Whereas thousands wish to be racing in Formula 1 or be the next Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg, Callan O’Keeffe is on the right track and may soon be one of the 18 F1 drivers.
The South African will join Douglas Motorsport for the 2017 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship season.
Wayne Douglas, Team Principal of Douglas Motorsport said, “It is fantastic to be able to welcome Callan to our team for the 2017 BRDC British Formula 3 season.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“He showed his talent and speed during last year’s Autumn Trophy and I am confident he will hit the ground running at Oulton Park.”[/perfectpullquote]
O’Keeffe upon the announcement expressed his excitement at the prospect saying, “I’m absolutely ecstatic to be back racing again. It’s a great championship and car so we should be set for an exciting year.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work to make this drive happen and I really have to say thank you to a few key individuals from South Africa who have helped enormously.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Douglas Motorsport is a great team and I already feel really at home there.”[/perfectpullquote]
O’Keeffe started out through karting and went ahead and enjoyed success at the world level, finishing as runner-up during the 2011 CIK-FIA World Cup in the KF3 category.
He later joined the Red Bull Junior Team for his first year in Formula BMW in 2012, scoring six poles, four wins, and nine podiums.
He finished seventh overall with three podiums in the 2015 Northern European Cup (NEC) category, having scored his maiden win in the NEC in 2014.
The 20-year-old competed in the recent British Formula 3 Autumn Trophy at Snetterton, finishing third overall with Fortec Motorsports.
Even though the young racer may be the only Douglas driver to compete in all rounds this coming season, his previous experience from Formula Renault 2.0 NEC will come in handy as he strives to race for wins.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“The hard work has begun and we will be doing everything we can to make sure that we get the South African flag flying above the podium this season,”[/perfectpullquote]
O’Keeffe said.
O’Keeffe will be the second African to take part in this season’s BRDC British Formula 3 Championship against Kenya’s Jeremy Wahome who races for Chris Dittman Racing.
The 2017 BRDC British Formula 3 season gets underway on Easter Weekend (April 15-17) at Oulton Park.
Featured photo: Douglas Motorsport
