Many of us have dreams but for one reason or other don’t follow them through – that can’t be said of Teddy Wilson who is on track to realise his ambition of becoming an racing driver.
He’s only 14, but Teddy has already won a string titles and is the current Super One MSA British IAME Cadet karting champion – the title his own racing hero Lewis Hamilton won back in 1996.
Now Teddy – who splits his time between Whaplode St Catherine and South Luffenham, Rutland – is currently enjoying his first season competing in Europe with team Strakka Racing Bhai Tech in the KF Junior category for drivers aged 12 to 15.
“It’s going really well so far,” says Teddy, whose passion for racing began when he was just six.
“I was placed third in my first main final in Portugal, then fifth in the second, but I crashed out of the third when my kart was clipped and I ended up spinning across the track.
“I’m away every couple of weeks; so far this year I’ve raced in Italy, Portugal, Sweden – mainly four-day events, although I come out for testing a couple of days before, which makes each meet around six days.”
Teddy’s passion for racing first began when his dad Andrew took him karting while they lived in France.
“My dad used to race when I was young. He got me a kart when I was seven and we’d just got to the local track and I really enjoyed it,” he recalls.
“I always knew I wanted to do racing; the first time I got in a car I really liked the speed, the adrenaline – everything! And it just grew from there.
“When we moved back to England you have to get a licence and I passed my test when I was eight. I was going every weekend that I could. I’d go to all kinds of competitions all around the country and it got to the stage I was winning everything and I started moving up the levels.”
Next on the agenda for Teddy, a pupil at Uppingham Community College, is the World Championships in Italy next month – where he will be hitting speeds of up to 85mph on the track and working with new management.
The teenager is also keen to secure more sponsorship to help keep him racing; it currently costs 400,000 euros to compete each season, much of which comes from his family and through sponsorship and support from companies including Moore Thompson Accountants, Liquid Colour Designs and Total Kart Shop.
“I’ve got some great sponsors, but I still need some more to help get me to races. I’ve gone out to race in Europe as there are more classes to compete in there, and it’s great that there’s interest from backers in Italy, but it would be fantastic to get some more English sponsors too,” Teddy adds.
“I don’t have a back-up career in mind. I don’t really want to think about anything else. I want to be a paid racing driver – and my goal is Formula One.”
To find out more about Teddy’s racing exploits or to contact him visit www.teddywilsonracing.co.uk