LATESTNEWS

TWO TOP 10'S FOR HORNBY

22nd May 2017

It was yet another eventful outing for Kyle Hornby in the Renault UK Clio Cup at Oulton Park, but following more improvements the Stockport racer left his 'home' track with a Graduate Cup win in the second Race of the weekend.

 

Qualifying in the wet for the first time at the wheel of his PKW Properties sponsored Clio Renault Sport, Hornby, from Hazel Grove, placed his car disappointingly 15th and 17th on the grid for the double-header at the Cheshire track.

 

As the nineteen car grid set off on the opening lap, Hornby stayed out of the ensuing trouble ahead, benefitting by no less than six places. The Hazel Grove youngster holding off race winner James Dorlin, despite being hampered by damaged suspension, until lap six. Kyle eventually bring his Ryley Wealth Management backed Clio home on lap twelve, in tenth place overall.

 

A much shortened affair for Race Two, following an incident involving Dorlin and Nathan Harrison, at Oulton's first corner, Old Hall, meant the red-flags flew so that Marshals and Circuit staff could repair the barriers and clear debris.

 

After a lengthy delay, they got underway once more, Hornby promoted to eleventh from fifteenth after just one tour. One lap later and with Kyle chasing down Luke Reade, the red-flags flew once more, this time it was Jack McCarthy who had rolled at the fast Druids corner. The result provisionally handed Kyle second in the Graduate Cup, behind Shayne Deegan, and ninth overall.

 

Later on that evening the Stewards chose to exclude Deegan for his part in the Druids incident, handing Hornby his first Graduate Cup win in the UK Clio Cup.

 

Hornby cited steady progress as the recipe of hi season so far; "Constant improvements, learning as I race, each round is getting better and better. We're constantly aiming for top-ten, and we got two top-ten finishes. And to top it off we got the Graduates Cup too.

 

"I'm still learning how the car feels and it's also my first time in the wet in Qualifying. It's probably the best weekend for experience in different weather conditions, I'm starting to get used to the warming up of the car and the tyres at the start, and also my starts as I've not been great off the line".

 

Commenting on some hairy moments in each of the two Races, Slater Gordon backed Kyle explained; "I only just missed Jade [Edwards] at the start down in to Cascades [in Race One] as she shot across the front of me. I just managed to miss Dorlin going off at the beginning of Race Two, then McCarthy rolled in front of me.

 

"Overall, very happy with the weekend, good points, kept it on the track, the learning process has progressed so hope for an even better at the next round".

 

The Renault UK Clio Cup continues as they head to Croft in North Yorkshire on the 10/11 June.

LATESTNEWS

EVENTFUL OUTING FOR HORNBY

8th May 2017

It was a visit to the quickest track on the calendar for Stockport's Kyle Hornby, as the Renault UK Clio Cup visited Thruxton for the latest Rounds of the 2017 Championship.

Hornby, in his first season behind the wheel of his 20Ten by Pyro, Renault Clio, setting eighteenth and twenty-first fastest times for the Series' two Races at the Hampshire track. With average lap speeds just a little under 100mph.

 

Under sunny skies, and in front of a bumper crowd, Kyle, a former Poynton High School student , made a great start to Race One, claiming three places on the opening lap, and despite losing a spot a lap later to Myles Collins, Hornby grabbed the place back two laps later, from Collins.

 

Two laps later Hornby was back down to sixteenth, but wasted no time nicking two places a lap later from both Collins and Luke Reade, leaving him in fourteenth spot. The Hazel Grove youngster would hold on until the flag, as the pack behind battled for places, crossing the line just seven-tenths of a second ahead of Lucas Orrock [who was back following his huge roll at Donington Park last time out] after twelve laps. Up front it was left to Pyro's Mike Bushell to win, having taken pole, and a new lap record too, incidentally the fastest UK Clio Cup Race speed, ever.

 

A much reduced-distance second Race was red-flagged just two corners in , as a multi-car accident at Thruxton's Allard series of curves, caused  the contest to be stopped to recover the cars. Hornby taking avoiding action to make his way around the ensuing incident.

 

With just ten minutes on the clock, there would only be time for a six lap dash to the flag, Hornby climbing to fifteenth early on left it late, clinching two places on the final lap of the encounter, crossing the line in thirteenth place, this time just seven-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Oliver Pidgley - Kyle was subsequently promoted to twelfth position, with Reade given a thirty second penalty for jumping the Race start.

 

This time is was James Dorlin taking the Race win, nicking it as from Bushell as they crossed the line, by 67-thousandths of a second, again illustrating the closeness of the UK Clio Cup.

 

Next time out Hornby moves on to his 'home' track of Oulton Park, in Cheshire, for Rounds 7&8 of the 2017 Series on the 20/21 May.

LATESTNEWS

Improving Hornby on track at Donington

18th April 2017

Kyle Hornby's learning curve continued as the Renault UK Clio Cup continued at Donington Park at the weekend. The Stockport youngster claiming a brace of 11th place finishes of the Championship's bumper 25-car grid.

 

Hornby, from Hazel Grove, set solid times in Qualifying, just 0.7secs off the Pole lap of Dan Zelos and Lee Pattison, but the closeness of the Renault Clio grid left Kyle in an unsympathetic 18th and 16th placed grid slots for Rounds 3&4 of the 2017 Series. Noticeably the top 19 cars were all within one second of one another around the 1.9mile National layout.

 

A huge accident involving Lucas Orrock around Donington's turn two, Hollywood, saw the Race red-flagged immediately, with seven cars unable to make the restart. Kyle, an onlooker to the whole incident, took evasive action to avoid the ensuing  mayhem, and made the restart unscathed.

 

Hornby was twelfth after the first lap of the restarted Race, shortened to seven laps because of the delay tidying up, and despite dropping briefly back to 14th the former Poynton High School pupil climbed to 11th place at the flag, the Race won overall by Max Coates.

 

In the second encounter at the Leicestershire track, Kyle quickly climbed to 12th, while the Race was interrupted by a Safety Car period to recover the cars of Ollie Pidgley and James Colburn, during which the rain had started to fall, and with the entire field on slicks it was an eventful restart on a wet track. The red flags flew just a lap later when the front two collided with each other, Paul Rivett locked up and slid in to team mate Lee Pattison, leaving erstwhile Race leader Pattison stranded in the gravel, Hornby promoted to 11th as the Race was declared a result.

 

Kyle now sits 14th in the Championship standings, on twenty-five points, while the Series next heads to Thruxton in Hampshire on the 6/7 May, for rounds 5&6 of the 2017 Championship.

