The great thing about writing for Littleport Life is that you’re always meeting amazing people whose achievements very often go un-noticed. One day I made a brief visit to the ‘Feline At Home Cat Hotel’ in Brickmakers Way to meet up with the busy cat lady herself, Adrienne, to see how they were getting on.
Her husband Lee, an aircraft engineer, was fixing a kart that turned out to be his son’s, which had taken a battering in one of the PF International Karting events.
Jake Boydell, who’s just 15, has twice been champion and runner-up in this highly competitive sport.
He is also a Second Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwan-Do and assists with teaching at Ely’s Paradise Club once a week.
It wasn’t until Jake took me into his very own private den that I discovered the enormity of his success. There were shelves upon shelves littered with glittering cups and medals for both karting and Tae Kwan-Do, and now I was truly impressed, and wondered why I had never heard or read about him and his achievements before.
When asked whose Jake’s sponsors were, Dad Lee replied “Me.”
“It would be fantastic to find a sponsor even though the racing events are not in Littleport. This is a local lad who just wants to continue what he loves doing,” said Lee, who said that his sport was racing motorbikes, but that he would always support his son, who he drives to all the race meets.
“Don’t forget I am also the mechanic so I have to go with him”, joked Lee, who admitted that Jake has never been one to take advice from his father.
“Jake wanted to learn his own way very early and he is now competing in his 5th year and I think he has done exceptionally well.
“He’s has had loads of crashes and some horrific ones too but luckily he has just walked away from them. There are no seat belts, and he has been thrown out of the kart a few times too.
“The competitors come from all over the country competing in places near Grantham, Sheffield, Red Lodge, Newmarket etc. There used to be a girl from Littleport who competed but I haven’t seen her lately. Girls compete in the sport too, although there are not many, they do very well”, said Lee.
Jake competes in the 11 to 15 year-old category, but at the end of the year he will have to change from the juniors into the seniors.