He may be too young to drive on the roads, but that won’t stop teenager Alex Reed from speeding round some of the most famous race tracks in the country.
The 14 year old from Horsham is currently gearing up for his first full season in the Ford Fiesta Junior Championships, which will see him compete on iconic curcuits such as Silverston, Snetterton and Brands Hatch.
“It’s quite a funny contrast that while I’m not old enough to have a driving license I’ll be racing on tracks with corners you have to take at 100 miles per hour,” Alex said behind the wheel of the yellow 150hp Ford Fiesta he will be driving.
“It can get scary driving at those speeds but it only worries me when I hit a barrier, I’m a confident driver.”
Motorsport fanatic Alex first got into racing when he started karting at the age of 12 at the track in Albourne, Hassocks. Having finished runner-up in his first year he won the championship in his second year and raced for Ambition Motorsport in national events.
Last season he raced two rounds of the Fiesta Junior Championships and impressed enough to earn a place in the Advent Motorsport team for the forthcoming season, which begins the first weekend of April at Rockingham.
Alex said: “The thought of racing at so many famous tracks is really exciting. We race at the Silverstone National circuit, while Donnington and Brands Hatch are both former F1 curcuits so we’re going to be competing on really famous tracks.
“Hopefully I can do well, get some podiums and get a good start to the world of motorsport.
“It will be interesting to see how I do, most people in the series already have the experience of a full season but I’m confident I can do well.”
Overall the season will set the family back around £50,000 in total, although with series like the Ginetta Championships costing up to £120,000, the Ford championships is considered one of the more affordable in what is a notoriously expensive persuit.
The season will also be televised live on Motorsport TV and despite his inexperience Alex hopes this season will be the springboard to a successful career in touring cars.
“Altogether I’ve probably only had around 25 hours of full driving experience in a racing car so it is going to be new to me,” he said.
“But I’m really looking forward to it, I like to think I’m a quick learner so I’m hoping I’ll have a good year.”
Alex will be posting pictures and news of how he gets on in Instagram under the username reedy_51
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