Behold, world’s youngest driver who got his driving licence at the age of five

By Desire Emmanuel with agency reports

China’s Shao Ziyan is widely regarded as the world’s youngest racecar driver after becoming certified when he was only five years old, the country’s media reported.

At an age when most toddlers can barely know their left from their right, Shao Ziyan drove racecars both in professional simulators and in real life.

He was first exposed to racing simulators at the age of one and started driving race karts before he turned three years old.

In popular racing simulators DiRT Rally 2.0 and WRC 10, he ranked among the top 30 drivers globally, which prompted his father to retrofit his first rally car.

On April 9, 2023, five-year-old Shao Ziyan obtained the RUNRACING Driving Academy Training Certificate certified by the China Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, thus becoming the youngest licensed racing driver in the country.

Last year, he drove a modified race car to participate in the China Wuyi Automobile Rally.

According to Chinese media, Shao Ziyan’s father invested around $116,000 in modified racecars and advanced driving simulators, and also served as his co-pilot in rally races.

Although he is now eight years old and drives better than many adults, Shao Ziyan doesn’t do so on public roads. His racecars are transported to the race venues via trailers, in compliance with the requirements of the Road Traffic Safety Law.