A nine-year-old from Basingstoke is making waves in UK motorsport as one of the youngest drivers in the country's first official junior electric karting championship. Junior Wright, still in primary school, will also head to Silverstone later this year to watch Formula One testing.
Junior's racing journey began early: a balance bike at two, an electric John Deere at three, a quad bike at four, and karting by age six. Now he competes in the MightE Cadet Series, Motorsport UK's new all-electric championship for drivers aged eight to 12, debuting in 2026. The series marks a shift to quieter, emission-free grassroots racing.
Racing has become a family affair. Every other weekend, the Wrights load the kart onto a trailer hitched to a campervan built by Junior's dad during lockdown. His father handles trackside maintenance and repairs, while his sister joins the paddock scene. Junior's school, Great Binfield School, grants authorised time off for competitions, with schoolwork sent along.
Local support comes from InstaVolt, a public EV charging company along Junior's school route, which covers coaching and tyres. Despite growing attention, Junior remains a typical child, racing friends on and off track, with Lando Norris as his favourite F1 driver.
For Junior, electric racing is simply normal. As the MightE Cadet Series begins, he represents a generation for whom electric mobility is not a debate but a reality under their right foot.
