Toby Thompson (Sporting) Since 10-year-old Toby received the John McLaren Youth Award, he has gone on to win big. Last October, he took away first place in the KartSport Rotorua Club Champs, as well as first place in their Points Series. His mum, Megan, says that winning both of these made him the first in the Cadet ROK class to go back to back with these results. (Cadet ROK is a class where competitors must be aged between six and nine years old. The kart’s wheel base is smaller than the more standard 900mm, it has a restricted exhaust header, and an 11,000 RPM limiter.) Toby didn’t stop there for long. Later in October, he came away with First in his class for Round Three of the Top Half Series, which took place at KartSport Auckland. Megan explains, ‘This
was a particularly amazing effort, with it being a national event and after he had an absolute shocker the round before.’ Winning the scholarship has also allowed Toby to get some one-onone coaching sessions at KartSport Marlborough, where this year's Nationals were held over Easter. He was able to attend the three club days before Nationals and came away with yet another first place in Cadet ROK for their Summer Series. Not bad for the then eight year old who only started karting two and a half years ago. The following year, Toby was diagnosed with type 1, just a few weeks after his eighth birthday, but Megan reports that the resilience and determination that her son has shown since his diagnosis continues to amaze her. ‘The
way he has carried himself from challenge to challenge shows his strength of character and his grit and determination not to let anything get in the way of him doing what he loves.’ If he gets to follow his dream, Toby may well become his generation’s Cameron Waters, racing supercars and sprint cars. He also has a dream to race Outlaw Karts in the US. This year, Toby is hoping to compete in two national race series. The first is the Top Half Series, where he will complete three rounds at three different racetracks: Tokoroa, Auckland, and Rotorua. The second national race series is the GoldStar Series, which is also run over three rounds but this time at the Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, and Wellington racetracks.
Ten-year-old Toby’s racing heroes are Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, Liam Lawson, and Conor Daly. 18
DIABETES WELLNESS | Spring 2024
