For years Nigerians have been obsessed with motorsport, with a growing community of millions of fans from around the country. The most dedicated fans fly out to places like Abu Dhabi to watch the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton battle out on track, with many more watching tentatively from back home.
There is also a thriving community of enthusiasts who organise and take part in unofficial racing events around Nigeria which is most evident in places like Lagos and Abuja.
Until very recently, there hasn’t been any Nigerian participation in professional motorsport. There are many talented young Nigerians who have achieved impressive results in Go Karting but are left unable to progress due to a lack of infrastructure and funding for motorsport in Nigeria.
However there is an exciting young emerging talent currently racing in the United Kingdom - Ovie Iroro. He started his motorsport journey here in Lagos, where he won the first ever Go Karting championship he entered in at the age of 16. He later moved to the United Kingdom where he studied full time along with pursuing his racing career. He also gained further Go Karting experience by competing in the Rye House club championship and winning the award for the top rookie.
In 2014, history was made when he signed up to be the first Nigerian to ever compete in the British Formula Ford Championship, which is the same place the likes of Jenson Button and the great Ayrton Senna started their car racing careers. He achieved impressive results in his debut season, including top 10 class finishes and is currently undergoing a training program for a full on assault for the championship next season.
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