A WOKINGHAM racing fanatic is hoping to be the next big thing in motorsport while bravely battling a cruel bone condition.
James Roots, 8, from Wokingham has burst onto the motosport scene and became the youngest ever child to win the coveted Bambino Karting Winter Club Cup in 2022, as well as winning the UK Plate and he also achieved second place in the British Karting IAME Bambino Championship.
James was stopped from playing football when he was diagnosed with bone condition Perthes, but has been able to restore the smile on his face through karting and has shown that his disability was not going to be a barrier.
James’ Perthes diagnosis in 2021 came as a devastating blow and worry for the family, with James being unable to walk.
The rare disease, affecting one in 9000 children, causes a loss of blood flow to the leg which leads to a deterioration of the pelvis. The gut-wrenching news that he had Perthes disease saw young James face a series of gruelling major operations to stem the damage and to reset his hip.
It is a disease which will see him need further operations for years to come. Perhaps most cruelly for him, it meant that super-active James could no longer play football or run in the playground with his friends.
Instead, James was able to find friends and focus on karting, which his dad had already started to teach him.
James said: “I love the overtaking, the starts and when I do moves on people to get past them. I just love it, it is who I am.”
Mike says James’ unique aptitude and interest for vehicles was evident from babyhood:
“As a baby, James was absolutely fascinated by wheels and how they worked. He would sit and play with them for ages. He’s always been a demon for speed whether it’s running or riding, and seems to have lightning reflexes.
“But we noticed he had amazing balance too. He never needed stabilisers on his bike – just having turned three, he climbed straight on a two-wheeled bike and rode off. He seemed instinctively to know how to keep it balanced. He uses the same skills when he’s driving and cornering too – judging really accurately how to keep the kart on the edge of adhesion.”
James is following in the tyre-tracks of Formula 1 legends such as Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button who both began their racing careers in the same prestigious karting championships. There are some echoes of Bruce Mclaren, the founder of Formula 1, who also had the same rare disease.
The UK karting scene is known as the most competitive in the world and young James races against drivers who travel from around the globe to compete with the best.
While the notoriously expensive sport attracts wealthy international competitors with professional support teams, James competes with the support of his ex-karter dad to coach him and prepare his vehicle.
As a former karter, Mike has learned to be an adept mechanic. Other wealthy international racers may reap the benefits of their better resources and the family are looking for partners who they can represent across multiple social media channels which cover these highly competitive national and international karting championships.
