Lewis Car Club is building the next generation of drivers as they host young teenagers on the track to show their skills and test their nerve.
Every second Saturday, the Club host their Autotest sessions at the Creed Motorsport Facility– which was especially created for young drivers to take a spin around the track in their own cars.
To make it work, a responsible parent or guardian has to be in the car with them, and they also have to own the car themselves – adding a bit of extra responsibility for the drivers.
Roddy Matheson, chairman of the car club committee, told WLS that the sessions give the kids “the chance to get out of the house and be social”, while also dedicating time to their hobby.
He added: “It’s also really good to just go ahead and let them out in the car and get rid of the frustration from the week.”
One of the participants is 14-year-old Robbie Scott, who has been attending the sessions since June this year. He told of how he enjoys the sessions and how they provide a mix of being social while also allowing him to develop his skills as a driver.
Robbie said: “I’ve been able to drive for years. We had some space around the house, but it wasn’t enough to do much. So, I found out that Eoghainn was drifting, he was telling me about it, I’m pals with Eoghainn. So then I found a car for £50, and I thought why not? I just took it out here and it’s something to do on a Saturday.”
Another young participant is Angus Mackenzie, one of the youngest drivers on the track at just 12 years old.
Angus joined the group about five months ago. With two cars, he stood proudly by his blue BMW, decorated with a sticker of his surname on the windows. He told WLS that he enjoys the track sessions as it is a mix of being “sociable and fun”.
Another young driver, Eoghainn Chalmers, 13, has gone as far as to showcase his skills in front of an audience after taking part in this year's HebDrift, which took place earlier this year in May.
Encouraging a new age of drivers, the club give them the space to learn about how to work with the car and stay in control before reaching the legal age to drive on the roads.
The sessions run all year round, allowing the young drivers to test their tyres in all types of weather.
Roddy said: “It’s good for them to go out in winter as well. It’s harder to control, and they learn a lot from it, they really do.”
The club want the sessions to be as safe as they can be, adding that there are “limits they have to adhere to”.
“If they go out there and start going crazy, then they’re off.”
The committee praised the young participants for their courage, but also their maturity.
A previous car club chairman, Iain Macleod, told the story of another driver who got into an accident in his own car but credited the skills he learned at the track as helping him to avoid disaster, saying that "without them he would've lost his car".
He said: “It’s more than just a drive about. You know if the car goes, in a blowout like that, they know how to get the car into control.”
Roddy added: “Another thing we hope they learn is to come out here and get it out of their system before they get out onto the roads.”
The club last met on Saturday 5 September, with their next meet scheduled for Saturday 19 September. To keep up to date with updates, follow the club’s Facebook page here.
This article has been updated since being published.
