HAVING been born in the back of a Vauxhall Zafira on the way to hospital, it is maybe no surprise that Daniel Bolton is making headway in motor sport.

The nine-year-old from Bradford is competing against karters who are four years his senior but the Eccleshill youngster is still making them eat dirt.

His dad Andrew said: "Daniel's motto is 'born to drive' and he chose to start karting when he was six, having watched videos of Lewis Hamilton on his iPad.

"Now Daniel has progressed to the cadets class and in his last outing he started 18th in heat one and finished second, also setting the fastest lap.

"He then began fifth in heat two and came first, winning by four seconds, and started ninth in heat three and came second, again setting the fastest lap.

"He was also doing well in the final when he was bumped off by an opponent."

Thackley Primary School pupil Daniel – "the school are very good and give him Fridays off" – is competing in two championships at the moment.

They are the Manchester & Buxton Kart Club (MKBC) and the Hooton Park Kart Championships in Cheshire.

He won all but one race as a novice, including the Cock o' The North, and has won the Cheshire Oaks Champion Cup and was second in the MKBC Championship, including several fastest laps.

His dad Andrew said: "Daniel can reach speeds of up to 70mph from the 60cc engine – all of the karts are 103kg – and riders have to be weighed after every heat.

"We are also competing in some rounds of the British Championships this season and hope to compete in all of the rounds next year. We still have three years left in the class.

"My wife Stephanie and myself, our daughter Chloe, who is 13, and Daniel go away on Fridays for meetings and the racing is all-year round."