LATESTNEWS

STEEP LEARNING CURVE FOR HORNBY AS HE MAKES HIS RENAULT UK CLIO CUP DEBUT

3rd April 2017

It was a steep learning curve at Brands Hatch, in Kent, for Kyle Hornby. As the Stockport youngster got to grips with his Renault Clio in his first event of the season in the Renault UK Clio Cup.

 

Hornby, from Hazel Grove, is taking on the UK Clio Cup after several years in the Ginetta Junior category, and with limited track time is learning the ropes in amongst some experienced hands, whilst the British Touring Car Championship supporting series also screens on ITV4, he's also got the world watching as he gets the hang of his new motor.

 

Free Practice went well for Kyle, experiencing new rubber for the first time, setting a time just one second off the lap of experienced teammate, Mike Bushell. Hornby then going faster still in the second Free Practice, and narrowing the gap to Bushell, who was once again fastest.

 

Sitting ninth half way through Qualifying Kyle pitted for front tyres, but the former Poynton High School student struggled to get heat in the new rubber, and as everyone else went quicker it was more a case of conservation, as he parked it up, just eight-tenths of a second of pole-position, but down in 18th place on the incredibly competitive grid of twenty-two cars.

 

The weather was also to play it's part in Hornby's Clio Cup education, as the Heaven's opened as they lined up for Race One, and with Kyle's Clio set up for dry conditions it was more a case of 'keeping in on the track' and 'learning', eventually finishing 16th at the chequered flag.

 

Race two, on Sunday, was dry, sunny and played out in front of a huge Brands Hatch crowd.

 

Changing the Clio's set-up, Hornby climbed quickly to 12th place, but it was to be short lived. On cold tyres the rear end 'snapped away' leaving Kyle spinning in to the Paddock Hill gravel trap, and out of the Race.

 

"I'm not too disappointed" admitted Kyle after the Race. "It would've been nice to get a result, but I'm learning all the time. There's been so much to get used to. I'd done no testing in the wet, the tyres, everything's so different. I'm still really inexperienced in Clio's, while the guys at the front have loads of experience".

 

Kyle is back in action in two weeks time at Donington Park, Leicestershire, on 15-16th April.

LATESTNEWS

Hornby looking forward to “getting stuck in” during debut Renault UK Clio Cup season

22nd March 2017

Kyle Hornby believes the Renault UK Clio Cup’s close bumper-to-bumper style of racing will suit his driving style when he contests the championship for the first time in 2017.

 

ent (Sat 1/Sun 2 April).

 

All 18 races on this year’s UK Clio Cup calendar will take place at the British Touring Car Championship’s high profile events – guaranteeing huge trackside crowds (avg. 38,000-plus in 2016) as well as live free-to-air television coverage on ITV4 for its teams, driver and sponsors.

 

Hornby’s car will be prepared jointly by multiple title-winning squad Team Pyro and fellow UK Clio Cup outfit 20Ten Racing and be backed by Slater Gordon, PKW Properties and Ryley Wealth Management.

 

The Stockport racer commented: “The action in the UK Clio Cup is very similar to that in the BTCC and that’s the type of racing I like – it’s always close whereas the other categories tend to get spread out a bit.

 

“My style is to get stuck in and I certainly don’t mind other cars being close to me on the track. The UK Clio Cup cars are also much more developed and more towards a touring car – it makes it very attractive for a young driver.”

 

Hornby will have to learn quickly however – after two seasons in rear-wheel-drive Ginetta Juniors on road tyres he’s suddenly moving to a much faster, front-wheel-drive car which uses slick Michelin racing rubber.

 

But he added: “The Brands Hatch Indy circuit, which we’ll be racing on, tends to bunch things up even more so, even if you’re not quite on the ultimate pace there, it’s still possible to get a result.

 

“I’d really like to get some top ten results in my first year but I’m under no illusions – this is a massively competitive championship and history shows that it takes two to three years to get right to the top.”

 

Mark Hunt, Principal of Leicester-based Team Pyro, said: “Kyle has immediately fitted right in with our team – a really impressive young character. The fact he likes his racing to be close is what we want to hear because that is exactly what he is going to get in Clios!”

 

Renault Sport’s UK Motorsport Championship Manager Will Fewkes stated: “We very much welcome Kyle to the UK Clio Cup grid – he is another of the very promising young talents to be drawn to the championship’s competitive nature and huge levels of exposure and we wish him well in his debut season.”

LATESTNEWS

Highs & Lows for REIS Motorsport Insured / RWM Backed Hornby at Silverstone

20th September 2016

Totally Motorsport’s Junior Academy driver Kyle Hornby experienced some success in his REIS Motorsport Insurance / RWM  JHR Motorsport Ginetta Junior at  Silverstone.  Practice on Thursday and Friday went well and Kyle was happy with his car and set up apart from the usual lack of pace from his engine which meant slipstreaming was proving difficult. Qualifying was average due to the engine problem which  meant he could only manage 12th.

 

As usual Kyle made a good start in race 1 on the Saturday and immediately moved up the field to end up 9th. Finishing position in race 1 placed him 9th on the grid for race 2, another good start  saw Kyle catapult up to 7th and eventually moved up one more place to finish 6th along with second fastest lap of the race..

 

On Sunday with Hornby on P6, we were hoping for a podium finish and even though Kyle made a good start and held 6th for most of the race with the leading bunch, he was ‘attacked’ by Harper  which sent him wide and dropped to 8th. An incident at Lufield caused the safety car to come out and another incident caused by our Harper friend resulted in  the race being red flagged and was not restarted. As far as we are aware, Kyle ended up 8th but may have been moved up to 6th due to several drivers being summoned to the stewards after the race and appeals being submitted by teams and drivers.

 

After all that a solid weekend inside the to 10 in all three races.

LATESTNEWS

REIS Motorsport Insurance / RWM backed Hornby out of luck again

1st September 2016

Totally Motorsport’s Junior Academy driver Kyle Hornby was quick in mid week testing posting third  fastest time but qualifying for race 1 he could only manage 12th due to the illusive important slip stream Ginettas rely so heavily on. His JHR car was also not has he would have liked with too much understeer but this should be all dialed out for the race.

 

Hornby made one of his demon starts off the grid and was up with the fighting pack by turn two only to be pushed wide and knocked off wide, but Kyle held it well and was soon back up to 9th and by the end of race one had secured another position ending up 8th which is where he would start for race 2.

