Rochdale teenager clinches national racing title in debut car season

Thursday, 11 December 2025 12:57

By David Murphy

A teenage racing driver from Rochdale has claimed his first motorsport championship in cars, finishing a standout season by lifting the Clubman Class A title in the 2025 Supersport Endurance Cup.

Eighteen-year-old Alessandro Ballesteros, known as Sandro, was crowned champion at the British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC) presentation evening last weekend. The event marked the end of his maiden year racing a purpose-built Audi TT in the national endurance series.

Sandro completed seven two-hour races in the endurance calendar, sealing the championship with a fourth straight win at Silverstone in the final round. The title win came despite early-season setbacks with persistent gearbox problems.

His consistent performances also earned him the overall runner-up trophy for the full Supersport Endurance Cup standings, where he competed on the same grid as well-known drivers including Colin Turkington, Rob Boston, Paul Sheard and Tim Harvey.

A former karting prodigy, Sandro began racing aged five and won his first championship two years later. At 14, his transition from karts to cars was featured in the CBBC and iPlayer documentary My Life on the Fast Track.

Alongside his racing success, Sandro is a recipient of the Autism Hero Award and has remained active in the community. He hosts autism-friendly karting sessions at TeamKarting, an indoor track in Rochdale, and also runs his own print and design business, Graph X Studio, which he founded to help support his racing career.

Speaking after his title win, Sandro said: “I am not really sure what happens next in 2026, but we are so proud of what we have achieved. We are such a long way from where we started, and that's thanks to everyone who has ever backed or helped me, and of course my parents who have worked so hard to give me opportunities to chase my dreams.”

Looking ahead, he hopes to progress to GT racing, though he admitted the financial leap to the next level is significant.

“Hopefully we can find the backing to keep progressing,” he said. “The step up to GT cars is pretty big in financial terms, but I would give that chance my absolute best. It has always been my dream to drive in the 24-hour Le Mans.”