This weekend we race at Rye House, the karting alma mater of Sir Lewis Hamilton. As one of the most competitive and demanding UK tracks, this venue is going to be a big test for Orange 91. And it’s not just a track that Nelson’s never been to. Rye House race scrutineers don’t take prisoners: post-race engines are removed for inspection, karts are critically weighed, bodywork is measured and fuels tested before race results are   officially confirmed. It is, put simply, at another level.

And so are Nelson’s competitors. Professional kart teams, such as Synergy, have karts racing hundreds of times a year in the UK by an array of pro-karters. They have access to engines with different top- and bottom-ends to suit different tracks and an immense engineering and race database to draw from. We don’t. Our small, 2-kart team has a daunting challenge ahead. Team director, Salvatore of Savvy Racing, knows what’s in store. The aim is to stay with these guys as closely as possible.

Saturday morning arrives in the shape of a typical overcast, autumnal day. Early morning mist that made Practice interesting has now gone. Quali kicks off at 14.31 hours. It’s slicks for the moment. 12 laps and 19 karters. Nelson looks quick but gets edged out to 5th fastest. Only 3/10ths separate the Top 6. The Synergy karts take 2^nd & 3^rd. Max Wheatley takes pole for Luke Christie Racing (LCR). Unsurprisingly. Driving since a very young age, his knowledge of Rye House is millimetric. We take some comfort that both Nelson and Akille (6^th), his team mate, are on the pace of karters who competed throughout the ‘23 season in the British Kart Championship.

Sunday’s Heat 1 is at 10.46. Nelson starts 5th but the karters in front are slow off the grid and bog him down.  He applies himself, keeps out of trouble and maintains good pace. There are only a couple of tenths a lap separating the top 6 karters – over the entire race.  At the chequered flag Nelson drops a place to 6th. Wheatley keeps his top slot from yesterday’s Quali. The Top 3 are in a class of their own… for the moment. Time for a cuppa and a team debrief.

Heat 2 starts at 13.47. Same track conditions. Nelson starts 6th. The ‘Rye House Rookie’ has it all to do. Once again Nelson’s ‘track-dar’ is honing in. Little slices of time are salami’d off each corner. He finishes in slot 4, less than 2 seconds behind the winner [Mr Wheatley again]. A 2-slot improvement at this level is solidly impressive. 

It’s Show time. The Final starts at 16.42 hours. Another 13 laps. Can Wheatley hold on to his top slot ?  Can Orange 91 get quicker as he learns the track? They get off well with a rolling start. No one gives any quarter. The Top 3 draw on their track experience and put some daylight between them and the chasing group. The British Kart regular, Leo Livings, leads Nelson and Akille. All three, now covering 4^th to 6^th, stay clear of the rest of the field. Racing is fast, hard and consistent. Now the floodlights come on in worsening conditions, irradiating the karts like so many fluorescent multi-coloured insects under the darkening skies.

Nelson won’t give an inch, lap after lap. Finally, consistency pays off. On the last lap – just with a couple of corners to go – Nelson finds the space to edge out Livings, squeezing cleanly into 4^th and stays there to the chequered flag. And the good news doesn’t stop. Ben Lorne, in third, gets a penalty, giving Nelson a leg-up to the podium. We’re well pleased: first time out at Rye House and we get third. And that’s for a rookie who’s never seen the track before.  Rye House tops Nelson’s weekend off with the accolade: ‘Driver of the Day’.  Nelson’s phone rings: is it Mum or Sir Lewis with the congrats ? We can but dream. The race continues.

[*Just 368 days of karting under Nelson’s belt so far].