Luke Littler has gone off-road as he revs up for the new darts season.
The Nuke is at the Bahrain Darts Masters to kickstart the regular 2025 season having begun by lifting the World Championship title. Littler is the centre of attention in the Kingdom as he takes part in the opening World Series event of the campaign. The teenager, who turns 18 on Tuesday, doesn’t yet have a driving licence, but he was able to get out and about as an excited passenger.
With the tournament taking place at the Bahrain International Circuit, Littler was in the perfect place to get an outing on the off-road track. The Nuke sat shotgun with a professional local driver as he enjoyed the driving experience around the dirt terrain at the venue. Littler begins his bid for glory in Bahrain tonight with an encounter against Asian ace Lourence Ilagan in the opening match of his attempt to defend the title he won 12 months ago.
And ahead of the showdown with Illagan, the soon-to-be 18-year-old admits he simply cannot wait to be introduced to the stage as world champion for the first time after his hammering of Michael van Gerwen earlier this month. He said: “It’s going to be good. It’s going to be heard all year round. But the main one, I can’t wait for the first time in front of a sold-out arena here in Bahrain. It’s sold out for both nights, Thursday and Friday. So, hopefully, us Premier League players can get through that tough first game and then we’ll see what happens on Friday.
“I feel fine. I’ve got a brand new set of darts. I’m not going to throw away the ones I won the World Championships with. They’re going to be in a frame. But now it’s just all about breaking in a new set. I just can’t wait to play now.”
Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football.