About Me

James Kell

Whilst James has, from a very young age, been passionate about cars and motorsport, it was not until he was at Aberdeen University that he was able to find himself in a position to take this passion on track for the first time. A keen member, and then manager, of the Universities Formula Student programme he eventually became the head of Business for the team and the Team’s driver.

2018

First Season

James’ first foray into solo Motorsport was as Rookie entry into the Mazda MX5 Supercup and Super Series race series. Starting at the back of the pack initially it wasn’t long before he was mid-pack and then a top 10 contender, and then he took his first podiums and wins by the end of the season.

2019

The step to Ginetta’s

The next step was a big jump the year after into the very competitive Ginetta GT4 Supercup championship. James had not driven on slicks before or in a car with any Aero – but despite this was able to finish his first ever race on the podium. A series of podiums and wins followed and in a very hard fought championship where he was getting faster with each race weekend, he was able to finish the season in 3rd . In the same year the Mazda was entered into the Club Enduro Championship where James was able to finish 2nd overall in Class C and 3rd overall in the entire series.

2020

GT Racing – The Start

His successes in Genetta’s resulted in an exciting opportunity to take a step up to GT Racing in the British GT GT4 championship driving the then brand-new Toyota Supra GT4 car. The car was still being proven and got faster throughout the season, culminating in the first ever Podium for the car in the series. This year also saw James returning to the Club enduro Championship in the Mazda and this year the competition was even stiffer. This season James finished the year in 1st Position in Class C and 2nd Overall in the Series.

Testing over the 2020-21 winter involved some development work on Race Cars as well as a significant amount if track time in a number of different Le Mans Prototypes / LMP3 cars.

2021

The move to McLaren

A move to the Jenson Button owned, Team Rocket RJN race team, was the big news for the start of the 2021 Season. This saw James entering the British GT series again, but this time in a McLaren 570S GT4 car. Despite a number of mechanical gremlins resulting in some mechanical DNF’s, the team were able to be on the podium or win most races they were able to finish. They were narrowly edged into 3rd overall in the championship with an unfortunate mechanical issue on the last lap of the last round.

2022

The jump to GT3’s

On the back of 2021’s success, James remained with Team RJN Rocket – but the exciting development was the big move up to the GT3 car. 2022 saw James entered in to the British GT GT3 series in a Silver-Am pairing. A series of solid, fast drives from James resulted in a number of podiums and the teams first win at Brands Hatch GP. This consistency was critical securing the eventual 2nd in the Silver-Am championship. This season also saw James joining Track Focused in a select number of rounds in the GT Cup championship in an AMG GT4 car. Unfortunately, it was not a full seasons entry, but the rounds in which James competed were tremendously successful with James securing 4 pole positions, 3 outright race wins, 7 podiums and 3 fastest laps. Thanks to his thorough engineering understanding, James also started to do a significant amount of car development work for Car manufacturers this year, all of which is of course Top Secret ! - but it gives James an insight into the next generation of Race and Supercars that will be coming to track soon.

2023

BRDC Membership and Dubai 24H

James was delighted and privileged to be honoured with an invitation to become a full member of the British Racing Drivers Club “BRDC” who’s ranks include all of his lifelong racing heroes. Also, in January, James was invited to join an already established team of amateur drivers, contesting the prestigious Dubai 24 hour race in one of the brand new BMW M4 race cars. In the cars first outing and against a strong competition of teams stacked with Pro drivers, they finished the race in 2 nd place securing the cars maiden podium.

2023

A new challenge...Europe

James' dream has always been to compete on the European stage, and after a successful pre season test at Circuit Paul Ricard, James was named amongst the driver lineup of the Walkenhorst Motorsport team. Competing in their BMW M4 GT3 for the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup rounds, which includes the biggest GT race in the world, Spa 24. The first round was Monza, and the team were off to a flying start. Finishing P3 in the Bronze class however, with an unfortunate pit lane penalty by one of the other drivers, were demoted to P6 in class but the potential was there. Paul Ricard was up next but an unfortunate mechanical failure took the team out of the 6 hour race only 40 minutes in. A recurring mechanical failure also plagued the teams Spa 24 hopes with an oil pump belt failure with 4 hours to go. At Nurburgring, the team tried to recover from lost opportunities at the previous two rounds, but the lack of running showed with a very difficult car to drive. Improvements were made for the final round at Barcelona, however this is not a track that suits the BMW. James had an impressive stint recovering through the field but unfortunately missing out on podium chances with a long Full Course Yellow late in the race. Not the season James and the team hoped for but lots was learnt.

2023

Back for British

Alongside James' European commitments for 2023 he also returned to the British GT Championship in the Mclaren 720s GT3, yet this time it was with a new team to the grid, Racelab. Competing in the Silver Am championship, the first round at Oulton Park was a success, with a double win to start the season. At Silverstone James experienced gearbox troubles which put the team multiple laps down after repair, dashing podium hopes. Nonetheless, further podiums followed at Donington Park, Snetterton and Portimão keeping the team in contention. The final two rounds at Brands Hatch and Donington Park did not go in the teams favour, as coolant down at brands hatch lost them a lap after a spin for James' teammate, and the car was T-boned by another driver at Donington taking the Mclaren out of the race before James could get in the car. Even with these setbacks the team still managed P3 in the Silver Am championship.

2024

Be part of the 2024 campaign

Contact James to discuss drive or sponsorship options