A ten-year-old kart racer has gone viral online with nearly 22 million views of a video showing his impressive gear-changing skills – beating even Lewis Hamilton in the Instagram stakes.

Thomas Potter has wowed viewers internationally on Instagram with his “heel-toe gear changes”, filmed on a simulator in his bedroom at home in Bowburn, County Durham.

"This kid is only 10 years old - Watch his feet", the video on @thomaspotterracing proclaims.  

Thomas said: "I am amazed by the reaction I got. l am really excited. I never expected to get so many views.

The Northern Echo: Go-karter Tom Potter, pictured in the simulator at Teesside Karting Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTGo-karter Tom Potter, pictured in the simulator at Teesside Karting Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

"I hope that it is like this for a long time. I hope to become a Formula One driver one day or a racing car driver."

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Thomas already has made an impressive start to his racing career with a string of awards and will be starring in an upcoming documentary.

He is also signed up for the final round of the prestigious Ultimate Karting Championships at Warden Law in Sunderland.

The Northern Echo: View Thomas' video on Instagram @thomaspotterracingView Thomas' video on Instagram @thomaspotterracing

Thomas was inspired to race by the success of his older sister Catherine, 15, who already has series of awards under the belt.

Thomas has won 34 consecutive qualifying races on three tracks and is taking the sport by storm.

Dad David Potter, who is a driving instructor, said: “We are so proud of him.

The Northern Echo: Go-karter Tom Potter, pictured in the simulator at Teesside Karting Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTGo-karter Tom Potter, pictured in the simulator at Teesside Karting Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

"He is taking on big teams on low budgets. Thomas has put random videos on Instagram and Tiktoks of him driving a manual car.

"What has attracted this attention are his heel-toe gear changes, which is a professional way a racer will change gears in a manual car while braking.

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"It's a forgotten skill, with the popularity of automatic race cars now, that even experienced drivers find difficult to master."

Mr Potter said: "He had his first run in a 50cc Bambino kart at Warden Law when he was six. We were amazed by how quickly he got to grips with the controls - especially due to the fact it was raining. Within no time at all he was controlling skids.

The Northern Echo:

"He started getting competitive so we put him in races."

Thomas has recently lapped faster than some of the British champions who run in big teams, who tend to have huge budgets, private mechanics and coaches.

Thomas only has his dad as a mechanic.

He won the Teesside Sprint Championships at seven, followed by a further three championships as a Honda Cadet.

He is currently winning the Teesside Summer Championships and is starring in the new documentary Drive to Survive which will soon featured on major streaming platforms including Amazon Prime. 

For more information visit Thomas website on thomaspotterracing.com.

The Northern Echo: Go-karter Tom Potter, pictured in the simulator at Teesside Karting Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTGo-karter Tom Potter, pictured in the simulator at Teesside Karting Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

 

The Northern Echo: Go-karter Tom Potter, pictured in the simulator at Teesside Karting Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTGo-karter Tom Potter, pictured in the simulator at Teesside Karting Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

 

 

 

 

 

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