Here is the thing about touring cars: they chew rookies up and spit them out. But as Autosport reports, Excelr8 Motorsport is throwing a teenager straight into the deep end for next season. Noah Young is making the enormous jump from the Ginetta Junior series directly into a Hyundai i30 N Fastback.
That is not a typo. The kid is just 16 years old, and he has secured at least a two-year deal to race alongside two-time title winner Tom Ingram. When Young lines up on the grid for his debut at Donington Park next April, he will be 16 years and 11 months old. That makes him the youngest driver in history to tackle a full season in the BTCC.
Racing in the BTCC is a big step up for him as the action is relentless and there is nowhere to hide, but I have no concerns about him joining the grid despite his young age,
He shatters a long-standing benchmark previously held by Tom Chilton, who debuted back in 2002 at the age of 17. Coincidentally, Chilton's retirement from contemporary racing at the end of this season has freed up the exact seat Young is stepping into. What makes the trajectory even wilder is that Young had zero karting experience before spending two seasons in Ginetta Junior, where he finished 12th in this year's championship under the direct coaching of Ingram.
Young has already gotten his first taste of the Hyundai, testing the machine at Donington this week with more mileage planned before Christmas. Ingram clearly believes in his protégé, noting that the youngster asks the right questions and absorbs feedback immediately.
“Racing in the BTCC is a big step up for him as the action is relentless and there is nowhere to hide, but I have no concerns about him joining the grid despite his young age,” said Ingram. “He’s got the racecraft, he has a mature head on young shoulders, and I’m sure he will fit in well with the team. I'm looking forward to having him alongside us in the garage.”
For Young, the reality of piloting a touring car in the UK's most high-profile motorsport series is still sinking in, but he knows the challenges ahead are immense. “I’m under no illusions that this is a big step up for me and that there are going to be plenty of challenges ahead, but I’m ready to tackle them head on and I cannot wait,” Young said. It is a massive gamble for a teenager, but sometimes you just have to watch a fast machine and see what happens.
