FWIW Bayne has been competing for 15 yrs.
The kid started in karts @ 5 yrs old, was a 3-time world karting champion, Hooters Pro Cup ROY @ 15, and a DEI development driver @ 17.
So while this is a Cinderella story to some extent, he’s really the product of a carefully crafted career plan.
I believe he even did his last 2 yrs of high school on line so he could devote more time to driving.
3 time-WORLD karting champion? That requires some real $$$. Are you sure? I thought as of 2010 - Lake Speed was the only American to ever do it.
One of the greatest stories no one ever heard of was how Lake Speed won the World Karting Championship in 1978 beating future F1 champion Ayrton Senna.
Senna had the big bucks and Speed was on a budget of peanuts. Lake somehow befriended Italian Teo Fabi and his brother.
Teo’s brother was eliminated but he gave Lake his kart tires. Those tires and Lake’s driving helped him beat Senna.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Speed