LIAM Harrison is a man with a mission to eventually make it all the way to the thrills and spills which make up the world of rallying.

The driver from Oakley looks right on course for that at the moment, having last season made his debut in the Junior Rallycross series in the final four races.

Once he turns 16 later this year, he will be able to be a co-driver in rallies in a car driven by his father Rob Harrison.

Before that, the teenager will drive his mini in a complete season in the British Rallycross Drivers Association Stars of the Future Championship, which sees track layouts utilise both tarmac and loose gravel sections.

Harrison is looking to have a successful season and is hoping to make it onto the podium during the campaign.

However, as is the nature of motorsport, sometimes even the top drivers have days where nothing goes right for them and their cars.

This happened to the Lord Wandsworth College pupil in the opening rounds of the championship at one of his favourite circuits, Lydden Hill, on Easter Monday.

In an early morning practice run, the fan belt came off after a stone jammed in the pulley wheel and the engine overheated in a big way!

This caused the head gasket to fail. As the oil pressure light did not come on, the team opted to continue racing through the day until things got to the stage where they could no longer continue.

To add to that, midway through the day it became impossible to select third gear, which was crucial as rallycross is all about second and third gear!

Harrison did really well to complete all of the heats during the day, but, due to the problems, he didn't make the final race of the day.

He will look for better luck when the championship moves to Ireland for round two at Mondello Park on Sunday.

After that, the rest of the season takes the young man to every corner of the British Isles, with the other races at Knockhill (May 30), Anglesey (July 3), Pembrey (July 24), Lydden Hill (August 29), Wildtracks (September 25) and Brands Hatch (October 30).

Before moving to the world of rallycross, Harrison had a really successful karting career, after he started racing at the age of nine.

He was always focussed towards rally driving, and the Junior Rallycross format is ideally suited for this transition.

The race formats are similar to karting, with qualifying heats and finals, so he has found it easy to adapt.

The young driver had tuition at a West Country rally school to ensure that he was familiar with a gearbox and clutch - different from the fixed gearing in the junior karting scene.

Harrison said: "I had a lot of success at karting, but I really enjoy rallycross and rallying is what I want to do in the future."

Touching speeds of up to 70mph going from tarmac to loose gravel really means the man at the wheel has to work overtime.

The young driver said: "The most difficult bit of the racing is going from one surface too another - you really have to be careful."

With only three laps of the circuit in each heat, it means this is sprint racing.

The teenager said: "You have to race from the very start. The start is critical if you want to make up places quickly, and you can lose places just as easily."

With his sights set on a career in rallying it is not surprising his idol is the ice-cool current world champion Sebastien Loeb, certainly an ideal role model in the one of the toughest forms of motorsport.

As well as racing in the British Rallycross Drivers Association Stars of the Future Championship, the teenager is also taking part in the Rallycross Super Series in the junior idol class, which includes the English Masters at Croft (May 2) and a meeting at Valkenswaard in Holland on July 17.

The Irish Masters takes place at Mondello Park on August 7, and the Scottish Masters at Knockhill on September 18.

Harrison said: "I would like to thank my family for all their support and my sponsors BeCrypt, and MK Test Systems, as well as the generous support I receive from NE Motors, Wacky Graphics and Krazy Bodywork.

"Without them I would not be able to follow my dream of one day becoming a rally driver."

Anyone who would also like to become an additional sponsor of Harrison can do so by contacting him on 07879 844988.