Young Racing Driver Academy Launch - Press Release

Cadet karter Tom Wood might only be 11 – but already he has years of experience behind him.

And now the Castle Donington youngster has been picked up by one of the top teams in junior karting for next season. He will drive for Fusion Racing, the team which won the British championship this year, as he chases his ambition of becoming a Formula One champion.

His mum, Moira, said: "Tom has always had a love of motor sport and racing and was only three years old when he first drove an electric kart and won 30 medals – always being on the podium.

"By the age of six he started racing petrol karts, driving Bambino karts at Buckmore Park circuit in Kent.

"He was always on the podium and won 21 trophies and owner Bill Sisley said he had a lot of natural speed and was very impressed with him.

"Tom was eight years old when he started racing the more powerful cadet karts and competed in three club championships across the country with grids of 30.

"He was very successful and finished fifth, sixth and seventh in all three in his first year and won the 2010 Most Promising Cadet Driver.

"This year he has competed at top level in the Formula Kart Stars British Championship cadet class, for ages eight to 13.

"He was the youngest driver and was again successful in his first year against the top drivers in the country, finishing 26th out of 53 drivers.

"Now he has joined the top cadet team in the country for the 2012 British Championship."

The cost of supporting Tom in his ambition is high and the family are hoping to gain sponsorship. Anyone interested should e-mail Tom Wood.

www.tomwoodracing.com

What do the experts say?

Alex Gatton
Head Coach Kart Coach

"We first met Tom as a seven year old, he was racing Bambinos successfully at Buckmore Park &  his parents  reasoned that if he was to hit the ground running when he moved up to Cadets, he would benefit from some coaching.

Kart Coach found him a good second hand Zip outfit and we ran him at Shenington on Saturdays for a year while we waited for his eighth birthday. That first weekend was a baptism of fire as Tom had to cope with a proper full size circuit, a faster Kart and older experienced drivers who all seemed to want the piece of tarmac he was on!

It didn’t take long before Tom was well established in the mid field on those Saturday test sessions. His stand out attributes were soon apparent; a quick and instinctive racer with a smooth technique and an opportunistic over taker who never gives up!

Tom began racing as soon as he was old enough to hold a licence and all those Saturday testing sessions soon paid off as he immediately began collecting Novice trophies. Moving up to full plates he spent a frustrating few months trying to break out of the mid field and into the top six, we had to remind him that he was eight and the top group were eleven and were naturally more experienced, but  patience was never one of his virtues!

Out of the Kart Tom is an intelligent articulate well-mannered boy with a maturity far beyond his years. In short, a sponsors dream; however, when the helmet goes on he takes no prisoners!    

As a nine year old Tom became a regular front runner, picking up trophies and that all important first win. Kart Coach is proud to have contributed to his success and has no doubt his prodigious talent will take him far."