James, 13, wins major karting scholarship worth £25K

James Kell, 13, a pupil at St Wilfred’s Catholic High School, was named the winner in a national competition to find the most promising aspiring kart racer.

Owner of X-Kart, Matty Street, teamed up with Team HARD Racing to run a ‘first of its kind’ talent scouting contest, to find a new racing star who would be offered an incredible prize.

James was one of 85 entrants who took the chance to clock the fastest lap possible at TeamKarting in Rochdale.

The 30 fastest drivers went on to stage two at Whilton Mill, where they were judged on factors including lap times, kart control and race craft.

After a tough contest, James was named the winner and will receive a fully-funded season in the 2023 Junior Kart Championship, including tyres, fuel and driver support, a prize fund worth £25,000.

James first started karting aged 10 and his natural talent led to his parents buying him his own kart.James said: “I set my lap times and was over the moon to qualify for stage 2 . The day itself was a real money-can't-buy experience and gave me an insight into the world of motorsport that I’d never have been offered elsewhere.“Getting through to the final 12 and having the opportunity of driving the X-Kart was a dream come true. I never expected to win as there were faster drivers on track. I was in complete shock when we were told I was the winner. I’m so excited about what the next 12 months has in store.”X-Kart owner Matty Street said; “I’m so pleased for James – he put in an incredible amount of effort across the two stages and is a very deserving winner. He wasn’t the most experienced racer across the entrants, but we were all impressed by his level of focus, the way he took on information and instruction, and his clear passion for racing.

“I’m really looking forward to working with him next year and seeing him progress throughout the season.”