A budding 11-year-old driver burst into floods of tears when burglars stole his beloved go-kart just days before he was set to race his “pride and joy”.

Matthew Hawkins and his father Christopher had worked tirelessly during evenings and weekends to ensure the bright green Maranello RS1 go-kart chassis was race-ready, including fitting a Honda GX160 engine and assembling parts.

The Ormiston Victory Academy pupil had taken his first steps on the motorsport ladder by joining the National Schools and Youth Group Karting Association (NatSKA) and completing a series of tests to ensure he was qualified to take to the track.

He had been excited about putting on his racing overalls to compete at an event in Wales this weekend.

Mr Hawkins said the go-kart had been his sons’s “pride and joy” and added: “He was just standing there in shock. He was dumbstruck.

“About half an hour later, he was in floods of tears when he realised he wouldn’t be able to race this weekend or at any time in the future.

“He had really got a bug for it. Every weekend we would do a little bit of work on it. It’s an escape from school life and he’s a completely different person when he’s at the track go-karting.

“The go-karting community is quite a nice place and he’s made quite a lot of friends. It’s hard to see him in the tears he was in. He was supposed to be racing this weekend in Wales. Now we can’t afford to replace it and my son is devastated.