Rowland and 2 Seas partnership to help karters into car racing
British GT squad 2 Seas Motorsport has created a junior driver development programme in partnership with Formula E racer Oliver Rowland’s karting team that will place teenagers in Fiesta Junior.
Nick Cristofaro, co-founder of 2 Seas, and Rowland have known each other for 20 years since they were karting rivals and have forged this new collaboration amid interest from karters in gaining track knowledge and understanding of how to step into cars.
“We hope that this programme will help the next generation of drivers and make the transition from karting through to sportscar racing easier,” explained Cristofaro, while Rowland added that “giving something back to those just starting out is very important” for him.
The first driver to benefit is karting graduate Aaron Walker, who took a best result of eighth in the British Racing and Sports Car Club series’ season opener last weekend.
BRSCC head of formulae development Greg Graham has described 2 Seas’ entry as “exciting” for the championship, adding: “The hope would be that other teams, whether that’s from GTS or British Touring Cars or elsewhere, might look at it as well.”
Walker was one of just two drivers to race the new-for-2022 Mk7 Fiesta Zetec S machine in the opener but Graham is optimistic more will join later in the season. He said: “There will be a transition – in a couple of years, I think the whole grid will be the new cars.”