Fayetteville resident Sean Israel, 18, has had a lifelong fascination

with cars and racing. He has been racing go-karts for approximately six

years, but these aren't your run-of-the mill amusement park go-karts.

The go-karts Israel drives average 100 miles per hour and the racing

is intense. It has also paved the way for Israel to try out for formula

car racing teams.

Recently, Israel traveled to Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm Beach,

Fla. He drove a Van Diemen Formula Continental, a 2.0 litre single seater

that reaches 140 miles an hour. The tryout was for 10/Tenths Motorsport

and Israel thinks it went really well.

"The car was better than I ever thought; smooth and very responsive.

The set up was great from the beginning � once I got the shifting down,

the rest of the day was just play time," Israel said. "I talked

with the ower about what to expect from the car and just concentrated

on driving.

Israel, a graduate of Starr's Mill, will attend Perimeter College

this fall and plans to major in mechanical engineering. He is hoping

to have a long racng career and one day hopes to get into Formula One

racing or the American le Mans series.

Israel also owns SMI Motorsports, which he started three years ago

with his parents so that he could enter races as a privateer and not

under a big manufacturer. "By operating as a privateer, I've

had more freedom," Israel said explaining that he could choose which

races to run and when his vehicle was ready." It has also been a

family affair as his father, Adrian, has worked as his mechanic and his

mother, Christine, handles his public relations.

There are more tests in Israel's future as well as a race in the

Formula Ford Zetec/Cooper Tires series in October. His advice for many

of the aspiring drivers in the area is "to never give up and to

keep your heart in it."