Dearham 17-year-old Josh Skelton has been racing cars since he was 11, learning the ropes at Rowrah after getting his early adrenaline fix in motocross.
Skelton’s natural talent shone through and the youngster picked up both the NKF and Rowrah Club Championships in 2012, earning him a shot at national and European competitions.
His debut season in the F4 British Championship this year has taken him and his Mygale M14–F4 Ford EcoBoost car to famous tracks like Brands Hatch, Donington, Thruxton, Croft, Snetterton and Silverstone and, racing for the JHR Developments team, he sits 10th in the overall standings and has amassed 83 points with one round left.
Skelton said: “I’ve done all right, learned a lot about the cars because it’s so different to karting.
“It’s been really good; every track has something different about it which I’ve really enjoyed. It’s a lot quicker than the karting.
“The first time I got into the car I felt like I definitely wanted to do this.
“JHR have been really helpful and the last couple of months we’ve had a simulator built in the workshop so we’ve been able to go down for the last two rounds and I can try out the tracks.”
With the help of a personal trainer Skelton spends eight to 10 hours a week working on his fitness as he looks to give himself the best chance of making it in a ruthless, competitive sport.
While the glamour and glory of Formula One racing is the dream, the young driver accepts that a place among the elite is unlikely without a miracle sponsor coming forward. Instead he has set his sights on GT racing, which he sees as a better route into a career in motorsport.
Skelton hopes to travel to Donington soon to speak to F3 and GT teams to gauge interest for next season.
“We’re starting to look now at next year and what options there would be,” he said. “We’re looking for sponsors and ideally I’d like to go into Formula Three.
“It depends on if we get any help with sponsorship.”
Skelton has been offered a chance to do the last round of this year’s F3 championship in mid-October but would need sponsorship to make that possible.
For more information about sponsorship, email j.skelton3@ sky.com or visit www.joshskelton racing.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here