Kart race ace William signs up to be X-man
A14-YEAR-OLD aspiring racing driver trained in Rochdale has signed to race with a newly formed racing team.
William Young, from Rossendale, signed for Team X-Kart in November, a new team formed to race in the Italian ‘TB Kart’ go-kart, recently rebranded as X-Kart and introduced in the UK.
William, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 10, discovered a love for motorsport after his father worked with F1 commentator James Allen.
He soon developed a strong interest in motorsport and tried out karting at TeamKarting in Rochdale. After almost two years of karting, William was bought his own kart and it has become his focus and passion.
William was asked by X-Kart founder and owner of Rochdale’s TeamKarting, Matty Street, to test out the X-Kart in September 2020 and was later offered a place in the team.
This year, he’ll race for Team X-Kart in the Junior Kart Championship and Whilton Mill Championship.
William’s father Pete said: “William’s autism meant he was facing a few challenges socially, but karting has completely changed his life.
“He has a natural flair for racing and it’s massively helped his confidence. He has a close group of friends which continues to grow and has a wonderful role model in Matty, who also lives with autism.”
Having raced at local championships at both Hooten Park and Teeside, William, who is currently in Year 9 at Haslingden High School, entered the National Karting Championships at the start of 2020, competing at some of the UK’s leading tracks including GYG (North Wales), Llandow (South Wales), Whilton Mill and Llyd (Kent) competing on the national stage.
He finished third in the Teeside Sprint Series last year, improving on his fourth-place finish at the National kart Cup event at Fullbeck.
In addition, William drives with the Team Brit karting setup, supporting on team events and in races such as the Daytona 24h race in Milton Keynes. He is working on a threeyear plan to enter the European karting championships.
Pete added: “He’s progressed hugely in the last year and is keeping up with others on the track who are far more experienced. Lockdown has been tough with karting postponed – he lives and breathes racing, so we hope that soon we can get back to some serious racing and see just what William can achieve on the track.”