Kirkcaldy schoolboy on track to karting success

A Kirkcaldy youngster has won his first ever trophy in motorsport despite only having had a licence to race for a few months.

Taylor Thomson won the Top Novice trophy in his Honda cadet kart in Golspie at the Scottish ‘S’ plate Championships.

The 11-year-old has only had his Motorsport UK licence since April of this year.

Taylor’s journey began in Kirkcaldy when he fell in love with racing at Kart Start in the Mitchelston Industrial Estate.

Kirkcaldy karter Taylor Thomson with F1 legend David Coulthard.

He then became a member of the Karting Club at Knockhill Racing Circuit – frequently coming first – before joining the East of Scotland Karting Club, aged nine in 2017.

Clearly talented, Taylor – a former pupil at Kirkcaldy West Primary School who will start at Balwearie High after the summer holidays – eventually got his own kart last year and his dad Lee acts as his mechanic.

His mum Claire said: “Taylor sat his Association of Racing Kart School (ARKS) test earlier this year and has got his Motorsport UK licence, which means he can compete at all Motorsport UK events now.

“He has to stay on novice plates for five Motorsport UK meetings and during this time has to start from the back of the grid.

“At the Scottish Championships he came tenth overall out of 20 but beat all the other novices.

“Taylor is over the moon to have won best novice and this has given him the determination to push harder.

“He dreams of becoming a racing driver and his heroes are Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstapen.”

Taylor’s will be racing in the next round of the Super Series which is at Larkhall (WSKC) on August 17 and 18, where he will still be on novice plates, but hopes to win the top novice there too.

He will be off his novice plates by the end of this year and 2020 will be in his last year as a cadet.

Taylor hopes to push hard to get on the podium in his events with the possibility of attending races down south next year.

Claire added: “Taylor is now into his second season of racing and is hugely committed, spending all his free time practicing and competing.”

Taylor is now looking for local sponsorship.

He can be contacted through his Facebook page ‘Taylor Thomson Racing’.