Next week, my son Ethan lines up against the best young karting drivers in the country.
On 8–10 October, at 14 years old, he makes his debut in the Wera Tools British Kart Championships at Kart Silverstone, racing Junior Rotax with Dave Edwards Racing.
It's the highest level of karting in the UK and the path many of today's British Formula 1 drivers took. He goes in as a rookie, and his goal is to get through qualifying, heats and super heats to make the final.
When we started out, I was told nobody sponsors karters, that the audience wasn't there. A few years on, Ethan was crowned Club100 North Champion in 2025, finished runner-up in Club100 South, and has featured on BBC Midlands Today and BBC Radio WM. Now he's heading to Silverstone.
He hasn't got here alone. A group of local and regional businesses have backed him, many of them from right here in Walsall and the Black Country, along with friends, family and people who've simply followed his story and cheered him on. As a dad, that support means more than I can put into words.
If you'd like to watch, the racing is streamed live on the Alpha Live YouTube channel, and highlights are broadcast on Sky Sports F1. It's the first time British karting has been on mainstream TV in over 25 years.
Whatever happens at Silverstone, I couldn't be prouder of him.
You can follow Ethan's journey at ethanguestracing.co.uk or on social media via linktr.ee/ethanguestracing.
