We are very proud to announce Keops sponsorship of James Calado, Formula 3 racing driver.

Richard says, “As a family we’ve known James for many years. Our son Robert and James have been friends since childhood and went through school together, so we’ve always followed James’s racing career with a keen interest. We are very proud of his achievements and by sponsoring him we can do our bit to help him in this very exciting stage in his career”.

GP3 is a support series for Formula 1 and aims to provide young drivers with the experience and skills to graduate to Formula 2 and ultimately onto Formula 1. James is backed by the Racing Steps Foundation which provides sponsorship for talented drivers and he is part of the Lotus ART team who are currently leading the series.

At present, James is 5th in the GP3 series with just two of the eight race weekends to go. The next is at Spa Francorchamps, Belgium this weekend, with qualifying and the first race on Saturday 27th August. The second race is on Sunday morning 28th August.

Good luck James!

You can follow James’s progress by going to the Racing Steps Foundation website or right here on the Keops blog.

James Calado Profile

Born: 13 June 1989

Lives: Cropthorne, Worcestershire and Fontainbleau, France

Status: Part time driver coach

Racing Steps Foundation Seat: 2011 GP3 Championship

Race Car: GP3 Dallara / Renault 2.0 litre turbo-charged 4-cylinder

Team: Lotus ART Grand Prix

Team Mates: Valtteri Bottas (FIN) and Pedro Nunes (BRA)

Background

James’ love of motorsport grew from the age of four when he took up quad biking, an interest that was quickly overtaken by karting.

On the back of five novice wins in 1999, a competition licence followed along with numerous wins and his local club’s kart championship.

Then, in 2001, having finished second in the British Super One Cadet Championship, he was invited to join the highly-rated Zip Young Guns team, finishing off the season with the MSA British Cadet Championship.

Two years later he raced in Europe with 1980 World Kart Champion Peter De Bruijn’s PDB team. That season he established his Euro-credentials with fifth place in the JICA Italian Open Championship and as runner-up in the JICA European Championship.

On the back of the competitive performances, he won a place in the elite Italian Tony Kart racing squad with which he clinched the 2005 ICA European Kart Championship. Over the following two years he competed in Italian Formula A and European KF1, signing off with fifth place in the KF1 European Championship and third in the Margutti Trophy series.

In 2007, with little left to prove, he harboured ambitions of making the transition from karts to cars but, like many other talented young drivers, could not see beyond the dream due to an acute shortage of finance.

The dilemma over what to do next was eventually resolved when he won a shoot-out to clinch the RSF Formula Renault UK seat for 2008.

In his rookie year he finished runner up in the Graduate Cup before moving on to win the Formula Renault UK and Portugal Winter Cups. He rounded off his two year stint in the formula as Vice-Champion.

Last year he competed in the British F3 International series with Carlin finishing up as Vice-Champion behind team mate Jean-Eric Vergne.

Racing history

2011. GP3, Art Grand Prix. France

Current 4th, 1 win, 1pole, 1 fastest lap, 2 podiums

MSA Team UK Driver Academy, BRDC Superstar Status

2011 GP3 Series. Round 3. Valencia, Spain. 26th June 2011

2010. British F3 International, Carlin Motorsport. England

Position 2nd, 5 wins, 2 poles, 4 fastest laps, 10 podiums

Spencer Charrington Award Winner (top British driver)

MSA Team UK Driver Academy, BRDC Superstar Status

2009. Renault UK, Fortec Motorsport, England

Position 2nd, 8 wins, 10 poles, 8 fastest laps, 12 podiums