 

Race 2 he made another great start and again was with the leading bunch this time again he was pushed wide by his nemesis Dave Wooder  and then Harper which forced him in to a spin which dropped him to the back of the field. Never to give up Kyle fought back and eventually ended up 12th

 

Race 3 on the Sunday meant he had to start in his finishing position which ironically was where he started the weekend 12th. So again Kyle put the rest of the grid to shame with his catapult start and again was mixing with the leaders and again was back in the wars and coming off worst when on the last lap he was attacked by five cars. With so much damage being incurred by others during the weekend Kyle decided to adopt a damage limitation approach and finish the race in a lowly 14th but with a car in one piece!

 

LATESTNEWS

HORNBY BACK ON FORM

1st August 2016

Totally Motorsport’s Junior Academy driver Kyle Hornby had a much better weekend at Snetterton in his JHR Motorsport Ginetta Junior. After enduring so many car issues and problems for most of the season it was refreshing to see Kyle back on the pace again. Although gremlins set in again for qualifying on Saturday morning with a broken propshaft, Kyle managed to secure 13th position after a handful of laps.

 

Kyle made a fabulous start in race 1 taking five places by turn 1 and was soon hunting down the others in his REIS Motorsport Insurance / Ryley Wealth Management Ginetta. With the Snetterton 300 circuit being so long and a race duration of only 7 laps, Kyle had his work cut out. By lap 6 Kyle was fighting for 8th position and at Agostini he saw his opportunity and dived down the inside not only taking one but two cars to elevate himself to a credible 6th place which he held to the flag.

 

Race 2 meant he would start in 6th position and another good start saw him move up the field and it wasn’t long before the charging Hornby was fighting for second. By lap two Kyle was in second but leader Harper decided to attempt to end Kyle’s charge by forcing him wide which meant he slipped down the field to 7th. His car was still good though and it wasn’t long before Hornby was fighting again with the leading pack and finished fifth with Harper later being penalized by the stewards for his over ambitious move on Kyle. “A much better weekend with few mechanical issues to be challenging for the lead again felt great but the frustration of being fired off by anyone when you’re in that position is frustrating to say the least!” said Hornby after the race. At least I could bring my car back unscathed for my sponsors Ryley Wealth Management, REIS Motorsport Insurance and Nurishment Active for a change!”

 

LATESTNEWS

More bad luck for RWM backed Hornby at Croft

20th June 2016

Totally Motorsport’s Junior Academy driver Kyle Hornby had another miserable weekend in his Ryley Wealth Management JHR Motorsport Ginetta Junior. Practice on Friday went well and Kyle was confident with his car and set up for qualifying on Saturday. Unfortunately, qualifying didn’t go according to plan due to lack of opportunity to gain a ‘tow’ from others which  meant he could only manage 11th. Also the new tyres didn’t seem to suit the set up so more work had to be done.

 

As usual Kyle made a good start in race 1 on the Saturday and immediately moved up to 9th which he held until the flag. Finishing position in race 1 placed him 9th on the grid for race 2, another good start  and eventually moved up one more place to finish 8th.

 

On Sunday with Hornby on P8 and his team mate Roberts on P16 due to his spin in race 2 meant that Hornby was in good shape to lead the junior academy team for the final race of the weekend. This would not happen and even though Hornby’s start was text book quality a push from behind in to turn 1 meant Kyle would be in the gravel trap to end his day.

 

Next race – July 30th/31st

LATESTNEWS

Tales of Woe for RWM backed Hornby at Oulton

6th June 2016

Totally Motorsport’s Junior Academy drivers Cameron Roberts and Kyle Hornby both had a miserable weekend in their JHR Motorsport Ginetta Juniors. Qualifying on Saturday worked well for Hornby who ended up in 6th position on the grid.

 

Kyle made a good start in race 1 on the Saturday but was squeezed out on lap 1 and dropped down to 11th. He then managed to make up 4 places during the race to finish a credible 7th to score some valuable points.

 

On Sunday with Hornby on P7 and Roberts on P22 due to his failure to finish in race 1 the previous day both drivers were looking forward to a good race in the glorious sunshine and a capacity crowd. Unfortunately this would not be the case for both drivers. Kyle made a good start and was battling with several drivers in the leading pack, only to be T boned by Harper on lap 4 which wiped him out on the spot. The safety car was deployed as a result of the Harper/Hornby incident. Race 2 was concluded under the safety car leaving Kyle out of the points and with considerable damage!

 

LATESTNEWS

12TH TO 7TH FOR HORNBY AT THRUXTON

9th May 2016

Totally Motorsport’s Junior Academy driver Kyle Hornby had another mixed weekend at Thruxton in his JHR Motorsport Ginetta Junior. Qualifying on Saturday worked well as he used his team mate to gain valuable time with slip streaming. Kyle’s last lap would have been his fastest but the chequered flag was already out. However Kyle was on pole with five minutes to go but managed 4th on the grid as the flag came down.

 

Kyle made a fabulous start in race 1 and by turn two was going for the lead but then disaster struck when his teammate Seb Perez clipped his rear corner and sent Kyle in to a wild spin in the middle of the track and miraculously managed not be collected by the rest of the pack. Kyle restarted in last position and throughout the race picked off one after another until the chequered flag and finished 12th which is where he would start for race 2.

 

Again Kyle made a superb start for race 2 and with some great calculated race craft, he managed to catch the leading pack,  but again the chequered flag came out before he could do battle leaving him in 7th position to score valuable points.

 

Next race June 4th/5th Oulton Park

 

LATESTNEWS

FRUSTRATIONS AT DONINGTON FOR HORNBY

18th April 2016

After a disappointing First race weekend Kyle Hornby was sure to try and make an impression at Donington Park. In Friday practice Hornby was quite far down the order due to power issues. On the positive side it was raining in practice, Hornby showed really strong pace placing his car into the top 5. After practice it was found that a wire had snapped on the engine draining the power and explaining the problem.

 

Onto qualifying and Hornby straightaway put in a quick lap placing high up the order. Through out qualifying Kyle kept the pace on and went quicker and quicker through out pushing hard in the damp conditions. Going onto the lap last of qualifying Hornby was on a fast lap which would place him in the top 3, as he approached the final corner a car slowed down and blocked the lap slowing Kyle down coming out of the corner meaning the young racer couldn’t improve on his time.

