The rapid rise of a GT protégé
CALLUM HAWKINS-ROW
“He has proven that he has skill inside the car, but also outside it.” The words of multiple World touring car champion Andy Priaulx when asked to describe British GT Championship racer Callum Hawkins-row. Despite very little karting experience, the 17-year-old has risen to the top echelons of British endurance racing in the space of three years. Hawkins-row’s enthusiasm for motorsport began aged eight as he experienced karting for the first time at a friend’s birthday party at Lakeside Karting, Essex. Dipping his toe in the water with short, ‘Arrive and Drive’ sessions, it was four years later that he joined the Brentwood Kart Series, competing in corporate machinery and fast impressed by scoring second place in only his maiden season. “That really got the competitive juices flowing,” Hawkins-row says. “We then invested in owner-driver karting, with six months on a Mini Max machine before moving into the Junior Rotax club class for a season at Whilton Mill. It was during that time that we considered the option of continuing up into national-level Super One karting and making a big challenge, or to graduate into car racing.”
A BRAVE MOVE
With little karting experience compared to his peers, it was a bold decision to move into car racing at 15 years old and the 2016 Ford Fiesta Junior Championship. “We felt the sooner I moved into cars, the better,” Hawkins-row explains, “and it proved to be the correct decision. I smashed the lap record twice in two races at Castle Combe before going on to take several pole positions, wins and podiums. Mechanical issues at the start of the season prevented us from challenging for the title.” With a successful year of tin-top racing under his belt, Hawkins-row continued his rapid rise up the sport’s ladder moving into GT racing and the 2017 Britcar Endurance Championship in a Class 3 Ginetta G55 GT4 machine. “Junior racing helped me to become familiar with how a car feels on the track and see if I could make that step up. You’re only as good as your competition, and if you’re racing against 14 to 17-year-olds, you’re going to be at that level. I therefore wanted to make the step up into senior racing. I’d only experienced sprint racing in my career to date, too. “Britcar is a good championship to get you acquainted with endurance competition and it includes some world class drivers.
MAKING A GT SWITCH
“Everything in my career to date has been done in big steps,” Hawkins-row admits, “from corporate to club karting, to Fiestas and up to a GT car which has 350bhp with slicks and aero.” The jump continued this year, as Hawkinsrow’s Britcar experience, finishing third in class, elevated him into the pinnacle British GT Championship. To be racing in the British GT Championship at the age of 17, without a significant amount of previous racing experience, would put many drivers at a disadvantage. The majority of young drivers in single-seater or sportscar racing have learnt and honed their racecraft in national or even international-level karting before making their graduation. But what Hawkins-row lacks in experience, he makes up for in his preparation and natural talent. “It’s always been about keeping the goal in mind, and having the focus, drive and self-belief that I can achieve that goal and have an opportunity to be on the grid. As much talent as someone may have, it’s also about your preparation and training.”
“You never lose, you either win or you learn”
PREPARATION IS KEY
Prior to each race weekend, Hawkins-row will complete a 26-page written report that channels his worries and concerns. “For endurance racing such as Britcar or British GT, you have to be focused 100 per cent of the time,” Hawkins-row explains. “You can’t afford to lose any time and try to regain it like you could do in the longer format such as the Le Mans 24 Hours. You have to be on it and attacking all the time. “That’s why I write the report. It gets any worries out of my head and on to paper, and I discuss it with my coach and engineer. So that come race weekend, my attention is completely focused on giving my best performance on track. Each morning and night leading up to the weekend, there will also be 10 minutes of meditation. It plays a key role in not overstressing yourself or the car. Understanding the things that you can control and what you can’t, can make or break a career, in my opinion.” A very level-headed and intelligent young man, Hawkins-row and his family moved to the village of Helmdon near Silverstone specifically so that he could study A-levels in Engineering, Mathematics and Physics at Silverstone University Technical College furthering to Architectural Engineering at university. “I believe the skills I have learnt have built a good foundation to build upon, but when you get into the car, you’re always learning,” he adds. “A good quote I memorise is: ‘You never lose, you either win or you learn’”.
LE MANS AMBITION
Having experienced GT racing since the start of 2017, Hawkins-row, who looks up to experienced factory drivers Darren Turner and Johnny Adam, believes he has found his ideal discipline: “I believe my future does lie in GT racing. The category is looking for a new pool of fresh young drivers and I believe that due to my age, I have time on my side to develop my skills so I can compete on the World stage.” Hawkins-row’s target of the World stage includes one particular event: “My biggest dream since I was eight years old has always been the Le Mans 24 Hours. It is the pinnacle of motorsport and the GT category is the most accessible for drivers who want to make it up that particular ladder. I’m looking to build my GT skillset so that can become a reality.”
FUNDRAISER AND BUSINESSMAN
Hawkins-row isn’t just any youngster trying to turn his motorsport dream into a reality, though. Away from the racetrack at such a young age, he keenly supports two charities, and is already an entrepreneur having recently begun his own property business. “Alongside my university plans, I’ve always had an admiration for architecture, it’s my second love behind motorsport. It’s my chance to earn money, even if it’s to pay for a deposit for next season’s racing. I’m chasing the dream of a factory drive, I know that doesn’t come overnight. There are sacrifices, I need to work to make those opportunities arise.” Impressed, Priaulx has signed the youngster to his driver management arm. “I have been watching Callum closely this year,” Priaulx says, “and have been very impressed by his resilience and determination to overcome the adverse situations that motorsport provides us at times.” Hawkins-row is coached by former Renault UK Clio Cup and British GT racer Enzo Mucci, who goes further by saying that his driver’s mental attitude at such a young age will set him up for success in future years. “Callum really knows how to show up,” Mucci says, “when the odds are not in his favour he remains resourceful and has a ‘Never Say Die’ attitude. I like that, it’s an important asset to have as a driver. He has also proven that he has the speed to race with the best of them. He is a pleasure to work with and is a real team player.”