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He may be just seven years old, but Bellville lightie Joshua Smit is already a demon behind the wheel. The Totius Primary School lad started racing baby Cadet 50cc karts at the tender age of six and now he’s a regular race winner at Cape Town’s Killarney racetrack as he prepares for a full championship assault in 2017.

“I’m really looking forward to this year,” Joshua, who found his winning ways against some expert opposition in 2016, explained. “I was on pole position twice last year and I won three race, so I came fourth in the 2016 championship. “But this year I want to win my first championship.”

Joshua, who likes to eat sushi, sip an ice tea and play chess, cricket and rugby, rates Sebastian Vettel as his hero and Ferrari his favourite car, sees this year’s Cadet Championship, as his first big step before he progresses up to Micro Max class and eventually main circuit and stock cars.

“So I will stay in Cadets for now and our aim is to win the 2017 Western Cape Cadet title,” the S&S Racing pilot said of the class for 5-8 year old junior primary school kids that has been the start of many of the Cape’s best drivers careers. “We will also travel a little this year so I can learn the other tracks, and we will be practicing in Mini Max so I will be ready for the step up in 2018.”

Joshua is also excited to be racing against little brother Matthew this year. “Its going to be cool to race with Mathew this year too - I’m looking forward to teaching him all the tricks so maybe he can help me later in the year and he can become a good driver too…”

Joshua Smit’s 2017 karting adventures kick off at the opening round of the WP Karting Championship at Killarney Saturday 11 February, where you can rest assured that the Cape’s karters will put on their regular stunning display from Josh and his kid karting rivals, all the way through to the top…