Two young race car drivers are set to test for Rodin Cars at their North Canterbury facility this week, both eyeing up an opportunity that has already led Louis Sharp into a junior Formula 1 category.
Sharp was racing his Formula Ford at Ruapuna in January 2022 when Rodin Cars founder David Dicker spotted him. This led to a test drive at his Mt Lyford manufacturing and testing facility the following week and then into the British Formula 4 championship.
“I was racing my Formula Ford at Ruapuna, and David was there with Liam [Lawson], doing a showcase run in the Rodin FZED. At the end of the weekend I was invited to the Rodin Cars facility to have a go in their F3 car,” recalls Sharp.
“At the time, I didn’t think a lot of it; I just thought it was a cool opportunity. The next thing I knew, I was in the UK, so it was pretty mad how it all came about.”
“I was just going to enjoy the opportunity. It was my first time driving a car with wings and slicks, so I was already quite excited to be doing that. At the time, I didn’t really expect it to evolve into what it ended up doing,” he added.
Sharp arrived in the UK midway through 202 at 14 years old, too young to race in the British F4 championship, so he only did a part-season.
However, he won the F4 title in 2023 and then took back-to-back championships by winning the GB3 Formula 3 title last year, all driving with Dicker’s UK-based Rodin Motorsport team. He now drives for them in the international FIA Formula 3 championship, two steps below F1.
Over the next few days, newly crowned New Zealand Formula Ford champion Blake Dowdall and ‘wild card’ choice Toby McCormack, both 17, will have their chance to impress over a three-day training and evaluation programme at Rodin Cars.
This is part of an initiative launched this year in conjunction with MotorSport New Zealand, pathway Formula Ford to Formula 1, powered by Rodin Cars.
“The pathway does work. I’ve been on a fantastic journey so far, British F4, GB3 and now Formula 3 so to have the support of Rodin to be able to do this is amazing for me.
“Without them, I wouldn’t even be in the UK or even close to what I’m doing now. There’s still a long way to go. I need to have a solid Formula 3 season this year, and hopefully, I can graduate to Formula 2. There’s still a lot of hard work to be done and a lot to go, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far, and it’s been an amazing journey,” said Sharp.
Sharp also sees the benefit of progressing with the same team. Rodin Motorsport operates teams in every major category below F1, starting with F4 and then GB3, FIA F3, and F2, all from its Surrey headquarters.
They also run a team in the female-only F1 Academy series, in which Rodin ran Abbi Pulling to win the title last year.
“For me, staying with Rodin, the same team for my whole career, has been a good thing.
“Obviously, I know the team really well; I’ve got a good relationship inside the team, and although the teams within Rodin are slightly different, it’s still the same people I see at the factory and the same familiar faces, so I know them really well, and that makes a huge difference. All kind of one big family.”
Dowdall and McCormack will undergo driver training and evaluation with Mark Williamson, an Australian-based driver and coach who has worked with Dicker and Rodin Cars for many years. The evaluations will include progressing through driving a McLaren GT4 and then both Formula 4 and Formula 3 single-seater cars.
When announcing the inaugural recipients at the conclusion of the Formula Ford season last month, the Managing Director of Rodin Cars and Rodin Motorsport, Emma Duncan, emphasised Dicker’s commitment to supporting New Zealand motorsport drivers to race internationally, which began with Liam Lawson, now in Formula 1 with the Racing Bulls team.
“The concept really comes from the success of Liam and Louis, who have both been drivers with Rodin Cars from an early age, so we can see the talent here in New Zealand, and David has been very generous in supporting both Liam and Louis. That generosity doesn’t stop there, and he wants to extend that to future talent,” said Duncan.
Header Image: James Gasperotti (Supplied)
Coincidentally Blake won the FF1600 category racing Louis old car!