Nate races to podium finish

Published 12:00pm 4 May 2021

Nate Wood took his speedway go-kart career to new heights at the SKAA 2020-21 Australian Championships in Tamworth.

The nine-year-old from Woody Point finished third in the sub junior (7-10 years) class – and but for a slip in the feature race would have been higher!

Nate started the feature race second and quickly took the lead but, went too high on a bend and did not get any grip allowing others to overtake inside.

Nate with his trophies at the Australian championships.

Battled back

However, the Southern Cross Catholic College student, who suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and has learning difficulties, fought back to finish third late last month.

Nate finished fourth-first-fourth-first in the four qualifying heats at Oakburn Park Raceway to start second in the title-deciding feature race.

“We were delighted with his performance,” says his father Ben, “he was racing in a new Benson kart, which went really well for him.

“But for that slip on lap seven …. it might have been even better.”

Nate Wood with his family at Tamworth

Family affair

Nate’s parents both raced at the national titles – Ben in the Standard class, Kelly in the Ladies - but pulled out after the first heat to concentrate on Nate.

Ben said his son’s next major meeting would be the Queensland Championships on May 16, at Sunstate Speedway Kart Club, Banyo.

He also thanked Topline Australia, Benson Racing Karts and Racing with Autism Australia. “Without them we wouldn’t be doing this,” he said.

Check out Nate’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/natejamesracing/

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