A COUNTY teenager has become the youngest person to win the Club 100 Lightweight Sprint Championship.

James Small, from Cross Keys, is also the first rookie driver to win the title since it started nearly 20 years ago.

The 14-year-old, who studies at St Marys RC High School, took both wins in the final round to ensure he finished level on points with his nearest rival James De Havillande.

Both had five wins, but Small had five second places compared to De Havillande’s three, meaning that he won the championship.

What was more impressive was that De Havillande was 14 points clear going into the final round and has competed in UK and European junior karting championships.

Small first competed in MSA Karting as a cadet but took a break for two years.

He got back into it in November 2013 when Chris Powell, of Herefordshire Racing, organised a special event using Club100 karts and invited Small to attend.

The promoter of Club100 gained a special arrangement with their insurance broker to allow him to compete in the national run championship despite the minimum age usually being 16.

Small missed the first round due to a school trip, but finished third in the next round at Bayford Meadows in Kent even though he had never competed at the track before.

He also regularly gave away 7kg in weight compared to the minimum set at 75kg due to him being 6ft tall.

The disadvantage equates to at least three-tenth's of a second per lap.

But Small consistently performed well to enable he got his hands on the prize.

He said he would like to thank his school for their support and Chris Powell, who taught him to race when he was nine.