Doonside-born Mark Winterbottom driven to save struggling kids from Western Sydney

V8 CHAMPION Mark Winterbottom has gone back to his childhood suburb of Doonside to help disadvantaged kids.

V8 legend Mark “Frosty” Winterbottom helps out Kerryann Dubos and Shannon O'Connor. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

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MARK Winterbottom defied the odds to become a V8 champion, with his single mum even selling the lounge to raise money before he picked up a Ford scholarship.

Now he has gone back to his childhood suburb of Doonside to encourage disadvantaged kids to make their mark in life.

Four years ago Kerryann Dubos was a high school dropout with a history of violence.

Today Dubos is set to become a youth worker after going onto complete a TAFE course following her HSC.

V8 Supercar champion Mark Winterbottom with two success stories Kellyann Dubos, left and Shannon O'Connor. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Frosty visited the "Eagles RAPS" school in Doonside earlier this week where they teach disadvantaged students from the area. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

With the help of Winterbottom and charity organisation Eagles Raps, Dubos was mentored through her study after the Blacktown-based outfit identified the teenager was suffering from a previously unidentified learning disability.

Winterbottom became an ambassador for the Eagles Raps in 2015 and will next week take Dubos to the Sydney Super Sprint at Sydney Motorsport Park.

His mum had to even sell their lounge in hopes of making a future in Supercars. Picture: Supplied

“Mark is certainly my inspiration,’’ Dubos said.

“He has made me believe that there is hope for me. A future for me. I have grown up in Doonside but that does not mean I cannot become anything I want to become. He gave me hope with his story and how he rose above all his challenges to become a star. If he did it then so can we.”

“I grew up in Doonside so I know the challenges that a lot of the kids face growing up,’’ Winterbottom said.

“And I wanted to give back and to show that if you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve a lot and that’s exactly what these kids are proving.”

Winterbottom is an ambassador for the program which was started by his childhood babysitter Sally Wynd. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Eagles Raps was founded by Winterbottom’s childhood babysitter Sally Wynd, who recruited the V8 driver to the organisation as an ambassador following a chance meeting in 1997.

“Frosty has had a marked effect on the kids that go to the school,’’ Wynd said.