JEP
CIRCUIT RACING IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST SINGLE SEATERS. JAMES DORLIN HAS EXPERIENCED THREE OF THE MOST COMMON ROUTES TO SUCCESS
W e are very fortunate to have a plethora of brilliant competitive opportunities in the UK where the motorsport ecosystem is vast and there are hundreds of championships on offer. Formula 1 remains the dream for many young karters, but only a tiny fraction will ever reach the pinnacle. So what alternative options are there?
James Dorlin’ s adjusted his focus early.“ Reality kicks in and you realise the cost,” he says.“ I did a little bit of karting, but the idea was to get into a car, at 14 in what was then SaxMax and later became the Junior Saloon Car Championship.”
From there Dorlin won the Michelin Clio Cup Series in his first full season before graduating to the Renault UK Clio Cup, where two seasons on the British Touring Car Championship( BTCC) support package saw him narrowly miss out on the title.
OPTION 1: MANUFACTURER PROGRAMME Dorlin’ s breakthrough came when he joined the McLaren Automotive Driver Development Programme under the tutelage of former Clio Cup champion Danny Buxton. As one of four junior drivers he raced a 570S GT4 in the British GT Championship.
“ That was kind of what got me into a more professional level of motorsport,” he says.“ I worked with Ollie Millroy and Danny Watts as my driver coach and mentor, and I learned tons from them.”
JEP
Revolution Magazine 53