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You'll find the name Axel La Flamme amongst the top sim racers taking on ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge, but he has overcome significant personal adversity in his motorsport journey.
Axel’s mother, Blair, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis before he was born, but raised Axel with the help of his grandparents.
"It was a bit different from your standard growing up situation," reflects Axel on caring for his mother at such a young age. “I took care of her when I could, along with everybody else.
“She wasn't able to speak and she wasn't able to walk."
Making a name for yourself in karting doesn't come cheap - the expense of travelling and ensuring that they have competitive machinery means that a lot of talented young drivers are unable to realise their dreams. For Axel, having to care for his mother and coming from a council estate in north London adds another level of difficulty, as the small independent outfit of 'Team La Flamme' - which consists of his grandfather and a mechanic - takes on the highly competitive karting series.
But his dream of making it to the top gave Axel something to focus on: "Karting gave me an emotional outlet, it was something that I could focus on and put time into, and you know, you could kind of just escape."
Axel's mother died last year and despite these challenges at home, he never gave up on his ambition of being a racing driver. "Things are different but I feel grateful for everything that I have," he said.
This resilience, forged in adversity, has seemingly instilled a fearlessness to Axel's race craft, and his raw talent behind the wheel was there for all to see in an inspiring drive in the 2018 British Open Championships.
Undeterred by starting down on the grid in 27th position, Axel charged through the field to win the race. And to make this feat even more impressive - he crossed the finish line with a commanding five-second lead.
A permanent feature in the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge in support of UNICEF, Axel now finds himself going up against some of the fastest gamers in the world, as they race for the chance to transition from the digital world to the real world and a once-in-a-lifetime drive in Formula E's all-electric Gen2 racer.
"Every driver wants to beat every other driver, it's exciting to race against the names that people know," says Axel on the prospect of taking on the top sim racing drivers alongside special guests including the likes of real-world racers including TAG Heuer Porsche development driver Simona de Silvestro and former Formula E racer and Panasonic Jaguar Racing's reserve driver Alex Lynn.
However, these names don't phase the 17-year-old: "It eggs me on, it doesn't make me back down to the challenge."
With a shift into eKarting in 2019, Axel has already made a race-winning start in the world of electric motorsport and sees this as a new route into the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, with his ultimate goal of racing in the all-electric street racing series.
"My inspiration is to be in Formula E, that's my future and where I hope to be eventually," he says.