CHARLES Green has his eye firmly on the chequered flag as he prepares for the first round of the British Kart Racing Championships.

The 11 year old from Liskeard will be lining up next month as one of the youngest in his class, but one with a drive and talent that could be hard to match.

His achievements pre-pandemic include coming first in the Forest Edge Kart Championship and second in the Clay Pigeon Club Kart Championship in the Honda Cadet Class, for drivers between the ages of eight and 13, all in his first year of licensed racing.

“Before you can do licensed driving you have to do an ARKS test – it shows that you understand the rules,” explains Charles’ dad, Andrew.

“We took him to the Mansell Raceway to do his test on a Saturday in February 2019, and his very first race was the Sunday – he went right in at the deep end. He was regularly on the podium all through his first year.”

Charles was noticed by Kart Manufacturer, Zipkart, who have sponsored him with a brand new 2020 model kart for the last year.

Others, including the clerk of the course, Alan Bryant at Clay Pigeon Raceway, have been struck by Charles’ ability and say they’ll be keeping a close eye on his progress.

Covid called a halt to competition, and as the Green family began thinking ahead to the 2021 season, they decided that Charles would move up a category to the Rotax MiniMax Class. He’ll be one of the youngest in his class of 11-15 year olds and driving a much more powerful kart.

“He’s basically in an adult-sized kart and they go a lot quicker, up to 70mph,” said Andrew.

“We decided to go for it and enter the British Championships, but because of Covid, he’s only been in the kart a handful of times.”

First round of the championship will take place at the Clay Pigeon Raceway in Dorset from May 21-23. For the second round, Charles will travel to the Mansell Raceway at Dunkeswell in Devon, and subsequent rounds will be held in Northamptonshire, Sunderland and Lincolnshire.

The long journeys are just one aspect of the commitment and teamwork needed when you have a youngster in competitive racing, Andrew explains.

“We’ve had to buy a van that I’ve converted. I’m an electrician, and I’ve had to learn to mechanic – and my wife Susan, who’s a Teaching Assistant, has become a Motorsport UK Timekeeper!

“Our daughter Olivia, who turned 14 recently, gave up her birthday weekend so Charles could get out practising. And she’s designing his new helmet.”

Charles, who was diagnosed with autism at three and a half, has been fascinated by vehicles and movement since a very early age, says his dad.

“When Charles was very young, he didn’t speak – he didn’t really say anything until he was about five years old.”

His parents credit how far Charles has progressed dealing with his autism to Sir Robert Geffreys Primary School in Landrake, and in particular to the teaching assistant assigned to him, Carolyne Pierce-Jones, who still follows Charles’ progress closely now.

He’d always had a fascination with wheels, and played a lot with trains and cars.

“He lives and breathes motorsport,” Andrew continues.

“You can show him a photo of a F1 car on the track and he will tell you where the race was, who was driving and what position they finished, and the winner on the day.”

Charles first got behind the wheel when the family moved back to the mainland in 2018 after a spell living on the Isles of Scilly .

“One of the first things Charles wanted to do was to go karting, so we took him to the indoor track in Plymouth. We started taking him on a Monday evening and pretty much straight away we realised he was quite good. We began looking into licensed racing, and we bought a secondhand kart and engine.”

The youngster is now part of the Xcel Motorsport team run by Simon and Matt Duffett, and has made some wonderful new friends through karting.

There are around 20-30 young drivers in each category so you get to know each other well, his dad explains.

“Even though they’re fiercely competitive on the track, they get on brilliantly off it.

“Liskeard School and Community College have also been very supportive in accommodating the competition schedule.”

Charles and his family would love to hear from any local companies who might be interested in sponsoring him: get in touch with Andrew Green at [email protected]