Most childhood milestones were delayed for Wynne Bloom. He crawled late, walked late and talked late. At the age of 4, he was diagnosed with Asperger’s – a condition on the autism spectrum.
Wynne’s parents, Jennifer and David, just wanted their son to live as normal a life as possible with the syndrome. Although individuals with it are typically high-functioning, Asperger’s can cause hypersensitivities as well as struggles with everyday social interactions.
If anyone told Jennifer and David where their son would be in five years, they wouldn’t have believed it.
But they couldn’t be prouder.
Currently, Wynne, a 9-year-old student at Fairless Hills’ Oxford Valley Elementary, is an award-winning race car driver with Oaklane Quarter Midget Club, located in Trumbauersville.
“We never saw this coming,” said Jennifer. “His father and I have absolutely zero to do with racing. My husband’s a hockey fan, I love music. This is all my son, and this is a special interest that he has. People with Asperger’s, they have special interests and they become the expert in that special interest.”
His unprecedented passion was recognized at the age of 5, when Wynne’s teacher hosted a racing assembly at school. In order to support their son’s newfound love, Jennifer and David took him to a car show shortly after at Bucks County Technical High School, where he spotted a booth set up with Quarter Midgets.
“My son just lit up. He was so excited,” reflected Jennifer. “He had an interest in cars, but this took it to a whole different level.”
Last year, Wynne launched his rookie career at Oaklane, where he trained with older, neurotypical (or “regular”) kids. He even has a Quarter Midget to call his own.
“When he started rookie school, we bought him a car. He was doing chores and school work to basically buy the car from us,” said Jennifer. “Now, the car belongs to him. He earned it.”
To date, Wynne has four first-place trophies and one second-place trophy under his belt, and is poised to advance to the next level of Junior Honda.
“Once you win so many trophies, they move you up,” said Jennifer. “There’s actually a plate in the car. So, when you’re a rookie, it slows the car down and they change the plate out. Wynne is going to be moving up to a level where there’s no plate and the car will be allowed to go its maximum speed.”
When Jennifer shares this with her fellow moms, most ask the same questions. Isn’t it dangerous? Are you scared?
“I’m a little nervous,” she admitted. “But I’ve seen where Wynne has been and what he’s been through, and I’ve seen what racing does for him and it’s been amazing. It carries over to home, it carries over to school. I’ve seen him mature in so many ways. He loves it so much. How could I not want to support him in it?”
Wynne seems to have no fear when it comes to the increased speed. He’s excited and ready to give his peers a challenge.
“I like having competitors racing me,” he said.
According to Jennifer, her son doesn’t practice. While a major factor is the fact that Oaklane is over an hour away, an even bigger one is that he simply doesn’t need to.
“It’s the way his brain is wired,” she said. “There’s something very special here. For him to be able to have the courage to do this, it’s extraordinary. I couldn’t have at 9 years old. And he’s done this with a lot of support from the teachers at his school, the school principal. Everybody’s behind him to move forward. He’s got a lot of fans.”
There’s another fan in Wynne’s corner, one he and his parents never dreamed would take notice of his accomplishments – NASCAR legend Richard Petty. After dressing up as the racer for a school assignment, Wynne gifted the project to Petty’s son Kyle, whom he met at a car show.
“It came back in the mail and when we opened it, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, they didn’t want it.’ We opened the book and there’s photographs of Richard Petty signing it,” said Jennifer. “He wrote, ‘Great job Wynne.’ ”
As Wynne gets back on the track, which has resumed socially distant operations, Jennifer hopes his story is one of inspiration for other families impacted by autism.
“School is very hard for him. We’ve been so fortunate that he has this outlet. Racing really has been a motivator for him, and it has helped him to do really, really well. We want other kids who have Asperger’s to be able to realize their dreams, and for their parents to believe that your kids can do anything,” she said. “Wynne’s father and I, we just follow him where he goes. We’re following behind him and just supporting him in what he cares about.”
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
