COULD 11-year-old racing prodigy Archie Brown be the next Jenson Button?

Kart racer Archie Brown is hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Somerset Formula One star after making a big impression in the junior leagues.

Archie, who is from Woolavington and attends Haygrove School, was inspired to get into the hotseat by his father Shane, who himself is a former saloon stock car racing world champion.

Archie won the fourth round of the Super One British Karting Championship last week at the Clay Pigeon Raceway.
He has one three of the last four races, picking up victories in Cumbria and Daventry.

His fantastic form has left him top of the leaderboard by 58 points, making him the strong favourite to lift the title ahead of 50 other competitors aged 8 to 13.

Archie’s mother Denise Webber said: “We are very proud of him. The next step hopefully is for him to compete in Europe.

“We are very grateful to Haygrove School as they kindly allow him to leave on certain occasions to follow his dream of becoming a racing driver like his heroes Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button - both of whom also competed in the Super One British Karting Championship,” she said.

The series is televised, so you can catch Archie in action on Motors TV, with the next race being screened on Monday, July 26 at 6pm.
“We travel with him around the country so that he can race most weekends but Archie comes from an ordinary background and it will be difficult for us to find funds to allow him to compete in Europe,” Ms Webber said.

Archie won his first title when he just nine, winning the Honda Cadet Track Championship in 2014 at the Dunkeswell Kart Racing Club, before progressing to the Super One British Karting Championships.

Denise said she did worry about her son’s dangerous sport but believed in him and helping him follow his dream.
“It can be scary, he can get up to speeds of 60mph. He’s had a couple of incidents which have resulted in a broken nose and a few scrapes but this is what he wants to do,” she said.
“It is his choice, and we just want to help as best we can.”

Archie is hoping to follow the path of former Formula One world champion Jenson Button, who hails from Frome and also started his career down at the Dunkeswell track.

If you would like to sponsor Archie to help him achieve his dream of making it to the big time, contact Shane Brown on 07855 942419 to find out more.