A COUNTY DURHAM schoolboy is leading the charge as kart racing enjoys a massive surge in popularity on the back of British drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Barnard Castle School pupil Daniel Stocks has won the Warden Law winter series at his first attempt and is now gearing up for a full season in the Super One British Championship.

The 14-year-old, of Piercebridge, runs a team with his father, Martyn, who looks after their 100cc Gillard kart.

Karting venues across the country have reported unprecedented interest since Lewis Hamilton burst on the Formula One scene two seasons ago, and this year Jenson Button hit form. Club memberships are up by as much as 70 per cent.

“There’s been a noticeable increase in entries this year,”

said Mr Stocks. “The average grid now is around 30 karts.

Some of the teams are coming to the track in motorhomes.”

“Everyone has a fighting chance,” said Daniel. “That’s what I like about kart racing – it’s down to the skill of the driver.”

Daniel produced a devastating display of his talent from the moment he sat behind the wheel of a kart, winning first time out.

He’s particularly pleased to have won at Warden Law Kart Club, near Houghton le Spring, because Lewis Hamilton enjoyed success there.

His father, a former kart racer and one-time mechanic to former rallycross champion Michael Shields, said: “I knew he had something a bit special when he got into the kart and started beating me.”

Mother Nikki Wright added: “Daniel loves to race. We hope it will give him a better respect for speed when he passes his driving test. The interest in the sport right now is just amazing. We joke that we’re a bit like Only Fools and Horses with our small van parked up in the paddock alongside a huge Winnebago.”

Daniel praised his teachers at Barnard Castle School for helping his fledgling motorsport career.

“Now I’m doing the British Championship, we have to travel all over the country, and sometimes that means setting off on a Friday before lessons are over,” he said.

“Barnard Castle School has been fantastic. We reached a deal whereby I can be excused some lessons so long as I catch up before 9am Monday morning.”

That means extra out-ofhours tuition, often after a busy weekend’s racing, but that’s something Daniel is more than happy to do.

“It would be incredible if I made it to Formula One, but I’m realistic and I don’t want to miss out on my studies,” he said.

Daniel is currently looking for sponsors. For more information, contact him on 01325-710254.