Go-karting champ knew sport was for him aged six

James Grant/BBC Jacob Kent in a green t-shirt and cap holds a trophy aloft next to a go-kart race track.James Grant/BBC
Ten-year-old go-karting champion Jacob Kent has aspirations of becoming a Formula 1 racer

A 10-year-old championship winning go-karter said he knew the sport was for him "as soon as [he] got in the kart" for the first time.

Jacob Kent, from Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, has "loved" racing ever since he took up the sport aged six and recently won the 2024 Daytona Inkart Cadet Championship.

He is now leading the Daniel Riccardo Series, which sees competitors aged between eight and 12 travel all over the country to race in karts that go up to 60mph (97km/h).

Jacob said his success on the track was "not normal" for someone his age.

Nathan Kent Jacob Kent in a green racing suit sits in a blue go-kart with his thumbs upNathan Kent
Jacob Kent regularly drives at 60mph (97km/h) during races, something his dad Nathan initially struggled to get used to

The move into the sport did not come as a surprise to Jacob's father Nathan, who said he recognised his son was an "adrenaline junkie" at a young age.

After racing for about a year, Mr Kent said Jacob started making "significant" progress on the circuits.

"It's quite a daunting sport to watch, especially when your child is doing speeds, you don't want to," he said.

"It can be scary, but you relax into it."

Following his early go-karting success, Jacob said he had set his sights on getting into Formula 1.

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