 

Hornby lined up on the start line in 8th place. As the lights went out Hornby made a great start and on the first lap got up to 6th place before the safety car came out. As the safety cas came out Hornby found himself dicing for the top 6 in the front pack when the rain started to fall. Kyle kept his cool and had plenty of confidence, as he knew he had a good pace in the wet conditions. 3 laps before the end at coppice corner Kyle makes a huge cut back on the wider gripper outside part of the track to take 3 positions and put himself up to 3rd place. As the gaggle of cars headed down to the final corner along side each other Kyle kept his position until he got knocked sideways and onto the grass losing him places on the exit, which dropped him down to 11th place. On the last lap Kyle showed his determination to not give up carving his way back up to 8th before crossing the line.

 

For race two, the last race of the day on Saturday Kyle was placed 8th on the outside of the grid. At the start he shot off the line and made up two places taking him up to 6th position. As Kyle approached coppice corner he turned in a,got a large amount of contact in the side/ rear corner taking him round and off the circuit. Hornby got back on the circuit miles behind however he put his foot down and found him self-3 places finishing the race in 15th.

 

Sunday lunchtime and crowds stood at the fences ready for the start of the televised Race 3 of the Ginetta juniors. Kyle Hornby made a great start to the reaction of the lights and went to make a move into the first corner going round the outside. On the Exit of the corner Kyle got knocked dropping him some places however for the rest of the opening lap he regained momentum and started to come through the field. Hornby got up to 11th place and found that the pace in the car had suddenly slowed down and he knew he was going to have a fight on his hands to try and retain 11th place. For the last 3 laps Hornby stuck to the inside white line of the circuit and defended a 6-car train behind him. He managed to just hang on from the contact he was getting form behind, brought the car home in 11th position.

 

Kyle thought after the race “ I am a bit frustrated however pleased with the way I drove. I did a great job to keep the train of cars behind me towards the end however I think many more positions could have been made if I had the pace in the car. We will be going back to the workshop making many improves for the next race weekend hopefully to put on a good show.

LATESTNEWS

UNFORTUNATE LUCK AT BRANDS HATCH

4th April 2016

The Ginetta Juniors arrived at Brands Hatch for the first race weekend. Kyle Hornby showed real strong pace in practice taking 4th and only 2 tenths of a second off.

 

Saturday morning came and Hornby had Strong expectations going into qualifying. Qualifying got underway and Kyle grabbed himself a good lap early putting him p4. As the session went on Hornby seemed to drop down the order and couldn’t get a better time in before the session finished, this left him down in 15th place. It seemed that the tyre pressures were wrong on Kyle car, which meant that later on in the session the car had overheated losing him grip.

 

Race One was later in the day and it was going to be a tough challenge for Hornby to try and make his way through the field. Kyle was extremely good off the mark gaining two positions off the line and into the first corner. Round the first lap and for the rest of the race Hornby was on a mission making up as many places as possible, he was carving through the field of cars. As he came to cross the line to finish the race he was 9th place.

 

Kyle Hornby started race two on Sunday morning from 9th spot. The race got underway live on ITV 4 and as the juniors got away Kyle made a great start maintaining his position into Paddock Hill and up to Druids Corner. Onto the second lap and Hornby was dicing for position in the front group of car in the race. On about lap 4 Kyle seemed to be struggling with the car and lost the front pack of cars, through out till the end of the race Hornby pace had gone and he ended up trying to fight for his position  till the chequered flag where he finished 10th.

 

Kyle Hornby said afterwards “ A really disappointing weekend for me only just taking two top 10’s. I have really struggled with the car this weekend, however I am sure I will be Back Twice as strong at the next round, Donington Park.

 

LATESTNEWS

STOCKPORT WELL REPRESENTED AT AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL 2016

19th January 2016

At the Autosport Show Kyle Hornby was with his new Partners for the 2016 season, Ryley Wealth Management who were showcasing Kyle's Ginetta G40 that he will race in the 2016 Ginetta Junior Championship. In what will be Kyle’s second and final year in the Series, Stockport racer Hornby has high hopes for the year ahead.

 

"I think I’ve found another bunch of great lads who can hopefully lead me to the title this year, I’ll be pushing harder and harder than ever to try and win it, so hopefully the season will go my way” explained Kyle. “I think I learned a lot last season and I can put that in to practice during 2016"

 

Kyle was proud to be welcomed as VIP guest at the Williams F1 stand, where he met up with Felipe Massa before taking a guided tour. Kyle also had the opportunity to meet up with Nick Hamilton who came along for a quick chat!

LATESTNEWS

PODIUM ROOKIE AT GINETTA JUNIOR FINALE

16th October 2015

The final race weekend for the Ginetta Juniors came to the famous Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. Kyle Hornby went into the race weekend fighting for the top 3 in the rookie championship and top 10 in the main championship.

 

Kyle was not expecting to be into the top 10 in practice on Friday as he had never been to the Grand Prix circuit before. However to everyone’s surprise Hornby put it into the top 10 with the sessions combined and was looking promising for the race weekend ahead.

 

On Saturday the track was very greasy so Hornby had to make sure he was precise and smooth in order to get a good lap time in. On the second lap of the session he put the car into 2nd position proving that he can turn on the pace immediately.  Hornby later on in the session couldn’t improve that impressive lap and at the end of the session he was left in 6th position. Qualifying was next up for the Ginetta Juniors and Kyle was expecting a top 10 and quoted “I am hoping for a top 10 finish because I know I have the pace and from there I can definitely make good progress in the race” As the qualifying session got underway Hornby struggled to put a good lap together and as the session was drawing closer and closer to the end, his team and mechanic Mark had faith in him and knew he could put a lap together to put him into the top 10. Sure enough he did this on the last lap of qualifying and Hornby did a personal best in all the sectors and came across the line to take 10th position and 2nd rookie.

 

True to form Kyle Hornby always races well, and when the race got underway Hornby made an amazing start off the line and passed Devlin Defrancessco but became stuck behind another car on the inside, which meant he could only make up one place. Throughout the race Hornby showed very strong pace catching cars in the front pack and overtaking them one by one. He picked his way through the pack in the race and he eventually came across the line to take 6th place.

 

Hornby was buzzing with his finish as he had secured 3rd rookie and 9th position in the championship. Onto the final race of the season where the nerves got to several of the Ginetta Junior drivers and there were several jump starts off the line which left Kyle Hornby stuck on the outside of the opening two corners, meaning after the first lap Hornby was down to 12th position. The 16 year old from Stockport knew he wanted to grab a good position to end the season and picked them off one by one, each gap he saw he put his bonnet into and went for several  moves which paid off. Towards the end of the race he mixed with the front pack and again started fighting for position, he took full advantage of the front pack of cars and he got himself into the top 5 for when he crossed the line. He also grabbed 2nd on the rookie podium, 9th in the championship and 3rd in the rookie championship.

