A Perth, WA, schoolboy has won a V8 touring car race as a 14-year-old – still a year away from being eligible for a learner’s licence to drive on public roads. Racing a Ford Falcon driven by Mark Winterbottom in the 2006 and ’07 V8 Supercar Championships, Alex Rullo won Sunday’s third of three races in the second round of the Australian V8 Touring Car Series at Victoria’s Winton circuit.

He became the youngest winner of a national level touring car race in Australian motorsport history.

Rullo had been runner-up to 17-year-old Liam McAdam in the two earlier races at Winton. His win in the third sealed victory for the round.

He made his debut in the Kumho Tyre series – the third level of touring car racing in Australia, behind V8 Supercars and the Dunlop development series – at Melbourne’s Sandown in March.

The Falcon he drives is entered by Matthew White’s MW Motorsport and among the drivers he beat at Winton was his father, Peter.

The teenager said his success had been “a good way to end my last day of being 14”.

“It’s an awesome feeling – we had good pace all weekend,” he said.

“Having the extra support of dad competing here this weekend in the same event was great too.”