The Journey
Some of my earliest memories are from Brands Hatch in Kent, my local circuit just an hour away. I’ve tried to pinpoint when my first visit was, but it must have been at a very young age. This photo was taken during my photography obsession in 2017, capturing Paul O'Neill getting roughed up in an MX-5.
After years of weekend family trips to Brands Hatch, my first experience of actually competing came at Rye House, taking part in their monthly Saturday morning rental kart championships. Unfortunately, with exams, college, and then work, this ended up being the only year I was able to race in karts.
A shift to a 9-5 desk job at the hotel I was working in at the time allowed me to join the British Motorsport Marshals Club. I signed up for a taster day at the Blancpain GT Sprint Series at Brands Hatch, covering the GP circuit. I was assigned to Post 10 — the spot on the outside of the left-hander connecting the Indy circuit to the GP loop. One vivid memory from that day was seeing Chase Owen launch his Porsche across the gravel trap, coming to rest at the barrier right in front of me... and yes, I ran when the gravel started flying!
I stepped away from marshalling and regular trips to race circuits when I relocated from Essex to the remote Isle of Islay on Scotland’s west coast.
During the first COVID lockdown in the UK, I entered my first official sim racing series. I was far from the fastest — in fact, I struggled to score points in each round. It was a steep learning curve, made even tougher by the fact the series was poorly organised.
After nearly a year of sim racing, I teamed up with fellow racer Scott Thorne to launch The Sim Club, where we hosted events on Assetto Corsa, with me handling the broadcasts for our championships. Unfortunately, by November 2021, The Sim Club came to an end as both of our schedules grew busier, and I was invited to broadcast for the very club that had organised my first-ever sim racing events.
After a few months away from broadcasting and hosting sim racing events, Mick Sutton reached out to discuss plans for what would eventually become Perfect Acceleration Sim Racing. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. I initially took charge of brand development and social media, before going on to organise the world’s first junior sim racing championship for the JSCC, which launched in February 2023.
After competing in the EnduroKA Winter Sim Series and securing second place in the championship, I was awarded a 'Go-Racing' pack and an ARDS test, thanks to MSVT.
Who would have thought that playing a game at home could lead to the chance to race on a real-world circuit? Naturally, I had to take the test at Brands Hatch — the very place where my passion for motorsport first began.
I’d taken part in a few supercar and single-seater experience days before this, but this was my first proper track day in a real race car. Even if it was the slowest thing I could find... the Ford KA... ENDUROKA!
In my first real-world race with EnduroKA at Donington Park, I joined two experienced team-mates for a day full of challenges and unexpected setbacks. After a cautious qualifying stint, we started 8th on the grid but were hampered by safety cars, a radio failure, a puncture, and a costly track limits penalty on my part. Despite climbing as high as 9th after multiple driver changes and pitstops, a late mechanical failure ended our race early, leaving us classified 23rd. While the result was disappointing, the experience was unforgettable—full of lessons, fun, and a strong desire to get back out there again. Huge thanks to Autotech Motorsport and everyone who supported us!
This project was created to document my journey and shed light on what it truly takes to get into racing.
