A speed-demon youngster who hopes to take the karting world by storm is gearing up for another challenging season.

And seven-year-old Cleator Moor racer Bobby Peat hopes local people and businesses will give him a helping hand to take that next step as he appeals for more sponsorship.

The youngster has only been behind the wheel for about 18 months but has already come on leaps and bounds since his first track action.

Terry Peat, Bobby’s dad and mechanic, hopes to continue improving his equipment to allow his racing skills to shine but karting is an expensive sport and the family need help if they are to make Bobby’s dreams come true.

Terry said: “He started when he was five, halfway through the season, when we just took him up to Rowrah for a go.

“He looked a bit nervous at first but when he set off and started going around the track he took to it really well.

“After three or four weeks we thought we’d get him his own cheap kart set up for him.”

After more weeks of practise at the circuit, the family decided to enter Bobby for his first competitive action in 2018.

“He got progressively quicker through the year,” Terry added.

“We’ve built up better equipment over time and towards the end of the year he was getting up towards podium finishes.

“He turned six last October and we got him another kart at the start of this year.

“From there he really started picking up the pace and he’s been up against kids who have been doing it a lot longer than he has.

“He’s been battling at the front, getting heat wins, regular podium finishes and quick lap times.

“Because we’d never had the equipment we had to spend the time on track with him to make sure his driving was as good as it could be.

“Now he’s got the better equipment, his driving has really shone through.”

After finishing second in the 2019 Rowrah IKR Championship and third in the 2019 Motorsport UK Club Championship, Bobby is set to take on the Super One series next year, which is the biggest national championship for the bambino class.

The campaign will take him to 12 rounds across six different tracks, with only Rowrah being familiar to him, but Terry is confident that will not be an issue.

“He does tend to take to new tracks quite well,” he said.

“Everything is so precise with him.

“Some kids are hanging out of the kart when they’re swinging around a corner but he’s not like that.

“You only have to tell him once to do something and he’ll automatically do it.

“He also coming back and telling you how the car is feeling, what he likes or what’s wrong with it.

“He’s learning everything really quickly.”

For more information about sponsoring Bobby, visit his Facebook page at Bobby Peat Racing #BP53.