Motor sport: Di Resta races towards F1 dream

Jun 18 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

PAUL Di Resta isn’t the only Bathgate bullet with his eye on a place in the starting grid of F1 after a new talent roared onto the scene.

David McNicoll may just be 12-years-old but he already boasts more than eight years racing and go-karting experience and he admits to harbouring a dream to follow in the tyre-tracks of the legendary Michael Schumacher.

“I started when I was four,” revealed David, “after getting a shot of a go-kart which one of my Dad’s friends had.

“I took to it quite early and was quite good so I kept going.

“I love it and my dream is to get into motor racing professionally.”

After honing his talents behind the wheel of a go-kart David took to the starting blocks for a novice year in competitive racing in February 2005 when he raced a Honda Cadet at West of Scotland Kart Club in Larkhall.

By the end of the year he had been crowned best newcomer in the WSKC awards.

The following year the ever improving talent stepped up through the gears to the Comer Cadet class and competed at club level in Scotland, coming second in the WSKC championship.

Next on the motor racing agenda was a place in the Motors TV series which was raced each month at Manchester and Buxton Kart Club (MBKC) near Wigan where he finished in sixth spot.

In 2007 David raced in the Super 1 MSA British Championship throughout the UK, the Club championship at WSKC and the National Kart Racing Association (NKRA) clubman championship which was also raced at WSKC.

Like Paul Di Resta and Lewis Hamilton before him David is starring at youth level.

He won the club championship at WSKC and he also won the Scottish regional NKRA and the British NKRA final in 2007.

Last year he concentrated on Super 1 MSA Championship and managed to finish in fifth place but he was left wondering what might have been as he had been occupying second spot until bad luck in the last round.

David also competed in the Cadet winter cup at MBKC coming third and last June he went on to win the Gold Cup at MBKC.

At the end of this season David and his Dad, also David, decided he should move up from Cadets (age 8 to 13) just before David turned 12.

The Bathgate youngster has now moved into Junior TKM (for ages 11 to 17) and has been steadily progressing and David has already shown great promise against drivers much older to cross the line in sixth place in the final of the Super 1 MSA TKM British championship.