OVERALL POSITION    9th

ROOKIE POSITION    3rd

 

PODIUM FINISHES    2

TOP SIX FINISHES    7

TOP TEN FINISHES  15

POLE POSITIONS     1

FASTEST LAPS         1

PLACES GAINED FROM GRID POSITIONS  75

ROOKIE CUP PODIUMS     11

2015STATISTICS

LATESTNEWS

HIGHS AND LOWS AT SILVERSTONE

29th September 2015

Friday practice got underway at the heart of British motorsport, Silverstone, Kyle Hornby could only manage 15th in free practice convinced that there was a problem with the handling. He tried a different set up with the car for the next practice session but he still seemed to have less grip and he couldn’t exit well out of corners again leaving him 15th fastest again and half a second off the pace. The R&J team worked in to the night to try and find the problem, Hornby’s mechanics found his diff had failed which had to be replaced plus one corner of the car was 30kg heavy than any other.

 

On to Saturday and Kyle Hornby was ready for first practice confident that the problems had been fixed and that he now had a good set up on the car. In morning practice Hornby was running in the top 3 the whole way through and then on the last lap managed to set quickest time. He was optimistic going into qualifying and just made a couple of adjustments to improve the rear set up.

 

In qualifying Kyle warmed up the car, brakes, and tyres for the first couple of laps before coming into the pits so Mark his mechanic could set the tyre pressures ready for a quick lap. Hornby came out the pits and prepared for his quick lap and waited for other cars to gain the important slipstream at Silverstone. Kyle on his first quick lap took pole position which he kept for the whole session. The young Driver from Stockport putting in faster and faster laps until the end of the session where he took pole by 2 tenths of a second. This was his first pole of the season and the team and his family were delighted and had high hopes for the weekend.

 

Late afternoon at Silverstone the first Ginetta Junior race got under way as Jamie Caroline beat Hornby to the first corner which positioned him 2nd place. Kyle seemed to drop back a couple of places and seemed to be struggling in the race. He dropped down to 11th position and by the end managed to get himself back up inside the top 10, in 9th position. Due to a confrontation during the race with another competitor, which in Kyle’s opinion was an unavoidable situation, Kyle was given a 6 place grid penalty for race 2 which meant he had to start 15th position for Race on Sunday. This was a huge disappointment for having had Pole Position and fastest lap in the race.

 

With a massive high in qualifying and an equally massive low in race one, Kyle was determined to try and grab some good points from his next race. Starting 15th on the grid Kyle made a superb start off the line overtaking two cars in the process. With Kyle showing his strong pace and aggressiveness on the first lap he took 3 more cars and by the first lap he already put himself into the top 10. With the gaggle of cars all swapping position and defending, Kyle put the nose of the car into every overtaking opportunity he saw. Hornby demonstrated his race craft proving to everyone that he can take on the Championship contenders. He  picked drivers off one by one until he got into second position on the second to last lap. Senna Proctor’s two years experience lost Kyle second place and he came across the line to grab 3rd position and 2nd on the rookie podium. His mechanic Mark, Kyle’s family, sponsors and even the other teams are recognised the talent Hornby had shown that weekend. Kyle was just happy with 9th in the championship and two more trophies to add to his collection this season.

 

Next Race – Brands Hatch – 10th/11th October

LATESTNEWS

HORNBY CLINCHES TWO ROOKIE PODIUMS AT KNOCKHILL

27th August 2015

Friday practice at Knockhill in The Ginetta Juniors saw 16 year old Kyle Hornby  showing some really promising pace and was in the top 5 in both practice sessions.

 

Saturday morning came with delight as Kyle when out for morning practice again showing the strong pace he had on the short knockhill circuit. Kyle got stuck straight into qualifying and put an average lap in straight away but a few spots of rain had started to make the car handle badly. Hornby was struggling with the car and ended up having to retire from the session which meant Hornby could only manage 17th. Kyle was naturally disappointed with the result especially after his strong top 5 pace at the start of the weekend.

 

Hornby knew he had his work cut out  in the first race to score points and secure a better starting position for race 2. As Hornby shot off the line he got a great start manged to overtake two off the line and then another  on the first lap. Throughout the race Kyle was trying every maneuver possible  to try and get pass more cars. Kyle made a brave late braking move down at the hairpin which gave him  another position up to 13th followed by another 2cars on the next  lap.  The last five laps of the race were a struggle as Kyle was stuck behind one of the HHC motorsport cars with a train of 8 cars behind him. Hornby manged  a switch back coming onto the home straight grabbing himself 9th position & 3rd Rookie.

 

For Sunday Kyle was placed 9th on the starting grid for the televised race. Kyle got a good start to the race maintaining his positions then dropping a place going into the first corner due to pole man Jamie Caroline stalling and blocking Hornby. For the remainder of the race Kyle was in a pack of cars which were swapping positions every corner and were putting on a great show for the spectators and TV viewers. Kyle kept his cool to bring the car home 9th and 3rd rookie again with more valuable points in the bag!

 

Kyle commented at the end of the race " Overall a good weekend , I have come away with two rookie podiums, 2 trophies and a more valuable points which has placed me into the top 10 in the Championship and  the top 3 Rookies, I know this result will boost my performance for the next race at Rockingham in just over a week's time".

LATESTNEWS

HORNBY TAKES POSITIVES FROM FRUSTRATING END AT SNETTERTON

10th August 2015

Kyle Horby arrived at Snetterton for rounds 11 and 12 feeling confident after his dominating performance at Croft where he finished second in round 10 and secured top Rookie in the process.

 

Hornby was in the top ten all day in practice and his pace was there to have a good weekend and challenge for podium positions. On Friday Kyle was also still learning the circuit having never been there before as well as learning about tyre wear and how to keep them cool throughout the race. Kyle looked forward to promising weekend.

 

On Saturday, he went out in morning practice and ended up 5th overall, P 1 was in sight but a mistake on the last corner spoilt his quest! Hornby had great pace to go out and do well in the qualifying session but with only 6 laps Hornby had to find other cars to slipstream to gain that all important slipstream, sadly this didn't happen. It went down to the last two laps where Kyle managed to get one quick lap on his own to put him into p9.

