Tom Dunstan “Career History”

“The talent is there, we must hope that funding will ensure it’s not wasted”

Tom might, by today’s standards, be described as a late starter. In 2005 when he was one month short of turning fifteen, he had no intention of becoming a race driver and had never even sat in a kart. All of that was about to change when his father arranged a fun drive at the local kart circuit. His lap-times were so impressive that he immediately caught the eye of K ‘n’ K Racing and was signed up within two hours of turning a wheel.

Two weeks later he entered his first ever kart meeting and promptly won his first race. Four weeks later he earned a race licence and was given the opportunity to test for Formula BMW, winning a place in the Scholarship Final at Valencia. 

“If I’m honest it was all a huge surprise” says Tom “That karting birthday treat changed my life, I realised that I wanted to race and from somewhere came a huge surge of confidence that I could do it” 

Tom completed his Rookie year in 2006 with Nexa Racing in the Formula BMW UK Championship. He was the youngest driver in the World then competing in any single seat championship and when in October of that year he qualified to hold an International Race Licence he was, at the time, the second youngest driver in the World to hold one. Steve Phelps from Nexa remarked “Tom is probably the most natural driver I have seen in my 30 years involvement in motorsport, a joy to watch driver and machine in perfect harmony” 

His rapid rise to success seemed assured when, for the same series in 2007, he was offered the senior drive for championship winning Team Loctite, potentially stepping into the shoes of Mclaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award Winner, Oliver Turvey. But it was not to be. He failed to acquire sufficient sponsorship and this shortfall in funds forced Tom to sit out the 2007 season. “That was a real kick in the teeth after 18 months when virtually nothing seemed to go wrong” says Tom “But I knew I still had time to come back and rather than get depressed I threw myself into a course on motor vehicle engineering and what I discovered on the technical side has made me a better driver – so it wasn’t all wasted”. This considered and mature response is typical of Tom who is considered by many, including Trevor Powell, team principal of Team Loctite, to be as competent outside the car as he is in it, “a complete package”

In 2008 Tom returned to the circuit, competing in the fiercely competitive Ginetta G50 Cup, with the fledgling privateer Team GCR that had been established by his manager, Robin Sherwood. The season has to be counted as a success for such a relatively under-funded team in its first year of operation, yielding 1 pole position, 3 podium finishes and 5th overall in the championship. They ended the season at Donington with 3rd place and a new lap record.

Tom’s stirring performances yet again attracted attention, this time from Aston Martin Racing, and he was among only 8 drivers invited to test the new Vantage GT4 car at the Dubai Autodrome. Although he was, by some way, the youngest and least experienced driver present he was a clear two seconds a lap faster than anyone else.

But superb car control is only one facet of a success in motorsport. Will Tom exercise such mastery over his own career? “ I’m realistic” he says, “The next two seasons are make or break time. I’m ready for it but sponsorship will be the key”

Tom remains positive and committed. “We continue to work on track and in the sponsorship arena to show what we can do. I see no reason why we shouldn’t be front runners in 2010 and in a position to achieve our longer-term ambition, which is to win our class as a privateer team at Le Mans in the next five to six years”.