A COUNTY Durham teenager is heading to South America to take on the rest of the world in the karting championships.

Thirteen-year-old Max Edmundson, who has been karting since he was eight years old, is going to Brazil this month after being selected to represent Great Britain at the Rotax Max world finals, which start on November 24.

Max, from Bearpark, near Durham, was third in this year’s British Championships in the mini max class and won a golden ticket to go to the week-long event, which takes place in Conde, about two hours from Sao Paulo.

He said: “This is an opportunity which is a dream come true - being the only mini max driver to represent the UK in the world finals.”

The teenager, who goes to Durham Johnston School, will be travelling to Brazil with his dad Jeff, who is his mechanic, and brother Harvey, 15, who also does karting but missed out on a place in the world finals.

The Edmundson team will have to build a kart from a boxed kit before Max, who is the only British competitor in his class, takes on 36 other young drivers.

More than 300 young people from all over the world will be taking part in races between November 24 and December 1.

Mr Edmundson, who owns a garage in Stanley, said: “It’s all we’ve heard about for the last few months. He’s hyper about going.

“It’s a once in a lifetime achievement. I don’t think he realised what he’s done or how far he’s gone.

“Hopefully he’s got a chance of coming back a world champion.”

He added: “If he comes back a world champion then he’ll be seen by all sorts of people and who knows what could happen.”

Max and his brother first started karting about five years ago and have started racing all over the country, winning dozens of trophies.

Mr Edmundson added: “When he was eight he took an interest in it so we got two old karts. When we realised there was something there we got some new ones and he’s gone from strength to strength.

“I mechanic for them and we race most weekends, at least three times a month minimum. We go all over the country.”

He started at the track in Sunderland and is now a member of Trent Valley Kart Club, in Lincolnshire.

He started racing in local events, winning the Tyne and Wear Kart Club Championships in 2015 and in 2017, after moving up an age category, was third in the Northern Karting Federation.

This year he has started competing in the British SuperOne Championships, which he came third in.

Other achievements have been winning the Lakeland Challenge Trophy two years in a row and winning the Rowrah Club Championships in 2017.