A TEENAGE driver is willing to get his hands dirty as he looks to move up the grid.

Kyle Rogerson competes in the ORCi Ministox series and is looking forward to the new season getting under way.

It has been a busy off-season for the youngster, who lives in Tranent, as he has been helping his dad David at Rogerson Coach Travel garage, where the duo have been working on the cars.

Already, Kyle, 14, is determined to become a motor mechanic.

He said: “Most of my time just now is spent in the garage.

“I am either working on my cars or helping dad with one of our buses.

“I had a good 2023 season where I mainly raced at my home track, the Cowdenbeath Racewall, although I raced at Crimond, Skegness, Taunton and over at Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland.

“We had our first ever meeting in Northern Ireland and we were such a big hit with the promotion over there that they are going to start racing Minis there.”

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Kyle highlighted the work that went into ensuring the cars were ready for taking to the grid.

He said: “Our cars are based on a Leyland Mini but are stripped to a bare shell.

“A roll cage and bumpers are added and a full race tuned engine dropped into the engine bay.

“To race a Mini, you are only allowed to do so between the ages of 11 and 16.

“It is a contact formula and we are not shy at using our bumpers.”

Things do not go to plan on every occasion but Kyle was enjoying the highs and lows of competing at tracks across the country and beyond.

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He said: “One of my better meetings was at Nutts Corner.

“I won one of my qualifying heats and was second in the other so I started on pole for the Irish Open.

“I led the race for a long time but hit an oil patch and slid wide. By the time I recovered, I had dropped to 11th but after that I began to make up ground and I finished in third spot.

“The other that sticks in my mind was the Turner Trophy.

“I had done alright in my heats but it was a wet final and, whilst I was always in the top five, I began to close in on the leader towards the end of the race.

“I really got close on the last lap but ended up second.

“Things don’t always go to plan and in the summer we had a trip planned to race at Skegness.

“We blew an engine in practice but managed to borrow one so that we could race.

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“Rather than remove the engine from my other car, we borrowed an engine and did alright.

“We then had to remove the engine before heading home.

“I’m looking forward to this year.

“I start as a yellow grade driver and hope to get off to a good start and move up the gradings.

“We are going to do as many of the Racewall and Crimond meetings as possible but hope to do the Skegness, Taunton, Buxton and Nutts Corner meetings.

“I do most of the work on my cars myself but get a lot of help from my dad and [friend] Keith [Melrose] but there are a lot of others who help us out.

“I want to thank them and my sponsors for all their help and assistance.”