"Before the race, we had a hot-lap qualifying lap. This meant we only had one lap for the fastest time to get pole position on the grid when it really mattered in the 40-lap race," he said.

Ayden was confident going into the race that he could win the championship, barring a seventh-place finish or a breakdown.

"I was determined to win the last race, and as well, I did my personal best time," he said.

An added achievement is being the fourth fastest on the track in the adult class.

"This lap time makes me the fourth fastest on this year's timings out of every adult who has driven at the track this year," he said.

Ayden's passion for go-karting is a family affair. His parents, Matthew and Kaylene, take him to the racetrack every week after he finishes school and were there to see him win with a personal best time.

"Ayden has been racing for two years, and to perform as he did at the championships was a great achievement," Mum Kaylene said.

"It is really exciting. We trek down the highway every week to watch him compete. "

Family trips to Melbourne and visits to the go-kart tracks sparked his interest, and his mother said that being part of the Drive to Survive program may have influenced him, too.

"He's been committed, and he has seen the results of his hard work," she said.

"We are very proud of him,"

Ayden is in year 11 at Marian College in Ararat and plans to study engineering.

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