live just five minutes away.
“It’s a nice place. There’s not a crazy amount to do – the best thing to do would be to get on the train and go to London to be honest. There are some good schools, which is nice, it doesn’t bother me anymore, but I think one of the reasons we moved here was because of them. Where I live is a bit more out of the town, so it’s got a bit more greenery and fields.”
WHAT LANGUAGES ARE SPOKEN?
“English - the place I live is in Essex and the people from there are quite renowned for their accent. You don’t get many of them around here, but some people have this accent that is quite funny. Also, there’s some people coming from closer to London with the typical London accent.”
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WHERE SHOULD TOURISTS VISIT?
“There are a few nice restaurants, but there’s nothing amazing. We just have the normal things that places have, maybe they should take a walk down the high street, but they wouldn’t be amazed. I would just say get on the train and go to London, that’s it!”
WHERE SHOULD PEOPLE EAT AND DRINK?
“I haven’t eaten in Chelmsford for a long time. Let me check, I’ll just look online for the best restaurant! I don’t know the name but there are a few nice steak restaurants and there’s a Thai place that is quite nice.”
MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHERE CAN WE GO KARTING?
“There’s an outdoor karting track in Brentwood, which is about 15 minutes away. Then the nearest real karting track is Buckmore Park, that’s the track where I started, and there’s Rye House. These tracks are quite well known because I think a lot of people started there, but these were the two tracks where I raced to start with.
“I think Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button raced at both of them, so they have a lot of history and they’re really, really good tracks. They are both about 30 minutes by car from me, so get down there!”