Alyx Coby is a 14-year old kart racer from Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Alyx races in the IAME X30 Junior class in the Motorsport Ireland Karting Championship. In what is seen as a predominantly male sport, Alyx is showing it's not just for boys and is paving the way for female competitors. Competing against boys aged 11-16, Alyx is this first girl to compete in this category and is already making a name for herself in the world of karting.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Alyx started kart-racing at the age of 8. It wasn’t long until her natural ability shone through and she began entering competitions. In 2013, she won the Munster Karting Club "O Plate" and then in 2015, she was the first girl to win a national final at Cadet Level (age 8-12).
It soon became apparent that Alyx was a cut above the rest. At the age of 11, Alyx was the youngest driver competing at the IAME X30 Junior Class in Ireland - she was also the first girl! She drives a Fernando Alonso Kart with a 125cc IAME engine. This means the kart can reach speeds up to 100km/h.
Not finishing there, Alyx has since won a national final at the IAME X30 Junior class and held the fastest lap record in Mondello Park's Junior Karting Circuit last year. Placing 3rd overall in the 2017 Championships meant that Alyx qualified for the IAME X30 World Finals at Le Mans in France. This is an event where the top drivers in the world compete against each other. Again Alyx was the first Irish girl to compete at this event and she still regards this as one of her favourite achievements to date.
This season, wearing her favourite number 99, Alyx again sits 3rd in the IAME X30 Championship with five out of nine rounds completed. At the weekend, 8th of July, Alyx secured a podium finish at the Kart Racing Meet in Mondello Park. This was her fourth podium finish of the season.
Like her favourite driver Ayrton Senna, Alyx hopes she can follow the path from karting to Formula 1. With another four more series races to come, Alyx will hope to push on for the title and at the very least, qualify once again for the IAME X30 World Finals at Le Mans in France this October.
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