VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hunter Yeany, 16, has been a resident of Lagomar since he was just 2 years old. He is a professional racecar driver and World Champion.

In 2020, Hunter, son and oldest child of Bobby & Nicole Yeany, won the Formula 4 (F4) Championship, becoming the youngest winner ever of a Formula 4 series. Racing for the Velocity Racing Development group, last year was his single-seater debut in the Formula 4 Championship. He dominated the championship, becoming the youngest driver in the world to earn an FIA F4 title.

Ever since he was a young child, he has been in to cars. “I used to watch the movie Cars a lot, played with matchbox cars, looked at cars with my dad, etc.,” Hunter said. He gradually got into go-karting when he was 10 years old and did that for three years until he transitioned into racing cars at 13 years old. “One day my dad brought me into our living room and told me that him and my mom bought me a professional race car and that I could race it. I am very thankful to my parents for that because that was a huge step in my career,” Hunter described.

It was at his third F4 race at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, VA that Hunter realized he may be heading for the championship. He placed second in the first round, quickly jumping to first place and stayed in first place the rest of the season.

Hunter, who is an older brother to sisters Brooke, 14 years old, and Addison, 11 years old, said his favorite thing about racing is the adrenaline he gets from it. “Sometimes it can be scary in the moment, but I never want to leave it. The adrenaline I get from racing is almost like an addiction that I’m hooked to,” he described.

His passion for racing has given him the chance to visit some amazing places. Aside from racing all over the United States, Hunter has most recently raced in Belgium, France, Portugal, England and the Netherlands. After dominating Formula 4, Hunter earned his way into Formula 3 (F3) and is currently in Valencia, Spain working with the Campos team. His goal for this upcoming 2022 season is to place high in the F3 Championship with an ultimate goal of eventually making it into F1.

This humble teenager, who is homeschooled through an online program, said that he sometimes forgets that he holds a world record. “It’s kind of crazy when I think about it. You know I never really had a lot of success in go-karting, so when I started seeing success in racing cars, I wanted to become a really good driver and show everyone I could win. All the hard work that went into that really paid off,” Hunter explained.

When asked what challenges he faces with such a unique life as a young racecar driver, Hunter explained how sometimes it can be hard to travel so much. “I know I’m very lucky, but I do miss seeing my friends and family sometimes, but I love what I do so much. It’s funny because I remember when I was a little younger, I never wanted to be home because I always wanted to be out racing. Now that I travel and am on the road so often, my favorite vacation is being home because I don’t get to be there that much,” Hunter explained.

Hunter’s parents, Bobby and Nicole, explained how proud they are of him. “We are extremely proud of Hunter’s dedication and commitment to chase his dreams since he was 13 years old. It’s amazing to see him have so much dedication at such a young age especially coming from an area where there isn’t much racing around. He gives up a lot of time with his friends back home and misses out on some things, but he has such great friends in our community that always invite him to everything when he is home, which is nice,” Bobby said.

When Hunter is not on the racetrack, you can find him in the ocean surfing. “It’s like a balance of opposites. Surfing is really calming for me compared to always being on the go with racing. Hunter chooses to use his platform to help promote and support Veteran-owned businesses and organizations such as One More Wave. “I’ve always loved supporting veterans since my dad is a Vet, and I truly respect what they do for our country,” Hunter explained.

Keep your eye out for an upcoming documentary by ESPN where they will feature Hunter along with the four other American kids trying to make it to Formula 1.

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