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Unus Alladin

British teenage sensation Tom Chilton can be forgiven for trying out the 3.8-mile Guia circuit in Macau the only way he knew how under the circumstances - he ran around it.

With practice not scheduled until Thursday, the talented 17-year-old Chilton needed to take a first-hand look at the circuit himself. Trouble was he doesn't have a road licence.

Forced to ask coach and manager Andy Constable to do the driving, Chilton took a spin round the famous circuit for this weekend's Macau Grand Prix in a normal car. Still not entirely happy, he decided to run the course.

'I can't hire a car in Macau because I am too young, so I sat as a passenger and we went around the circuit 10 times. I also ran round the circuit to get a closer look at it myself,' said Chilton, the youngest-ever driver at this year's British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), who will be behind the wheels of a BMW, in the colours of Edenbridge Racing in Macau.

'I ran the circuit in just over 25 minutes,' said the fitness fanatic, who will be competing in one of the most fiercely-competitive Guia races in Macau.

Although barely eligible for a road licence back home, Chilton has been driving competitively for 3.5 years.

He gained his competition licence from the UK governing body of motorsport when he become the youngest driver to compete in the 'T Car' Championship at 14. At 16, Chilton earned his international licence after winning the BRSCC Winter Saloon Car Championship.

Chilton made history on November 29, last year when he put a touring class Vauxhall Astra race car through its paces at Brands Hatch. Four months later, he was competing in the senior class at the BTCC, making history again. And in April, he finished third for his first podium finish at the BTCC for another history-making episode - not bad considering he was competing against much older and experienced rivals.

'It's rather strange to me,' admitted Britain's fast rising star, who has shown skill and maturity on the race track beyond his tender years. 'When I look around the grid, I say to myself: 'Blimey they are all so much older than me!'

'I plan to compete in the British Touring Championship for another few years. I hope to eventually land the title,' said Chilton who finished fifth overall in the Independents Cup and 15th in the overall BTCC standings.

While many boys his age dream of a career in Formula One, Chilton is keeping his feet firmly on the ground, abandoning any plans to head for the big time. For a a start, he is too tall to be inside a Formula One car.

'I am six foot one [and growing] and there are only 20 drivers in Formula One at the end of the day,' said the British teenage phenomenon.

'Yes, it is a hobby racing cars and I am trying to make a living out it. So far, I am making a good living,' he said.

For Chilton, racing at Macau will be a whole new experience. He has never raced on a street circuit before and he will be up against the likes of past Guia winners like flying Dutchman Duncan Huisman and Briton Tim Harvey, plus current Formula One driver, Anthony Davidson, as well as former Macau Formula Three champions Andre Couto and Jorg Muller.

Chilton would be the first to admit that he has a lot to learn and Macau will present him with another stiff challenge - but he said he was ready.

'Duncan Huisman [reigning Guia champion] will be giving me a few pointers [on the circuit] so he should be a help. Macau is not a normal circuit. You can't really see round the corners. There's always a barrier.

'Obviously, it will be hard competing against all those names, but I have competed against some of them in the BTCC. All the drivers are more experienced than me, but at the end of the day, it's the limit of the car. That's the way I look at it. I hope to finish in the top 10 in Macau. Anything can happen,' said Chilton.

Knowing the importance of a good education, Chilton has not dropped out of school just yet. He is pursuing a national diploma in motorsport engineering at Brooklands College in the UK. 'Even though it is really the work of the engineers [preparing his car in races], I would understand engineering more and I would therefore give more feedback. Hopefully, my engineering course would help me later in life,' he said.

With his racing career on track and his education firmly in place, Chilton certainly has a bright future ahead of him. Watch out for this young man in Macau.



Age no barrier for teenage charger