A 13-year-old boy from Northampton has been crowned the British junior champion of minimoto racing after only two years in the sport.
Adam Hartgrove, from St Crispin, in Duston, became the Bristish Junior B Champion of FAB-racing in September, after winning all eight heats in 2012.
The Duston School pupil has been taking part in FAB-racing, the home of minimoto and miniGP racing, for the last two years and will hold his title until September this year, when a new winner will be decided.
His dad, Shaun Hartgrove, aged 39, said: “2012 was the first year Adam had completed a full season and it was incredible to see him win it.
“We started racing minimotos as father and son for a bit of fun. Adam has always been interested in bikes and likes watching the Moto GP on TV.
“When we started racing we realised that he had a talent for it and he worked towards taking part in the championship.
“I am really proud of him.”
Adam, who races as part of the LRJ Racing Group, takes part in competitions across the country, including in Wales, Cumbria and Devon, as well as locally at Whilton Mill near Daventry.
He won all eight championship heats in 2012 and competed in Wales in September to take the title.
Adam will this year compete in the miniGP championship, which takes place on larger karting tracks.
Mr Hartgrove said: “It’s a stepping stone towards something bigger. He wants to progress through the ranks and see how well he can do.
“I encourage him to have a go. I am very happy for him and he is very happy.”
Minimoto racing involves riding miniature motorcycles around karting tracks and it is a popular sport in Japan and Europe.
A typical minimoto is around a fourth of the size of a regular motorcycle and Adam currently competes using a GRC-RR 4.2 air-cooled minimoto bike.
When he moves onto mini GP racing later this year he will use the same bike but with a bigger engine.
He came third this year in the British Championships’ Junior Production Class in the MiniGP contest.
Current celebrity record holders in the minimoto world include racing drivers Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri.
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