A JUNIOR racing driver is celebrating a stunning debut year in championship karting.

Adam Parsley, 12, from Harrogate, first drove a 200cc machine at the F1 Racing indoor circuit, in York, in September 2004.

Within weeks, he was fractions of a second off the lap record.

On his first outing at the 1.2km British Championship circuit, at Warden Law, near Sunderland, in March last year, he was singled out for tuition by coaches and, by June, was competing in the Karting North East Sprint Challenge.

He finished the series eighth out of 24 and was offered a drive with newly-established JJR Motorsport.

Adam has now been entered in the Northern Karting Federation championship and will be racing in Scotland, Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire over the next six months. F1 Racing has agreed to continue its link with the promising youngster by helping to fund his first year in competition in partnership with Yorkshire Water and image first.co.uk, a photography and exhibition company based in Otley, West Yorkshire.

Adam said: "For me, this a dream come true. I know I'm really lucky to have three businesses behind me in my first year and it's thanks to F1 Racing, Yorkshire Water and image first.co.uk that I have a place with a team in my first year as a novice.

"Because I'm still classed as a beginner, I'll have to start quite a few races at the back of the grid and it may be hard to win anything from there.

"However, the team wants me to learn as much as I can this year so I can improve and be in with a better chance of victories in 2007."