When it comes to mini-cup car racing, Rhett Pearce is turning out to be a natural.
The precocious 10-year-old from Crossfield only took up the sport in the spring, but has already churned out a few impressive performances on the Alberta racing circuit this summer, including a third-place finish at his most recent race in Medicine Hat.
Making matters all the more impressive is that Pearce is mostly racing against older kids, some of whom are 14 or 15 years old.
Formerly a hockey player, the Crossfieldian is enjoying his new sport, adding he likes the adrenaline-fuelled nature of seeing how fast he can go and vying to cross the finish line before his opponents.
“I like when I race other people and how fast we go,” he said.
Mini-cup car racing is just like regular car racing, but with much smaller vehicles that come with a weight cap. Including the driver, the vehicle – which comes up to the hip of an average-sized man – must not exceed 650 pounds.
However, the mini-cars can still reach eyebrow-raising speeds in excess of 100 kilometres an hour.
Pearce, who is preparing to enter Grade 5 at the Tanbridge Academy private school south of Calgary in September, said his involvement with mini-cup car racing started after he previously raced go-karts. He said he also enjoys watching Nascar and Formula 1 races, adding he hopes to race in those circuits himself one day.
To date, Pearce has competed twice, claiming a fourth-place finish in his debut race and the aforementioned podium placement at his most recent race in Medicine Hat.
With two races under his belt, Pearce said he's excited to continue the 2023 circuit by competing in events at a track in Wetaskiwin this Saturday (July 15) and July 22.
“We do it two times on one track and then we do a different track two times,” he explained of the Alberta circuit's format.
Pearce's parents seem just as excited about his involvement in mini-cup car racing as he does. His father Roy said by multiple accounts, his son has been called a natural by those who have been involved in the sport for longer than they have.
“They say he’s a sponge because they explain something to him and he just goes out and does it,” Roy said. “They say he’s a natural. He’s just very intuitive to catching on.”
Roy said Pearce has always been a bit of a “gear head,” with a healthy fascination for cars and machinery. That fascination, coupled with a need for speed, has blossomed into a strong start to his car racing career.
“He’s always liked a bit of speed but he’s really taken a liking to it,” Roy noted.
Pearce's mother Michelle added her son's always been athletic, having played minor hockey since he was five years old. However, after a less-than-positive season last year, the family agreed it was perhaps worth trying a different sport to bring Pearce's confidence up and find another sporting activity he enjoys.
“For the first time ever, we didn’t play spring hockey,” she said. “This is what we’ve been doing [instead] and it’s been fantastic.”
According to Pearce, his goal for the rest of summer is to continue doing well in his races. On top of that, he said he's hoping to secure some corporate sponsors, and is keen to find some Crossfield-area businesses that would be open to that type of relationship.
