8-year-old karting superstar Thomas Rathbone dreams to follow in the footsteps of his idol Lewis Hamilton as he progresses through his racing career.

A young boy with heaps of talent, Hyde’s Thomas is set for an exceptional career in motorsport and is already impressing with his racing craft.

He began his career in 2020, aged 6, after having enjoyed watching Formula 1 for years.

“I went into karting expecting it to be easy, because F1 drivers make it look easy. But then I noticed how hard it was, and I’ve been racing for three years now.

“I love to watch F1, and my favourite driver is Lewis Hamilton, he started in karting too,” Thomas said.

Boasting a plethora of trophies, Thomas has earned his place on a variety of podiums, but still has his favourite achievements.

“My favourite trophy is from Fulbeck for the first place in the drivers’ championship.”

As a parent, Thomas’ dad Gavin experiences the ups and downs of having a racing prodigy in the family.

“It can be very stressful, but we all buy into it. Whenever we travel to tracks, we all go down together so his sisters and grandparents follow along too.

“We see the same people week in and week out, so Thomas has gained lots of friends and has great battles on track.

“As parents, the most important thing for us is his development on track. He learns, he listens, and he’s focused,” Gavin said.

Despite competing in races based in the North, the Rathbone family are required to travel across the country, with some races even taking them as far as Scotland.

Of course, this intense sport requires a lot of commitment, so Thomas is heavily supported by his school Brabyns Preparatory in Marple.

“The hardest thing about mixing school and karting together is on a Friday night when I pack my bag for karting and then have to get to sleep so we can get up early to travel.

“My friends at school enjoy my sport and one of them has now started to watch Formula 1,” Thomas said.

A sport with a distinct lack of competitors in Tameside and Greater Manchester, motorsport can be a difficult sport to dive into. But, when Gavin knew that Thomas had a passion for racing, he decided to find out how to involve him.

“We wanted to find a series that he could develop in, he had a real natural ambition, and we knew he could achieve.

“We found a series with a process for him to learn in, and this was Total Karting, engineered by Rob Smedley, a former Formula 1 engineer.

“So, its got sustainability in mind and Rob has a detailed vision of how he wants the children to develop,” he said.

Currently racing in the Bambino class, Thomas will move onto the Cadet section when he turns 9. With Rob having a vision of taking a driver all the way through into professional driver facilities, it’s a great potential opportunity for Thomas to feel the support of an expert engineer.

Speeding round the track with great success, Thomas’ family have also felt the pressure of potential injuries and accidents.

“There has been an incident that was very scary for us, we just have to ensure that as much safety as possible is in place, we do that, the team do that and the circuits do that.

“He had a bad accident, but it was Thomas led that he wanted to get straight back in the kart and carry on.

“It’s quite nerve-wracking watching him but for as long as he loves it, we will support him,” he said.

Thomas is heavily supported by Rhino, a marketing company within the automotive industry. Rhino provides promotion in the world of social media, whilst also creating banners, flags, and t-shirts.

“Rhino even made a special championship winning t-shirt, and that support is so lovely from them.

“I also hope that any future sponsors realise that they’re not just sponsoring a talented eight-year-old, they will also have their own opportunities to promote themselves and will be supported by a professional marketing company.

“Traditionally motorsport is a very expensive sport, but we try our best to support him with everything that he may need,” Gavin said.

In the Total Karting league, all the karts are of equal standard, meaning the athletes are tested on their ability to drive, rather than who has the best car.

Thomas has proven time and time again that his race craft and driving ability is of an incredible standard, and now he has his heart set on a new year and a new set of achievements.

“I’m looking for another championship title, we only have two races left but I’m only 9 points behind the leader, Ethan.

“I have a good feeling I’m going to do well.”

Want more local sport stories?

Head to https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/ to see more of our coverage - from community and non-league football to local and county cricket, boxing, athletics, basketball, Esports and golf.