The Garage 278

25 FOCUS Motorsport
The future
looks bright
for callum
Most of us who
work in the
automotive industry
started
with the dream
of being a race car driver, the
roar of the engine, the adrenaline
rush of driving at high
speeds and the thrill of the
grid are a childhood dream
for most. Without a family
background in motorsport,
it is a tough world to break
into. It takes a passion and
determination to succeed.
But for one British teenager
the dream is fast becoming
reality.
After a chance drive in a
kart at just seven years old,
Callum Ilott was hooked.
Now at 19, he is one of Britain’s
brightest talents in motorsport,
with three seasons
of racing already under his
belt.
“Motorsport is perceived
as an inaccessible sport and
it’s not obvious how you get
started,” says Ilott. “It’s not
like football is it where there
is a local club in nearly every
town. You can head down to
the pitch and start kicking
a ball. For motorsport you
need special kit, a car or kart
and somewhere to drive it.”
“We had no idea of how you
got started racing a kart, so
we just turned up and asked
for a go,” adds Ilott. “As soon
as I drove one, I was genuinely
hooked. I loved the feeling
and of course, the speed.”
A rapid rise through karting
culminated in the prestigious
European KF title
and attracted the attention
of Red Bull Racing. Ilott was
signed up, making the switch
to car racing before he’d finished
his GCSEs. “I was 16
when I moved into F3. That
was a bigger leap than many
karters make as most would
do F4 first, so I had to learn
fast!” By the end of the year,
Ilott had recorded a podium
finish and finished an admirable
12th out of a field of 34
but 2016 saw Callum leave
the Red Bull programme and
join Dutch team VAR. A win
first-time out demonstrated
Ilott’s ability and after another
win later in the year, he
moved to Prema Powerteam
for 2017. Ilott was rapid, securing
11 poles, six wins and
topped the year by winning
the qualification race at the
Macau Grand Prix.
Ilott’s talented and spirited
drives caught the eye of the
Ferrari Driver Academy and
Ilott was signed to the squad
for 2018. “The FDA (Ferrari
Driver Academy) was created
to provide drivers with support
in all the areas that they
need today,” says Ilott. “That
includes physical, mental,
engineering, media training,
sim time and even Italian language
lessons. It all comes in
a mix of theory and practical
based in Maranello. It really
looks at every aspect of being
a driver.”
Alongside this Ilott will
compete for French team
ART in GP3, a championship
that is on the support bill for
F1. “It’s a fresh challenge and
I’m loving it,” says Ilott. The
year has started strongly. In
his first-ever GP3 race, Ilott
made the podium and Ilott is
gunning for the title.
Looking to the future, Ilott’s
got his sights firmly set
on progressing his single
seater career. “If I do well
this year, I’ll look at F2 and
I’ll take each step at a time.
Moving up the ladder is what
I’ve been working for since
that first trip to Rye House.
On and off track, with the
support of the FDA, I’m doing
everything I can to succeed
this year.”
Having made a successful
start to his career, what advice
would Callum offer to
prospective racers? “There
are loads of karting tracks
around the country so it’s
worth having a trial before
committing to buying a kart
and the associated kit. Don’t
worry if you are not from a
racing family either; as a
family, we had no experience
and learnt as we went
along. I always say that you
have to enjoy the racing too;
That’s because there are
hard times as well as the
days when it all goes to plan.
You have to love all aspects
of racing.
With such drive and determination
we are sure to be
seeing more of Callum lining
up on the grids in the future.
24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 Motor Sport.indd 2 22/06/2018 12:22