How this Peoria-area teen became part of national pipeline to Formula One car racing

PEORIA — Mateo Naranjo is 16 and drives a car 130 miles per hour.

For which he gets a trophy, not a ticket.

That's because the Edwards resident is doing that driving on a race track, in his rookie season on the Formula Race Promotions F1600 series, a national circuit that develops future Formula One racing talent.

The Peoria-area teenager has raced at Road America, Sebring International, Pittsburgh International Race Complex, Road Atlanta, New Jersey Motorsports Park and others.

"My mom is cool with it," said Naranjo, whose given name is Sebastian but prefers to use his middle name, Mateo. "My parents have confidence in me, know I can drive. It's all part of the plan.

"I just enjoy driving cars really fast, love the competition."

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Formula Race Promotions' F1600 series is also known as Formula Ford, an entry-level class of single-seat, open-wheel Formula car racing. It's regarded as the first major stepping stone from go-kart racing, and championships are staged worldwide to give experience to future Formula One drivers.

"We're driving an open-wheel Formula car with no wings," Naranjo said. "These are machines that on the track you are able to push to the limits."

Behind the wheel of a fast and expensive car

Naranjo was recruited to drive for Team Pelfrey, a group out of Florida. He also has his own race organization — Mateo Naranjo Racing — and has physical training through Ares Elite Vision.

Team Pelfrey has him in a 2013 Mygale SJ13, a yellow ride marked No. 80. That type of car costs anywhere from $65,000-$85,000. He has a full team, from mechanics to transporters and advisors.

The Edwards teen has already reached the podium multiple times. He turned in a pair of third-place finishes at the Sebring Super Tour, a second- and third-place finish at Road Atlanta, second- and fourth-place finishes at Road America on July 9, and a win in the third race at Pittsburgh International Complex in June.

On the Sports Car Club of America circuit, he finished sixth and third in a pair of races in the Hoosier Super Tour June Sprints at Road America.

The starting line was in Colombia

Sebastian Mateo Naranjo was born in Medellin, Colombia. His father, Andres Naranjo, was his guide into racing go-karts. His mother, Laura Speake, holds a PhD in economics and is a chief economist/energy and transportation, for Caterpillar.

"I was recruited by Caterpillar, and that's how we moved into the Peoria area," she said. "We've been in Edwards now for nine years."

Naranjo, an only child, grew up playing baseball and soccer.

"We had no racing past in our family," Naranjo said, laughing. "I dragged the whole family into this."

Said his mother: "He started telling us at age 3 he wanted to be a race car driver."

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He has seen his native country, calls it beautiful. Now he's seeing the U.S. from behind the wheel of a race car, on circuits that race in Florida, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other states.

He's getting Formula One education on the track. Off of it, he's enrolled an online education program through Sora Schools.

"The school is online virtual, project-based learning," Speake said. "The advantage is the flexibility it gives. It has been tremendous."

Naranjo has completed two years of high school — he is a class of 2025 student — and holds a 3.75 GPA. He is already earning credits from classes through a dual-credit program at Arizona State University, where he wants to be a mechanical engineering student with an emphasis in automotives.

Already at Sora he serves as a house president, and is co-founder and vice-president of the automotive club.

"With our school, every six weeks we have a cycle, can see all our assignments, what they are and what we need to do," Naranjo said. "This allows me to work as far ahead as I want. I have more time to focus on racing at the track. I can do school at my pace."

The kart came before the horsepower

Naranjo knew at age 3 he wanted to race cars, but before he made that transition in 2023, he began racing go-karts at age 9.

"This is my first full year in cars," Naranjo said. "I started out with karts when my father took me to an indoor karting place in Springfield. We asked questions and shortly after that bought a kart."

He raced go-karts for six years, including a four-year stretch with Trinity Karting Group at the regional and national level.

"For two years, it was just me and my dad figuring out what to do," Naranjo said. "We had some people helping us at the track. Turning laps and learning what to do. In my third year, I wanted to go faster so we looked at joined (Cincinnati-based) Trinity Karting Group out of Cincy.

"Now it's my first year in cars. I was 14 when I first drove a car, to get my competition license. I did testing — 3 races in cars — in 2022."

'Go faster'

Naranjo's go-kart career is behind him. Now it's all about driving for Team Pelfrey on the Formula Race Promotions circuit. There are seven race weekends with FRP. There are another six weekends with Sports Car Club of America. Naranjo plans to drive all 13.

Races are not lap-specific, but instead are run against a clock that counts down from 25-30 minutes. When the clock hits zero, there is one final lap and it's over.

And there is constant training for the track. He used to watch German driver Sebastian Vettel when he was on the Formula One circuit, "because he had my first name. But if I find racing on TV, I'll watch it."

Part of his racing support comes from Ares Elite Sports Vision, a training service designed to enhance athletes' eyes and speed up reflexes and processing of information by the brain.

"I train to improve my vision acuity," Naranjo said. "There is a fitness program, too, designed for motorsports. And there is a racing simulator to use for practice."

But there's nothing like the real thing.

"My approach is simple — go faster," Naranjo said. "I love to race, push the machine, compete. And go as fast as possible."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Teen driver from Edwards part of national Formula Race Promotions series