Logan Village lad to take on desert race

Despite not holding his full licence, Joshua has quickly built a name for himself since he started racing at the age of 14, with two Queensland Junior Off Road Championships to his name.

He is also the youngest person to place on the podium at the Queensland Off Road Senior Championships.

Mr Wiedman's rapid rise seemed unlikely years ago, as he said he didn't have much of an interest in off road racing for much of his life.

"I wasn't really interested in the sport," he said.

"But then dad got a buggy and let me drive it a couple of times. I thought it was pretty fun."

Paul Wiedman, Joshua's father, raced off road buggies in his youth said the sport was less about budgets than other forms of racing like the Supercar Championship but his son still came in as an underdog.

"It's not as money driven, which is what appeals to us about the sport," he said.

"Some of the cars are worth $300 thousand to $400 thousand, and we're running around in a $50 thousand car. We don't have the funds to throw around like they do."

The elder Wiedman will be accompanying Joshua on the Finke Desert Race, acting as both a navigator and supervisor, as Joshua only has a learner licence.

Joshua said he was mostly unfazed by the upcoming race, bringing with him the same attitude he took into his first race.

"A lot of people asked if I was nervous, but not really," he said.

"It was scary because I was racing against other people, but I wasn't that nervous I was more excited about the race.

"I'm not really stressed about the race, I sometimes get a bit nervous but that's because I'll be in the car for a long time."

Joshua is also set to make his rally debut at the end of April, which he said is where his long-term aspirations lay.

"Rally was originally the kind of racing I wanted to do, but it was way too expensive," he said.

"The buggy racing is a lot cheaper and it's still good fun, but rallies are what I want to do."

To help further his aspirations, the teen has enlisted former World Rally Champtionship driver Chris Atkinson as his driving coach and Paul said the support has paid off.

"I met Mr Atkinson work some years ago, and asked him if he could give Joshua any pointers as he started out," he said.

"It grew from there, now he's a really great supporter of Joshua.

"It makes all the difference having support from someone like that."

Joshua wanted to thank his sponsors, who had taken a risk investing in him while he was still very much a novice.

"All the sponsors, like KMC Wheels have really helped," he said.

"They've given us free wheels. We've also just got Link ECU on board for the rally car."

Joshua is also an ambassador for Jimboomba F45, as he begins a training regime to prepare himself both physically and mentally for the desert race.

Joshua's rally debut takes place on April 23, and he will also race in a round of the Australian Off Road Championship on May 8 before heading to the Finke Desert Race from June 10-13.