Pearson made the switch from karts to cars partway through 2018 when he joined the Ginetta ranks, before contesting two full campaigns – taking two podiums en route to eighth in the 2020 standings.
He was then due to graduate to single-seaters in British F4 the following year with Argenti Motorsport, but had to put these plans on hold after he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in his pelvic area.
Yet the Yorkshire teenager was determined not to let his illness put a stop to his racing dreams and he continued to drive on simulators during his treatment.
He defied the odds to return to the F4 cockpit in January 2022, telling Autosport at the time: “As soon as I got on track and warmed up, everything clicked and it gave me a massive buzz.
“The motorsport community has helped me out so much. The support and kind messages from other drivers, drivers’ families, teams and fans has been overwhelming. It helps me get through it.”
He went on to drive with Chris Dittmann Racing that season as he made a brave return to competition.
Pearson scored a best result of sixth in the opening half of the year, but his campaign was curtailed after he broke his thumb in a crash at Croft and his cancer was subsequently found to have reappeared.
Source: Autosport