 

Hornby was relaxed at the start of the first race confident he had the pace. The race got underway and Hornby was immediately scrapping with the leaders, swapping and changing in the top 5 positions until he was overtaken twice under  yellow flags which meant he lost the front pack and ending up finishing a respectable 8th, and also 3rd rookie on the podium taking his 7th trophy this season.

 

Sunday came and Kyle was out to grab himself a podium finish and if not a win. He flew off the grid and drove round the outside of 4 cars and after the first corner was in to 4th position. Going into Agosti bend two cars collided and clipped the back of Hornby’s car breaking the suspension which put him out of the race on lap 1

 

Kyle Hornby will be back out at the next round knockhill to show his talents and skills to look for his first Ginetta junior championship win!......

LATESTNEWS

KYLE ENDS THE WEEKEND WITH PODIUM & SECOND PLACE

29th June

Kyle Hornby didn't have any great expectations going into the 5th race weekend of the Ginetta Junior Championship, as he had never been to the track and was unable to test beforehand due to exams at school. Kyle started off the first free practice session 16th fastest due to a couple of handling issues. In the second free practiced Kyle improved his pace slightly and was thirteenth fastest at the end of the day..

 

Onto Saturday Kyle showed strong pace in the morning warm up as he was fast picking up the lines and adapting nicely to the track so was very confident for qualifying. Hornby couldn't get a lap in at the start of qualifying but as the clock ticked by he  progressed, found a clear lap  and he put the car in 7th position for race 1.

 

Kyle made a great start on the first lap maintaining his position and putting the cars in front under pressure. Throughout the race Hornby showed strong race pace and he applied his pressure on the other cars all the way through the race, finishing a comfortable 6th overall and 3rd rookie.

 

On Sunday, as usual Kyle had high expectations hoping to grab himself a rookie podium and maybe even a overall podium finish. Race two saw Hornby make a cracking start going round the outside of Matthiesen and team mate Lewis Brown to move himself up to 4th position. He was switching left and right pressuring Sophia  (double race winner at Thuruxton) to make a mistake so he could get past,  however the safety car came out due to another team mate Fank Bird having his damaged car stranded on track.

 

On the restart the leading group of cars were bunched up and all fighting for position and Kyle was ready to pounce as  Sophia make a move on Billy Monger at the hairpin.  As it all went wrong for Monger and Sophia, Kyle lined himself up for a switch back move on both of them. Power down early worked nicely which meant he was now up in to second with 4 laps remaining. Kyle had a group of 10  cars behind him which he had to hold off but his  'text book' techniques and a calm head saw Hornby drive the race of his life to keep the bunch of cars behind him.

 

His drive certainly please the crowds as well as the TV audience as everyone was on their feet cheering and applauding Kyle on the slowing down lap. For Kyle it was a victory lap, even though the race was won by 2nd year driver Jamie Caroline. On the podium even Sophia had to admit that Kyle had driven an incredible defensive race.

 

Next race Snetterton - August 8th/9th

 

Watch coverage from Round 9 here: www.itv.com/btcc/races/video-ginetta-junior-9

LATESTNEWS

WEEKEND OF POTENTIAL ENDS IN DISAPPOINTMENT

12th June

Last weekend, Kyle Hornby headed to his home track - Oulton Park for rounds 7 & 8 of The Ginetta Junior Championship. With high expectations Kyle was ready to put in a good performance for all his local supporters. Practice began on Friday where Kyle demonstrated his pace and kept his lap times consistently in the top 10 and was confident in placing  his car in the top 10 for qualifying.

 

On Saturday Kyle showed good pace again in the morning warm up and prepared himself well by starting off with a steady pace to ensure the tyres warmed up up and develop his rhyme ready for his fast lap. He picked up the pace with the last three laps putting in 3  quick times, which  placed him 6th overall. Kyle was extremely happy with the result because he was where he wanted to be -  top 6 for race 1 which would allow him to battle for the front early on.

 

Sunday race day, Hornby was fired up and eyes and thoughts were set on a  podium finish. As the race got underway Kyle made an amazing start overtaking two cars off the line and going into the first corner into  4th position. Heading in to Knickerbrook chicane, Kyle was hard on the brakes, bumper to bumper with the 3rd and 2nd place cars.  Unfortunately 3rd place driver had a problem slowed up unexpectedly forcing Kyle to hit the back of his car and dislodge his bonnet. As they came out of the corner and up clay hill Kyle's bonnet was up in the air but had managed to secure 2nd. At this point it was clear that Kyle would have to pit to have the bonnet secured which meant by the time he re joined the race he was in last place, eventually claiming several places to finish a frustrating 18th.

 

A disappointed Hornby was even  more motivated  than ever to try and get a good result in race 2, however he was going to have to work his way from 18th which is how Ginetta Juniors work with finishing places from race 1.. Coming off the line and round the first two corners Kyle made up 6 places and was  in to 12th. Going into the hairpin he was hit hard from behind which sent his car into the side of another car forcing him to retire from the second race.

 

After a disappointing weekend Kyle was philosophical and felt that he had continue to develop his learning curve in his first year of car racing, his only regret being that Oulton Park was his home track.

 

Next races - Croft near Darlington North Yorkshire 28th June

LATESTNEWS

HORNBY CONTINUES ROOKIE PODIUM RUN

12th May

Kyle Hornby, from Stockport, continued his run of Rookie podiums at Thruxton at the weekend, taking third in the second of two races at the Hampshire track.

 

A tough qualifying session for the youngster from Hazel Grove, saw Hornby qualify 14th overall for the first of two races for the KICK Start Energy Ginetta Junior Championship, just 1.3secs off the pole time of fellow Rookie, Stuart Middleton.

 

The opening race saw Kyle make the most of a Safety Car affected encounter, climbing to 10th overall, 5th in the Rookie Class. Dropping a place on the opening lap Hornby battled back, picking off fellow Ginetta racers one-by-one, climbing to 11th two laps from the end. Finally being handed 10th at the expense of Ben Green, who was given a 5-second penalty for ‘gaining an unfair advantage’.

 

 

The Stockport Harriers runner was much better placed for the second race, the start grid of which is set from the finishing position of race 2. An ‘eventful’ opening lap saw Kyle climb three places to 7th taking one more place off the more experienced Senna Proctor, hanging on to the final Rookie podium position by just 0.037secs from Cameron Roberts.

 

Hornby now sits 10th overall in the Championship after six rounds of the series and will next be in action on his ‘home’ circuit of Oulton Park in Cheshire on the 6/7th June.

