WHEN Nikolas Goodfellow was glued to the TV watching motor-racing at the age of two, his parents must have guessed what he would end up doing.

And Nikolas, now aged 17, has not let them down.

The talented teenager is one of the country's top kart racers and next month heads to Japan for the Asia-Pacific Championships to pit his wits against the best young drivers in the world.

Nikolas, a pupil at Bolton School, has already raced in Portugal and Italy this year and is well on the way to fulfilling his ambition of becoming a Formula One driver.

"He's always been keen on motor racing, watching it from when he was very young," said Nikolas' father, Simon. "By the time he was three he was a rally car expert. It is a hobby that has become more and more serious."

Nikolas first went kart racing when he was seven but spectacularly 'rolled' his kart after just five laps. So his mum, Sandra, naturally put her son's racing career on hold.

At 13 he tried again and, racing for Chorley-based NR Racing, found he was a natural.

Progressed

He quickly progressed from racing at monthly club meetings through the ranks and is now so professional that he regularly spends full days training on the track.

Through contacts and word of mouth, he was offered a trial drive for Italian team Topkart and was a huge success and he will represent them at the Japan race at the end of November.

"He is looking forward to it," added Mr Goodfellow. "He is training hard at the moment, not just on the track but in the gym as well because kart racing is very physically demanding.

"A lot of his success is down to his enthusiasm and his dedication. He is balancing the racing with doing his A-levels but I don't know what will happen after that.

"He wants to be a Formula One driver but if he doesn't succeed he will probably become a technician or something else connected with racing because he is just addicted to the sport."

Nikolas has a sister, Krista, 13, and a brother Thomas, 11, but it is unlikely they will match his success on the race track.

"They don't like it," added Mr Goodfellow. "They think it's boring."

If, one day, Nikolas is a Formula One racer driving at glamour circuits like Monaco, his siblings might just change their mind.