A YOUNG karting star from Bahrain is currently in the United Kingdom, training hard for two big racing events scheduled for late summer.
Tye Mejia, 13, who was born in the kingdom to an American father and a Bahrain-born English mother, has been in England for the past six weeks, revving up his preparations for the upcoming British Kart Championships, scheduled for late July in Shenington, and the Kartmasters British Kart Grand Prix, which will take place in Grantham in early August.
“I’m pretty satisfied with how I’ve been doing in practice sessions,” Tye told the GDN by phone from Whilton Mill, in the Northamptonshire countryside, where he will take part in a club race tomorrow. “Of course, with racing, it’s how you do on the day itself that counts. But I’m feeling good.”
The teenager, who took up karting at the age of eight after having been drawn to the sport because of accompanying his maternal grandfather to the track from an early age, has been a regular feature on the go-karting circuit in Bahrain, where he competes for Northstar Racing.
“I’ve been with the team for the past two years,” Tye said. “I’ve competed in about 25 to 30 races and, although I’ve won just one, my driving has come along nicely.
“I also have some experience of racing in English conditions because I competed in a few races here in the UK three years ago. That experience, plus the hard work I’ve been putting in over the past month and a bit over here, should help me to do well in the big races in a few weeks.”
While his mum is also in the UK with him, the young karter is being chaperoned to his practice sessions by his British teacher, Simon Brewer, who is homeschooling Tye in Bahrain.
“He’s an absolute joy to be around,” Brewer, 45, who has been in charge of Tye’s academic progress since 2021, told the GDN by phone from Wilton Mill. “He’s smart, incredibly good at all the science subjects – and math – plus he’s so gifted on the race track.
“Actually, he’s quite amazing. The other day, I jokingly challenged him to a race and he was phenomenal – he lapped me so many times!”
Tye’s father, Jason, currently employed by Amazon, whose first visit to Bahrain was in 2001 when he was with the US Navy before he permanently settled in the kingdom a year later, and mum, Sophie, who runs a popular café, have both keenly supported their son’s passion for karting.
“Tye’s love for the sport was apparent from the first time he ever drove a kart at the age of eight,” Mejia, 41, told the GDN by phone from Dallas where he has been stationed as a senior operations manager for Amazon for the past ten months.
“As he’s grown older, Tye’s skill levels have also increased obviously. He’s extremely focused on improving as much as he can and is a quick learner. But he’s also very practical and grounded and knows which areas are his strengths and where he needs to put in some more effort.
“Interestingly, his racing nickname is ‘The Phoenix’ and he even has his own logo for it.”
But being a parent to a young child taking part in a sport that does not come without its risks can exact a toll, Mejia added.
“There’s always a certain amount of anxiety that I and his mother feel whenever he’s on the track,” he explained. “Also, for me, because I’m the one who’s always been taking him to all his races everywhere, it’s required a huge commitment, both in terms of finances and time.
“But watching him grow and flourish at what he does, along with the fact that karting is an amazing sport to help young people develop as human beings, means it’s been every bit worth it!”
Meanwhile, Tye is quietly focused on the task immediately at hand, which is the upcoming club race at Whilton Mill.
“It’s always good to take things one step at a time,” he said. “The big races in July and August are the next stage.
“You know, I get asked often if I would consider making racing a career as I grow older, considering that some of the current F1 drivers started off by getting into the karting circuit at the same age as I did.
“And my answer is: yes, that would be the main goal. But, as long as I’m in racing, it could be any circuit, not necessarily F1. It could be IndyCar, or some such.
“That, though, will come later. Right now, I have to focus on what I can, and plan to, do tomorrow.”
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