By JARROD POTTER
EDGING one step closer to his lifelong dream in motorsport has Thomas Randle keen to hit the track in the United Kingdom next week.
Randle, 19, from Narre Warren North, will take his motor-racing ambitions to the next level after signing with Douglas Motorsport in the 2016 BRDC Formula 4 Championship.
There’s no time to sit around and contemplate the big news though, as Randle packs up to leave on Sunday with his first testing session on Thursday at the famous Silverstone Formula 1 track.
“It feels pretty fantastic – it’s always been a dream of mine to go and race in Europe ever since I was little,” Randle said. “Over the summer break we bounced a few emails across each other – they approached us and were quite keen to have me there.
“They turned down a few drivers so I could be on the team which was pretty cool – we’ve just been speaking for the last month and a half and has all come together in the last week.”
The Beaconhills College alumnus has been behind the wheel since he was seven years old, taking his time to learn the craft in go-karts – where he was a national champion and Australian representative – before moving into the open-wheel class.
His recent success put him on the European radar, after winning the Formula Ford Championship in 2014 and finishing second in last season’s Cams Jayco Formula 4 Championship, before a fruitful Formula 3 test last year gave him the final push towards signing with Douglas Motorsport.
The gruelling 24-round season runs from March to September and Randle admits it will be tough to get used to, but an important journey his career has to take.
“At the end of the day I’m pretty lucky to be where I am,” Randle said. “I think going over there helps me in a pretty big way – it’s going to be strange, the move to the UK, but hopefully I can acclimatise to it.
“Better car, faster car, better components and a proper engine – a Cosworth engine – so it’s the next step up.”
Taking his ambitions to their limits, Randle said his focus is on the highest standard in professional racing and knows what it will take to make it into an F1 racecar.
“My goal is to become a Formula 1 world champion and the only way to get there is to go down the European open-wheeler path and to know it’s becoming a reality is pretty awesome,” Randle said.
“I’d love to get into Formula 1, that’s the big dream, so pretty much got to win this championship and that’s what I’m going over for.
“It’s no longer just about fun and games – it’s about making a career out of motor racing, so I’m going over there to be really competitive, hopefully win a few races, and hopefully the championship too.”
Randle’s first BRDC Championship round will be in Snetterton from 27 March.
