A KARTING prodigy from Barry has set his sights on taking part in the qualifying competition for the Kart World Championships - once he's old enough to do so.

Thirteen-year-old Matthew Starke recently finished third in the Castle Combe Junior Karting Championship - one of the premier outdoor karting events in the South West - having only begun there as a novice last Winter.

But prior to that Matthew had been competing with, and winning in adult competitions since he was just 11 years old.

Although Matthew tried karting for the first time aged six, he had to wait nearly four years for his next opportunity - a chance encounter whilst on holiday in America.

Matthew's natural talent was clear to both his parents and grandfather and within weeks of returning home the young Barry schoolboy was hooked.

As a 10-year-old, Matthew secured the junior lap record at Team-Sport Cardiff and was racing against adults in a full-size kart by the time he reached 11.

"We just want to make sure he's having fun," said Matthew's father, Paul Starke.

"He'd stopped enjoying himself in Cardiff because it wasn't a challenge for him anymore. He was winning everything pretty comfortably, so we made the decision to step him up to adult racing.

"The first time he went it didn't go that well, but his attitude was 'it's fine, because I learnt so much.'"

Matthew's results didn't take long to improve however and after multiple successes on the indoor track, he and his family made the decision to go to Castle Combe, where Matthew could try outdoor racing for the first time.

After an impressive debut season in which he finished fifth, this season has seen the St Richard Gwyn pupil podium in six of the 10 rounds, winning three of them.

Whilst Matthew and his family are remaining well-grounded on his potential, sights are set on Matthew taking part in the British Rental Karting Championship (BRKC) in the future.

The BRKC is the UK's premier karting championship, also acting as a qualifying event for a place on the Team GB squad for the Kart World Championship. Entrants must be 14 or older to enter.

Paul Starke said: "We're taking it one step at a time. Obviously his schoolwork comes first and he'd like to mix that in some way with motorsport, maybe along the lines of engineering.

"Financially it's a difficult sport to get into, but there's no doubt he's made huge progress in the last two years and we'll see where that can take him.

"Hopefully he'll do the BRKC when he's 16, when he's got a little more experience. The guys in those competitions are the best adults in Europe, so it's going to be very tough.

"Our main priority is obviously that he's enjoying himself and we'll see where it goes from there."