WHEN James Appleby took to the wheel of a motor racing car for the first time last year, having never even competed in go-karts, people told him and his dad, Richard, he was crazy.

But the 23-year-old Harrogate driver has proved them all wrong.

Appleby’s debut season in the Ford Fiesta Championship, driving a Class ‘B’ Fiesta Zetec, has proved such a success that the mortgage advisor for Yorkshire Bank has decided to step up a class – hoping the road will eventually lead to a stint in Touring Cars at some point in the future.

Having notched four podium finishes in his first six races, Appleby, who finished fourth in his debut championship season, is determined not to rest on his laurels. Although yet to take a chequered flag in victory, he has decided to move up to Class ‘C’ level when the new season gets under way in April and will be driving a two-litre Fiesta ST.

Appleby and his father run their car through Daniels Motorsport, paying a deposit on the vehicle while giving them a team to help with the regular expenses of maintenance and repairing damages sustained in a season of fast racing.

“There were mixed classes last year of older cars,” said Richard. “Going into Class ‘C’ is a step up. We went into racing as a father and son adventure. We didn’t even do karting. We decided to give it a go and last season was our first year in any motorsport.

“James did a great job and has gained experience. I put a deposit down on a car and it became ours for the year. We are not mechanics and we couldn’t run our own car. This is the best way. Now we are moving up.

“He could have done Class ‘B’ again and he would definitely have got some race victories this season but we wanted to stretch ourselves and that means going into a better class with a better car. He wants to compete in the Renault Clio Cup but the money needed there is frightening.

“To do a season in that, you need a budget of £100,000. This year in the Fiesta class is still £20,000, plus whatever in damage.”

For more information about Appleby, log on to the website www.jamesapplebyracing.com