YOUNG race ace Daniel Lloyd does most things quickly.
But even by his own speedy standards, the 17-year-old’s latest achievement was pretty impressive.
The Scammonden-based sportsman, who started go-karting in Batley in 2003, has just became legal to drive on the roads after passing his test.
But he didn’t need his L-plates for long.
In fact, before his birthday was over – and after just two hours of official tuition – he had passed his driving test with flying colours.
"Obviously I’m really happy to have passed my driving test on my 17th birthday and at my first attempt too," he said.
"I don’t know if this is a record with how quickly everything happened between the theory test and the driving test itself – we are still trying to find out."
Only the day before, Daniel had been reaching speeds of more than 100mph in his ELF Renault Clio Cup Car at Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire as he prepared for the 2009 racing season. Having swapped his race suit and crash helmet for the Highway Code and the keys to a somewhat less powerful 1.5-litre diesel engine Renault Clio, he wasted little time the following day.
He took and passed his driving theory test at 9am before his dad, Neil, then put a call into the Driving Standards Agency to find out if there were any test slots available in the Huddersfield area.
After finding out that there had been a cancellation for a spot at 1pm, Daniel embarked on the two-hour lesson at 11am.
He then breezed through his test without a problem.
Daniel added: "It’s a great birthday present and I want to say a big thank you, not only to my mum and dad, but also to Martin Bell at the Outlane Driving School in Huddersfield who was a fantastic instructor."
Daniel just hopes his success on the road can now be repeated on the track.
