A seven-year-old boy has become China’s youngest professional rally car driver after being certified at the age of five.
Shao Ziyan, from Wenzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, has amazed mainland social media with his professionalism and passion for the sport despite his young age.
According to his father, the boy became obsessed with car racing when he was a toddler.
He began using a racing simulator at home when he was one.
Noticing that his son had a “particularly great sense” for driving, Shao senior made a smaller simulator for him to practise.
He then bought an electric go-kart for his son, and soon Shao junior, a little over two years old, found the electric one too slow.
Shao senior upgraded the go-kart to a fuel-powered vehicle and signed his son up for professional go-kart training.
He said his son also learned from international car racing videos to learn moves from the professionals.
Shao senior said his son had even learned a move from the Japanese street racing animation Initial D.
At the age of four, Shao Ziyan already ranked 30th in the simulation game’s world rankings.
By comparison, his father, a much more experienced simulator player, did his best and only ranked outside 3,000.
Around the same time, Shao junior began driving a rally car, and could drive on an ice surface for 40 days.
When he was five, he also acquired a certificate validated by the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of China and became a professional rally racer.
His father had a second-hand rally vehicle, a Suzuki Swift, custom-made for him, which cost over 200,000 yuan (US$30,000).
Shao senior said his family was ordinary. He was a freelance photographer based in Beijing and his work was relevant to automobiles.
The money they spent on the car’s adaptation came mostly from Shao senior’s savings and from tips received on Shao Ziyan’s social media accounts.
Shao is now also an influencer with over a million followers on one platform.
Recently, Shao won a national rally race, reportedly becoming the world’s youngest rally race winner.
His father also became a professional rally racer to accompany him on his journey.
While some questioned how a minor could do car racing, Shao senior said what they did was completely legal.
They had to tow his car to the races because minors are not allowed to drive on public roads. The total cost of the vehicle’s modification and transport has exceeded 800,000 yuan (US$116,000).
Shao senior also believes that his son’s safety is guaranteed due to the design of racing cars and racing tracks.
He said his dream is to become China’s first World Rally Championship winner.
“We are witnessing the birth of a genius car racer,” said one online observer.
“Did he grow up drinking fuel?” joked another.
Rally racing, a sport that originated in Europe in the early 20th century, officially entered China in the 1980s.
The best achievement by a Chinese rally racer was made by 53-year-old Han Wei, who finished eighth overall in the 2023 Dakar Rally. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
