Joseph Burke, a junior in mechanical engineering, likes to go fast.

He races when he’s behind the wheel of his rally car, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, but not through life or school at Auburn. Burke is an internationally ranked motorsport champion and at 18 became the youngest American rally racer to win an overall championship. In July, he competed at ESPN’s XGames in Los Angeles, finishing fifth.

“Sitting in traffic on busy Los Angeles streets early on Tuesday and then racing down those same streets on Friday was a pretty cool experience,” said Burke.

The Atlanta native has been involved in rally car racing since he first learned to drive, learning the trade from his two-time U.S. rally champion father Seamus. Burke says that “many drivers can’t explain a handling problem or engine issue to their crew,” something his engineering background has helped him communicate.

Follow Joseph’s racing on Facebook.