Rivenn Welsh has been crowned British Indoor Karting Champion after taking up the sport just over a year ago following the cancellation of his football training sessions during the lockdown period. The 12-year-old had never set foot inside a go-kart until he attended his cousin’s birthday celebrations last summer at the TeamSport indoor karting circuit near Old Trafford.

Rivenn qualified for the ultimate event after setting a new track record of 41 seconds at the semi-final in Nottingham back in May, before taking the top spot in the Cadets class at the British Indoor Karting Championship finals on 6 June 2021. Welsh now has his sights set on racing around iconic tracks like Silverstone, the home of British motor racing, or Monza.

“He can be Mr Saturday, and I’ll be Mr Friday,” commented Rivenn as he dreams of becoming the next George Russell. “I just want to go as fast as I can, and I’m not scared of anyone. I had to overtake last year’s champion, which made me so happy. It was exciting out on track.”

Talking about his son’s natural racing instinct that saw him crowned champion, proud dad Anthony said: “He was so fast. He built a pretty big lead, but red flags brought all the cars back together three times. But he kept building and building, and it was a hard-fought victory. It was incredible to watch him out there. It brought me to tears when he won. I’m so amazed and so proud of him, he’s only been doing this for a year, and he’s already the best in his age group.”

Head over to the British Indoor Karting Championship for more information on how to get involved or watch the championship finals on YouTube.

Image credits: Cheshire Live