Liam Griffith from the Gwendraeth Valley is putting his learning difficulties aside because he dreams of one day being able to compete in a national quad biking championship and race a quad bike. The youngster is nine and suffers from autism and Aspergers syndrome but is not letting this stop his dreams.
Liam has enjoyed riding and wanted to race quad bikes ever since three years of age and through this he gained many skills and confidence, which in turn has helped him in life. However, it has not been easy and it has taken a great deal of hard work on his part with dedicated practice on the race track. The youngster started out on a custom quad, a basic vehicle and then moved up to a gear driven quad and now there is no stopping him. Liam began quad bike racing in 2010 but was turned down by numerous clubs because of his illness. The youngster persevered and finally joined the Bancffosfelen club and quickly developed more skills and came first in championships there.
Liam has faced many difficulties in life due to his illness and turns to quad bike racing as a distraction. He met one of his heroes Petter Solberg who has given Liam a great deal of encouragement. The youngster recently received a brand new ATV and got his license after having to put up a fight to get it. The license came just two days before a championship competition which was helped by a great deal of support from the community and the National Autistic Society.