DESPITE being only six years old, Appleton go-karter Luca Narraway is looking to move up to competing at a national level, writes Nathan Okell.

The Cobbs Infant School youngster took up the sport in April this year and has taken to it like a duck to water, winning his first race in June.

Since then, he has collected a number of trophies and raced at karting tracks across the country in places such as Wales, the Lake District and Daventry.

His father Lee, an engineer and former racer, believes he has a natural ability for the sport.

“When we went on holiday and had a go on one of the racing simulator games, he could barely reach the pedals and he still managed to beat me,” he said.

“We took him to go karting in Manchester for a three-stop course, which he loved. We bought him a go-kart and he hasn’t looked back.

“He’s definitely better than I was. He’s very consistent for his age and the way he overtakes other karts is great to watch.”

Luca currently competes in the Bambino class of go-karting, which uses 50cc engines and can reach speeds of nearly 50mph.

Luca in action

However, he is looking to move up to a national level with 60cc engines more races rather than time trials.

He has competed in one national round already, finishing fifth out of 25 other racers aged between five and eight years of age and was only two tenths of a second behind third place.

Luca is sits in third place in his current league despite only entering three weeks after it had started and will be back on the track next month in the final league round.

“Luca just loves motorsports, whether that’s sat watching Formula 1 and his favourite driver, Sebastian Vettel, or beating me on racing video games,” said Lee.

“It’s great to see him take that enjoyment onto the track with him and he’s made friends through the sport from all around the country.

“He also helps me when we look at the mechanics of the karts to help him get the edge on the other racers, which is great for us to bond together and it’s good to see a young person taking an interest in engineering.”

As well as being a keen go-karter, Luca also plays junior football for Appleton, and wears the primrose and blue colours of Warrington Wolves on his helmet as he zooms around the track.

He is currently looking to attract sponsors to allow him to compete at a national level in 2019. For further information, email lnarraway@procorerec.com.