LATESTNEWS

HORNBY ENDS THE WEEKEND ON THE TOP STEP

20th April

Having had a great debut at Brands Hatch Kyle was determined to continue his success at Donington Park for rounds 3 & 4.  In practice on Thursday Hornby stepped up to the mark being one of the fastest drivers on the track and expectations for the weekend were high.

 

In qualifying Hornby set a good lap straight out of the box putting him P5 until an altercation with one of the kerbs didn't quite work out making his car almost impossible to drive, this unfortunately dropped  Kyle down to 19th by the end of the session. First race of the weekend Hornby bounced back at the start making 2 positions up off the line and then another 3 on the opening lap. Hornby kept pushing hard throughout picking off an average of one driver each lap and ending up an impressive 9th position.  Starting in 9th for race two, Rookie Hornby made an amazing start maintaining his position on the opening lap and defending his position well. Hornby was dicing with the leading pack of cars in the race demonstrating  his incredible overtaking skills throughout forcing the more experienced drivers some serious concerns. On the last lap Hornby crossed the line in 6th position earning himself lots of useful points and 1st rookie giving him the top step on the podium.

 

Hornby commented afterwards “ It was an amazing race followed by an amazing result for me! It was great to open the eyes of the experienced drivers and the paddock to show them what I am made of, just a big thanks to all my sponsors and we have our heads held high for the next round in three weeks at Thruxton”.

LATESTNEWS

POINTS AND ROOKIE PODIUM FOR HORNBY

5th April

High expectations were set from Kyle in preparation for the first round of the Ginetta Junior Championship having been fast in testing, but it proved to  be a tough Saturday qualifying. Kyle and the team struggled to get the setup of the car right for qualifying resulting in P 21 much to the disappointment of Kyle. However, a very determined and focused attitude resulted in a great start off the line which catapulted  Kyle  up to 19th at the start and from there he carved his way through the pack to finish in15th position.

 

Having had a difficult Saturday,  Hornby was determined to come away from the opening round with a good result in the second race on Sunday and to grab some championship points. Race 2 didn't last long as  there was a major accident on lap one meaning the race was stopped ,all the cars had to re position for the restart. Hornby got a cracking second start meaning he was right in the mix of the race coming from 15th to 12th on the opening lap!  Struggling with overheating problem due to the restart and the blazing sun, Hornby kept his cool tearing through the field managing to grab two two more positions on the final corner scoring himself  points and 7th position and Rookie podium.

 

After the race Hornby said “ WOW! What a way to finish my debut weekend grabbing my self a top 10 & my first podium for 3rd Rookie I am so pleased ! I have managed to exceed my expectations  and I am so grateful for all the support I had over the weekend from all my Sponsors, especially Nurishment and Private Jet Charter who were present on the day to watch my successful debut! I am extremely pleased with the outcome, roll on the next two races at Donington on the 18th and 19th April."

LATESTNEWS

KYLE HORNBY JOINS KICK START ENERGY GINETTA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

24th February

Kyle Hornby is set to join the KICK Start Energy Ginetta Junior Championship as the teenage racer from Cheshire looks to progress his motorsport career from karting to cars.

 

Former Super One Junior TKM karter Hornby enjoyed his first taste of Ginetta racing in October 2014 after he entered the Ginetta Junior Scholarship and met the team which will run his car in 2015, R & J Motorsport.

 

Hornby said;“The time feels right to take my motorsport career to the next level by graduating from a five and a half year karting career into sports cars. R & J Motorsport have a proven track record despite being a relatively new team to the KICK Start Energy Ginetta Junior paddock and I look forward to working with them.”

 

Attracted to the media coverage of the British Touring Car Championship support series, Hornby is looking to finish his debut season inside the championship top five and is hopeful of being on the podium on a number of occasions.

 

Kyle is managed by Graeme Glew's RDD management company, and Glew commented; "Kyle has been with us over a year now and his pace and determination has been impressive in karts and car testing, we have never been involved in the KICK Start Energy Ginetta Junior Championship before, so we are looking forward to working within this new environment in what looks to be a very healthy and exciting Championship."

 

The KICK Start Energy Ginetta Junior Championship will feature a maximum capacity grid in 2015, with all driver entries for the forthcoming season having already been filled. Highlighting the importance of the series to young racers aged 14-17 as they embark on their sports car careers, 26 entries have been placed for the upcoming campaign; which seems set to be one of the most competitive in the history of the ever-popular championship.

LATESTNEWS

KYLE JOINS R&J MOTORSPORT FOR GINETTA JUNIOR G40

23rd December

Following on from reaching the finals in The Ginetta Scholarship recently, Kyle was invited by top Ginetta Junior Team R&J Motorsport  to test one of their G40 Junior race cars at Bruntingthorpe test track in Leicestershire. After some one to one coaching from professional racing driver Chris Hodgetts, Kyle soon became familiar with the handling and set some impressive times and impressed team owner Rob Hadfield. The team have since offered Kyle a drive in the 2015 Championship which supports the British Touring Car package.

 

The following day Kyle undertook his ARDS test at Anglesey race track with professional racing driving & owner of the circuit Richard Peacock who passed Kyle with a 100% score - not bad when the average pass rate is 76%! Now the plan is for Kyle to sign up for the series and undertake some serious testing prior to the season kicking off on 4th and 5th April at Brands Hatch.

LATESTNEWS

TOP 10 FOR KYLE IN GINETTA JUNIOR SCHOLARSHIP

3rd November

Kyle Hornby competed for a place in the Ginetta Junior Scholarship at Bedford Autodrome during the half-term break. The Scholarship ran over three days with 57 drivers took part in driving, media and fitness assessments over the first two days, during which each Kyle received one-on-one driver tuition from BTCC racing drivers Adam Morgan, Tom Ingram and Jack Goff.

 

Qualifying on Tuesday for Kyle went well and he made the final on day three where only 21 other drivers competed in two further driving sessions with limited instruction.

 

Following this further selection process, Kyle made it into the top 10 and left the scholarship with a wealth of experience following the driving, media and fitness assessments.

LATESTNEWS

HORNBY STRIKES AGAIN IN SUPER 1 EVENT

27th May

 Kyle Hornby shone again in round 3 of the Junior TKM Super 1 Series at Glan Y Gors at the weekend. On Saturday Kyle had a tough time in qualifying and ended up 18th but fought back through the 2 heats to finish 5th in both.

