A MOTORSPORT mad six-year-old is looking for a local sponsor after his parents spent thousands of pounds on a brand new kart, only to lose their money when the company folded.

Eddie Stewart caught the racing bug aged just four, and as soon as he was old enough to get behind the wheel his parents Laura, 38, and Mark, 45, took him to Swindon Karting in Wroughton, where he produced several track records.

Eddie, from East Tytherton then wanted to take the sport further and compete, and is currently leading the UK kart series for his age group at Shenington Race Track in Banbury, with several wins, podium finishes and personal bests this season.

Mrs Stewart said: “He just loves it. He lives and breathes it, he just wants to be a Formula 1 driver. He is always watching the Grand Prix on TV, he knows all of the drivers and all of the cars. We are very proud of him.”

The couple, who work-full time and spend a significant amount on Eddie’s races and training sessions, wanted to invest in a brand new kart to kickstart his racing career.

They were devastated when Veneno Racing, based in Trowbridge, stropped trading and the £2,000 plus kart never arrived. They paid for the kart last May, and have been fighting since last August to get their cash back.

“With savings that had been saved for him since he was a baby, we ordered and paid for a brand new kart chassis and engine, but sadly no kart arrived and the company has now stopped trading, leaving Eddie without a kart or even the money to buy another.

“It is a shame, it is a lot of money to lose and we had to get second-hand equipment,” Mrs Stewart explained.

“We don’t want him to miss out, it is a very expensive sport and we want him to get in as soon as possible.

“With the increased costs and circumstances, we are now looking for a sponsor to support Eddie for the rest of 2018 and into the 2019 season where he will campaign for the UK kart series as well as trying the national BKC championship.”

Eddie, a pupil at St Margaret’s Prep in Calne, said: “I like motorsports because the cars are really quick and I like that you can win trophies I have won a lot of them.

“I want to be like Lewis Hamilton when I am older, he is my favourite because he is quick and because he is with Mercedes.

“I want to drive for them when I am older.”

Potential sponsors can email Mrs Stewart on rosettagold@gmail.com: follow Eddie’s track progress on Facebook by searching Eddie Stewart Racing.