Morpeth teenager helps team drive to victory in 24-hour kart race at iconic Le Mans track

The TSM team at Le Mans. From left, Thomas Braid, Ronnie Smith, Seb Parreira, Max Shields and Harry Nottage. Picture: Joao Parreira

Morpeth teenager Sebastian Parreira has had a great start to the new karting season with his team, TSM Racing.

The team is back home after winning the Clubman class at the 24-hour Le Mans kart race.

To make the win extra special, Seb drove the kart over the finish line on his birthday, turning 15 during the race last month (April).

Racing as ‘seniors’ (age 16+), they were the youngest team on the grid, with Seb and team-mate Max Shields only 14 years old as the race started, meaning they needed special permission from the organisers to take part.

They competed against teams from the UK, Europe and the USA, and faced some challenges – one of the engine chains snapped after 19 hours, resulting in an extended pit stop for repairs, and at the 23-hour mark one of the clutches started to fail.

Remarkably, the kart hung on for the victory.

The team completed 1,338 laps and 18 pit stops across the 24 hours.

Seb’s mum, Louise, said: “Racing against very experienced and terrific drivers, we didn’t have any grand expectations coming into the race.

“To go and win our class, two laps up on our next rival, was just fantastic.

“The lads all drove superbly well, they were all consistently quick and didn’t put a foot wrong.

“The whole Le Mans experience was just a dream come true for the team.”

The victory came after Seb and Max won the Clubman class at the winter British Prokart Endurance Championship (BPEC) earlier this year.

The team just missed out on promotion to the Pro class for the new season when the kart suffered a mechanical failure in the second round of races, having won the first round.

Currently, they sit third in the BPEC championship table, with rounds until November.

Seb will start his campaign at a local sprint championship in Sunderland next month (June) and the team will return for another high-profile 24-hour race in August, this time at Teesside Autodrome.

To keep up-to-date with Seb’s racing activities, visit his Facebook (www.facebook.com/SebRacing21) or Instagram (seb_parreira_racing_21) pages.

Seb would like to thank his sponsor, Simon Finlay Plumbing & Heating, who has supported him since he started competing.

If any businesses would be interested in sponsoring Seb, they can contact his family via Facebook.