 

The results in the heats put him starting 4th for final,which he came out on top to win. This gave Kyle pole for the Grand Final where he showed his dominance and came out with the win. From this Kyle was the highest scoring driver in the British Championships in his class to take away 152 points out of a maximum 160.

 

Kyle said afterwards, ‘I am delighted with how the weekend has gone and have scored some good points which should help me to the title of the British Championship. Without  the support I have of DSG Motorsport, my parents and all my sponsors I wouldn’t be able to compete at the highest level.

 

Issued by Accelerate Driver Development 27/05/2014

 

Image - Chris Walker - www.kartpix.net

LATESTNEWS

CLEAN SWEEP FOR HORNBY IN OPENING SUPER 1 EVENT

31st March

Kyle Hornby dominated the opening two rounds of Junior TKM Super 1 series at Shenington at the weekend. On Saturday Kyle qualified 6th for his heat but drove through the field in heat 1 to win and in heat 2 Kyle finished third.

 

These results gave him pole position for  final 1 on Sunday which he won giving him pole for the grand final which he also won! Over the weekend Kyle only dropped 2 points so now leads the British Championships with 158 points out of a maximum 160 points.

 

A delighted Kyle said afterwards, "I am so happy with this result, we have worked so hard to get everything right for the start of the season, we had a couple of fine tuning adjustments to make in the heats but I could not have wished for a better result today. I want to thank all my sponsors who have believed in me and I would not be on the podium now if it wasn't for their support".

 

Kyle's next Super 1 event is at Rowrah in Cumbria on the 3rd/4th May.

 

Issued by Accelerate Driver Development 31/03/14

Image - Chris Walker - www.kartpix.net

LATESTNEWS

Accelerate Driver Development Junior Academy launched

14th January

Accelerate Driver Development (ADD) launched a new Driver Development Initiative at the Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham on Saturday, January 11, the Accelerate Driver Development Junior Academy.

 

Four young drivers have been selected from the ages of 12 to 16 from karting.

 

ADD’s Ricky Johnson has been talent spotting for the past three months and ADD is pleased to confirm the successful candidates are (shown from youngest to oldest):

 

*Sam Pooley (aged 12 from Winchester);

*Cameron Roberts (aged 14 from Worcester);

*Kyle Hornby (aged 14 from Stockport);

*(and) Brett Ward (aged 16 from Slough).

 

“So many race drivers come out of karting and take the wrong route or have little or no effective management,” said ADD Managing Director Graeme Glew. “With the Accelerate Driver Development Junior Academy we aim to provide that direction and the management needed.”

 

“We have selected four drivers with natural talent and we now intend to accelerate their careers and take each of them to the top of the sport with effective commercial support and advice,” he added.

 

ADD was established back in 2010 by Glew and John Byfield, who between them have over 50 years of motorsport experience at all levels from grass roots to the very pinnacle of the sport, F1. The organisation headed up by Glew specialises in driver management and sponsorship acquisition and currently also looks after Ferrari F1 Academy member, Nicolas Costa, as well as Robert La Rocca, Liam Venter and Lucas Biagioni. Each ADD Junior Academy member will now be nurtured in all key areas to ensure success - including media training, sports psychology, intense fitness programmes, simulator experience and driver coaching.

 

Jamie Lee Weller has also been employed by ADD to ensure all four drivers are race ready. He will look after the drivers’ nutrition and dietary needs. He will also help with all other aspects of essential physical and mental preparation.

LATESTNEWS

F1 Driver Management company Accelerate Driver Development (ADD) have signed Kyle Hornby on their International Race Driver Junior Academy.

2nd January

ADD specialise in taking drivers to the highest levels of motorsport and after Kyle being recently talent spotted by ADD's scout Ricky Johnson, Kyle has been offered the support as one of only three other kart drivers in the world selected for the programme. ADD are now looking for local support from The North West to take Kyle into next season's National TKM series before he moves up to cars in 2015.

 

"I am so excited and honoured to have been selected for The Junior Academy and look forward to ADD's professional management programme to take me to the next level" said Kyle.

 

"Kyle was spotted by our professional talent scout Ricky Johnson at PF Kart track in Lincolnshire and advised us to sign him up for our Junior Academy as soon as we could in view of his outstanding talent. Kyle is now on our programme and we will be supporting him all the way. Since then I have have met Kyle and seen him in action, undoubtedly a name to watch for the future."

LATESTNEWS

Hazel Grove Go-Karting Star Tipped for Career in Motorsport

2nd January

Kyle Hornby was spotted by bosses at Accelerate Driver Development after impressing at the Super One Series British Karting Championships.

 

An up-and-coming go-karting star is being tipped for a career as a racing driver.

 

Kyle Hornby from Hazel Grove was spotted by bosses at Accelerate Driver Development after impressing at the Super One Series British Karting Championships, where he bagged the Top Rookie title come the end of the 2013 season.

 

The 14-year-old was ranked sixth overall in the Junior TKM Class in his first season at the championships.

 

Talent scouts from Accelerate Driver Development quickly snapped Kyle up after a race in Lincolnshire, enrolling him in the company’s Junior Academy.

 

The Poynton High School student will be tested in Formula Three and Four cars when he hits 15 and is being tipped for a promising career in motorsport.

 

Kyle’s dad Kevin, 48, said: “Kyle started when he was eight. “We took him to the Daytona track in Manchester for a bit of fun one Christmas.

 

“Eventually we bought him his own kart and since then, he’s shown a lot of promise.”

 

Kyle’s impressive CV includes Driver of the Year at MCKC Wigan in the 2010 Cadet Class, and second place finishes at the YC North Wales Club Championship Cadet Class and the MBKC Wigan Club Championship Cadet Class.

 

Kevin added: “I’ve no idea where his talent comes from – I’m no racing driver.

 

“It’s all about his mentality – he’s a very level-headed kid. He’s so comfortable racing and has no fear overtaking people.”

 

Dean Golba, team principle of DSG Motorsport, who manage Kyle’s karting career, added: “He’s probably one of the most talented young drivers I’ve ever worked with. Kyle has the ability and the potential to go right to the top.”

 

Director of Accelerate Driver Development Graeme Glew said: “I’ve been doing this for 30-years – to find someone so young, with so much talent, is rare.”

 

Kyle, a keen drummer and runner with Stockport Harriers, has also been handed a free gym membership at Life Leisure Hazel Grove under the Champions of the Future scheme.

 

He said: “Once I’d tried racing, it became addictive. I just want to be a paid driver – I want a career in motorsport.

 

“At the moment, it’s all going well, so I just have to keep working hard.”