19th October 2013

Pocket rocket has appetite for speed - From the Courier Mail

LACHLAN Hughes is years away from earning his learner’s licence and already he is following in the footsteps of recently crowned Bathurst 1000 winner Mark Winterbottom.

Winterbottom, four-time V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and 2010 title winner James Courtney all were karting demons before graduating to Ford and Holden muscle cars, and Hughes is in line to follow suit.

Winterbottom, four-time V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and 2010 title winner James Courtney all were karting demons before graduating to Ford and Holden muscle cars, and Hughes is in line to follow suit.

The 11-year-old is already a state champion and has a thirst for speed that could one day place him in competition against the world’s best racers.

“I love to drive, and the thrill of the race andkarting is the only thing that can give me that,” The Southport School student said.

Hughes, whose idols include the late Ayrton Senna and F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, is demonstrating the sort of potential that could attract scouts from the major categories.

The Gold Coast youngster recently won the Queensland Closed State Championships and is set to compete in America next year at the SuperNationals in Las Vegas.

He discovered a passion, and a knack, for the sport three years ago while on a family holiday in Phuket.

Although the hire karts were a little slow for his tastes, Hughes pestered his parents to take him back to the track every day of their trip.

He will be one of 32 drivers between the ages of seven and 11 competing at the Race of Stars at Pimpama today.

In his category, Hughes and his rival drivers can reach speeds up to 80km/h, but the emphasis is on teaching the drivers about car control and safe driving techniques before they are old enough to obtain their road licence.

Race of Stars has attracted more than 150 of the best young karters in Australia and New Zealand, with some of the older drivers reaching speeds of more than 135km/h.