The boy’s journey to the driver’s seat began before he could walk. His father, a freelance automotive content creator based in Beijing, had a racing simulator at home. At the age of 1, the toddler was placed on his father’s lap and immediately showed an unusual feel for the steering wheel, his father told Chinese media. He built a smaller simulator tailored to his son’s size.
By 2, Shao had graduated to an electric go-kart and quickly declared it too slow. His father upgraded to a fuel-powered version and enrolled him in professional training. To study technique, the boy watched international racing footage and even mimicked driving moves from the Japanese street racing anime “Initial D”.
At 4, Shao ranked 27th globally in the racing simulator DiRT Rally 2.0, Theirs reported. His father, a far more experienced player, could not crack the top 3,000.
Around the same time, Shao transitioned to real rally cars and spent a total of 40 days training on ice surfaces. At 5, he obtained a driver training certificate validated by the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of China, becoming the country’s youngest certified rally driver, according to the South China Morning Post.
His participation in rally events has drawn questions about whether a child can legally race in China. The China Adventure Association issued a statement in 2023 confirming that Shao, then 4, held a valid RUNRACING Driving Academy certificate certified by the federation, and that his race car was transported directly to closed venues by trailer, not driven on public roads, in compliance with China’s Road Traffic Safety Law.
His father had a second-hand Suzuki Swift race car custom-built for him at a cost of over 200,000 yuan ($29,000). The family is not wealthy, his father said. Most of the money came from his own savings and donations from his son’s more than one million social media followers. Total spending on vehicle modifications and transport has exceeded 800,000 yuan ($116,000), according to the SCMP.
His father has also been training for his own professional certification to serve as co-driver alongside his son during races.
The boy’s stated dream is to become the first Chinese driver to win the World Rally Championship.
China’s best result in international rally competition belongs to Han Wei, 53, who finished eighth overall at the 2023 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
Rally racing originated in Europe in the early 20th century and was introduced to China in the 1980s. The sport remains niche in the country, where only a handful of drivers compete at the international level.
“We are witnessing the birth of a racing genius,” one commenter wrote on Chinese social media. Another joked: “Was this kid raised on gasoline instead of milk?”
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