‘I used try to psych myself up but it never worked. I need to be relaxed, thumbs up to the photographer, having a laugh with the mechanics’

At 18, Jordan Dempsey is climbing the ladder of race car driving. Since he began racing cars in 2014, the Westmeath youngster has won multiple championships, earning him the Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year award in 2017. Having taken a timeout to complete his Leaving Cert, Dempsey is lighting up the FIA F4 Chinese Championship, winning six times in his last three events, at Chengdu and Ningbo. Now back in Mullingar, we caught up with the rising star.

Q: What age were you when you first got behind the wheel?