Waterman caught doing 100mph - and he's only 14! (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Waterman caught doing 100mph - and he's only 14!

A LOCAL schoolboy recently made his debut behind the wheel of a 110mph race car - and he's still only 14.

Will Waterman, from Moreton-in-Marsh, put a Ginetta GT4 sportscar through its paces at Bruntingthorpe test track in Leicestershire as part of an initial assessment of the car.

With a dazzling power-to-weight ratio of 170bhp per tonne, the GT4 will feature in a major new racing championship for 14 to 16-year- olds to be launched in the summer.

The series will give young and upcoming racers a chance to develop their skills as professional racing drivers by going head-to-head at some of the UK's fastest circuits - including Brands Hatch and Silverstone - for a fraction of the cost of some single-seater championships.

Waterman, currently one of Britain's leading junior kart racers, is hoping to compete in the championship next season.

"It's a bit daunting for anyone to get into a proper racing car for the first time - let alone a young teenager," commented race instructor and leading sportscar driver Ben Elliot.

"But Will took it all in his stride and put in some really impressive lap times."

Elliot continued, "There's one corner on the track that, if you really know what you're doing, can just about be taken flat-out in fourth gear at 110mph.

"Half-way into the test, Waterman started taking it flat out!

"I've assessed a number of very young drivers for the Ginetta GT4 Junior championship, and I'd say that Will could get in the car now and finish in the top three."

As a karting fanatic, Waterman, who races 75mph, 100cc machines at circuits all over the country, currently lies fourth in the Junior British Karting Championships.

And he was also in action at his home circuit at Little Rissington, near Stow-on-the-Wold, the weekend weekend before last.

Following first, second and third place finishes in the heats, he qualified on pole position for the final.

A titanic battle ensued with Waterman continually swapping places with five other drivers in the lead group.

Having dropped to fourth place at the mid-way point, he put in a late charge that put him back up to second place with a brave move on the very last lap of the race.

The result moved Waterman up to second place in the club championship standings.

He is also challenging for the club title at Whilton Mill, after winning two out of the opening three races of the season at the Northamptonshire circuit.