Winchester kart racer Sam Pooley wants to follow in the footsteps of Formula 1 legend Jenson Button.

The 12-year-old is in his first season in the Super One Minimax British Kart Championships, which sees him travelling all over the UK with professional racing team Coles, writes Peter Howard.

He’s currently 17th out of 30 of the nation’s best drivers and with three championships since he started racing four years ago, he’s looking to emulate the stellar names of motorsport. Pooley was first introduced to motorsport when he watched his dad Neil in kart races when he was a toddler.

Even then, he’d get upset when it was time to leave the track. Now he’s up against opponents around three-years older than him in the Minimax division, where he drives a 125cc Rotax Max which reaches speeds of up to 70mph.

Pooley is taking the same route as Button, Lewis Hamilton, David Coulthard and Jason Plato by competing in the championships.

His dad has aspirations for him to go as far as he can.

“His ambition is to become a professional driver and of course Formula 1 is the ultimate dream,” declared Neil. “The reality is that we have to keep our feet on the ground and take one year at a time. He shows a great interest in Formula 1 and has had the opportunity to meet a number of the drivers in recent years.

“His favourites are the British drivers but he styles himself on Jenson as he is super smooth.”

The youngster started driving aged eight at the Forest Edge Kart Club in Barton Stacey, where he won the National Kart Racing Association championships and finished second in the club’s own competition. “The last two months have seen Sam winning heats against the best drivers in the country, he has had a couple of pole positions, including round three of the British Championships where he also secured two wins,” said Neil. “Motorsport is incredibly competitive, even at this level, and the drivers have to cope with a lot. “The pressure is very high and we have highs and lows every weekend.

“Learning to deal with this in a positive way and channel the motivation into a consistent performance takes a lot of focus and effort. “Sam has been racing now for four years and he takes all the background noise in his stride.

“I have no doubt he has what it takes. We just need a little luck.”

In 2012 he was ranked 12th in cadet class of the British Championships and, with wins at the Southern Honda Cadet Championship and TVKC Continental Cup, his fledgling career is developing well.

Pooley’s next race is at Summerlee in Glasgow Raceway tomorrow before he travels for the British Kart Grand Prix at PF International Circuit in Grantham next month.