Having first experienced the adrenalin rush of the sport while attending a friend’s birthday party some five years ago, Dan hasn’t looked back.
“He loved it so much that my mother’s day present in 2015 was a family race day at indoor karts - lucky me!,” said mum Julie.
“His dad Bay had raced speedway at Avalon years ago and after seeing him handle a kart and enjoying it and begging to go karting every weekend, we decided to make some enquiries,” she said.
Dan commenced racing that same year and, as a member of the Geelong and Ballarat kart clubs, is now competing in the KA4 Junior Heavy category for 12 to 16 year olds.
He sports the number 46 on his kart - a tribute to his idols Daniel Ricciardo and Valentino Rossi.
It is not the easiest of junior sports to be involved in, conceded Julie. Each cart costs around $8,000 and race days can see the family travelling to all parts of the state.
Recently Dan notched up a win in Warnambool and this month will contest the Victorian Country Titles, ahead of the Junior State titles in Melbourne in April.
“He would like to be competing in the Australian Karting Championships in next few years and hopefully race overseas in Europe,” Julie said.