Caleb McDuff Backs World Champion Riley Davies
South Wales racing driver Caleb McDuff, founder of the CAL38 Community Interest Company (CIC) and one of Britain’s most recognisable young deaf athletes, has announced his support for local Taekwondo World Champion Riley Davies as the youngster prepares for his next international challenge in Croatia.
Caleb, 18 from Pontypool, first met Riley and his father Jason when they visited Caleb at the paddock at Oulton Park race circuit during Caleb’s GT4 campaign with Team BRIT in 2025. The pair spent the day in the garage learning about Caleb’s unique communication technology and experiencing life inside a professional race team environment.
Since then, Riley’s own sporting journey has gone from strength to strength.
The young fighter from Pontypool recently returned from the 2026 Taekwondo International World Cup in Canada as a World Champion, bringing home an impressive collection of medals.
Now Riley is setting his sights on his next international challenge, with hopes of representing Wales as an independent competitor at the Taekwondo International Open Championship in Croatia.
For Riley, Taekwondo became much more than simply a sport.
After experiencing bullying at school, he discovered martial arts as an outlet and quickly developed a passion for training, competition and self-improvement.
What began as a way to build confidence soon turned into success on the national and international stage, with Riley’s determination and work ethic helping him progress rapidly through the ranks.
Supported by his family and coaches, he recently travelled to Canada to compete against some of the world’s best young athletes, returning home as a World Champion and further strengthening his reputation as one of the area’s brightest young sporting talents.
Now, with Croatia firmly in his sights, Riley is aiming to continue that journey on the international stage.
Like many young athletes competing overseas, however, travel, accommodation, entry fees and equipment costs mean that international competition relies heavily on fundraising, sponsorship and community support.
It was a challenge Caleb recognised immediately.
Despite currently facing his own sponsorship challenges ahead of the next step in his racing career, Caleb was determined to ensure another young athlete’s dreams did not stall through lack of support.
Through CAL38 CIC, Caleb has committed to supporting Riley’s campaign through both a financial contribution and by using his own sporting and media platform to help raise awareness of Riley’s story and ambitions.
By sharing Riley’s journey, Caleb hopes others may also be inspired to support another one of Wales’ most promising young sporting talents as he continues his rise on the international stage.
Caleb McDuff said:
“I met Riley last year when he came to watch me race at Oulton Park and he and his dad spent the day with us in the garage.
When I saw he had competed in Canada recently and was now looking to compete overseas again, it reminded me of the challenges I faced in motorsport at his age.
He is a local lad, and the way he converted his experiences with bullying into determination to compete and win is a story that really hits home.
I love Riley’s motivational energy and his attitude towards life and sport.
Having experienced bullying myself growing up because of my deafness, I know how important sport can be as an outlet and a source of confidence. Seeing Riley turn his own experiences into motivation to succeed is something I have huge admiration for.
Although I was unable to secure the sponsorship I needed to race this year myself, being able to use my platform in sport and the media to inspire and support the next generation is such a privilege.
Motorsport changed my life and opened doors I never thought possible. I want to use everything racing has given me to help create opportunities for others and inspire the next generation to chase their own ambitions, whatever they may be.
It’s great to be able to give back, and inspiring stories like this are exactly why we set up CAL38.”
Born hearing, but becoming profoundly deaf at age two due to severe ear infections, and now wearing cochlear implants, Caleb began competing in karting at just four years old, using motorsport as an escape after experiencing bullying himself because of his deafness during his early school years.
Rather than allowing those experiences to define him, he channelled them into determination on the track, progressing up the ladder of British karting before becoming one of the country’s best-known deaf racing drivers and the first deaf driver to compete in international GT competition.
In 2025, age just 16, Caleb competed in the Britcar Endurance Championship in a McLaren GT4, while his achievements both on and off the circuit were recognised in 2024 when he was awarded Deaf Sports Personality of the Year (Under 18).
Away from racing, Caleb and his father Ian developed pioneering communication technology that streams race engineer radio messages directly to Caleb’s cochlear implants, allowing him to compete on equal terms with hearing drivers. The technology has since attracted interest beyond motorsport and has recently been successfully trialled in aviation.
When not racing, Caleb regularly visits schools, charities and organisations around the UK, sharing his story with deaf children and young people to show that hearing loss should never define ambition or limit potential.
From demonstrating his communication technology to allowing young cochlear implant users to hear race engineer radio messages directly through their own implants, Caleb has become a passionate advocate for accessibility, inclusion and inspiring the next generation.
Supporting Riley’s journey is a natural extension of that work.
Through the CAL38 brand and Community Interest Company, Caleb is committed to using his profile, experiences and platform to inspire others, remove barriers and create opportunities for the next generation of young people pursuing their dreams in sport and beyond.
For Riley and his family, Caleb’s support represents far more than financial assistance.
It is recognition from somebody who understands first-hand the sacrifices, setbacks and determination required to compete internationally while chasing a dream that can often feel out of reach.
As one young Welsh sporting talent supports another, the partnership perfectly reflects the ethos behind CAL38: that success is not simply about winning races or medals, but about opening doors for those who follow.
Riley Davies said:
“Meeting Caleb at Oulton Park last year was amazing and spending the day with him and his team was something I’ll never forget.
To have somebody like Caleb supporting me means a lot and gives me even more reasons to work hard and do my best in Croatia.
I want to keep improving, keep competing and hopefully inspire other young people as well.”
Jason Davies said:
“Riley came away from Oulton Park absolutely buzzing after spending the day with Caleb.
As parents, you can see when somebody has genuinely made an impression on your child, and Caleb certainly did that day.
Since then, Riley has followed Caleb’s racing closely, so for Caleb to now turn around and support Riley’s own sport means a huge amount to us as a family.
The reality is that competing internationally as a young athlete comes with significant costs and without sponsorship opportunities many children simply wouldn’t get the chance to represent their country and chase those dreams.
Caleb’s support not only helps financially, but may shine a light on Riley’s story and could open doors that otherwise wouldn’t exist.
Most importantly though, Riley now knows that somebody he looks up to believes in him, and as a parent that’s something you can’t really put a price on.”
While Caleb is proud to contribute financially and help raise awareness of Riley’s journey, further sponsorship opportunities remain available as Riley and his family continue fundraising efforts to allow him to represent Wales as an independent competitor in Croatia and future international competitions.
Businesses or individuals interested in supporting one of Wales’ brightest young sporting talents are encouraged to contact Jason Davies at Wobbleboxadventures@outlook.com to discuss sponsorship opportunities.