Boy, 7, is youngest professional rally car driver in China, starting race journey at age 1

At just seven years old, a Chinese boy is China’s youngest professional rally car driver, certified by age five and dreams of becoming a World Rally Car champion.

Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin A seven-year-old boy has become China’s youngest professional rally car driver after being certified at the age of five.

Shao Ziyan, from Wenzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, has amazed mainland social media with his professionalism and passion for the sport despite his young age.

According to his father, the boy became obsessed with car racing when he was a toddler.

Shao Ziyan’s feet only just reach the pedals on the simulator where he began his journey.

Photo: Douyin He began using a racing simulator at home when he was one.

Noticing that his son had a “particularly great sense” for driving, Shao senior made a smaller simulator for him to practise.

He then bought an electric go-kart for his son, and soon Shao junior, a little over two years old, found the electric one too slow.

Shao senior upgraded the go-kart to a fuel-powered vehicle and signed his son up for professional go-kart training.

Shao’s father, who has been with him throughout his racing adventure, fixes his son’s helmet.

Photo: Douyin He said his son also learned from international car racing videos to learn moves from the professionals.

Shao senior said his son had even learned a move from the Japanese street racing animation Initial D.

At the age of four, Shao Ziyan already ranked 30 in the simulation game’s world rankings.

By comparison, his father, a much more experienced simulator player, did his best and only ranked outside 3,000.

Ready to go: Shao looking confident behind the wheel of a real vehicle.

Photo: Douyin Around the same time, Shao junior began driving a rally car, and could drive on an ice surface for 40 days.

When he was five, he also acquired a certificate validated by the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of China and became a professional rally racer.

His father had a second-hand rally vehicle, a Suzuki Swift, custom-made for him, which cost over 200,000 yuan (US$30,000).

Father and son getting ready to set off on a racing car training mission.

Photo: Douyin Shao senior said his family was ordinary.

He was a freelance photographer based in Beijing and his work was relevant to automobiles.

The money they spent on the car’s adaptation came mostly from Shao senior’s savings and from tips received on Shao Ziyan’s social media accounts.

Shao is

原文链接: 南华早报