Tom Bale has lived most of his young life in the fast lane and is showing no signs of slowing down.
After a whirlwind season across the region’s tracks, the Formula Gulf 1,000 champion will compete at Oulton Park in Cheshire, England, today as part of the Chris Dittmann Racing team in the BRDC Formula 4 Championship.
Bale, 16, was born in Swansea, Wales, and moved with his family to Dubai 10 years ago. Even before then, he had caught the speed bug.
Ironically, it was an unfortunate accident that set him on the road to success.
“I’ve always been interested in motorsport, from about the age of five,” he said. “I first started out with quad biking but broke my arm doing that. I decided then that it was too dangerous, so I had a go at karting when I was seven and loved it, so it has grown from there.”
Last season Bale won nine of his 12 races, in the process recording five pole positions and 10 fastest laps.
He is ready for the next challenge, although this will not be the first time that he has raced outside the Gulf.
“Up until 12 I had only raced in the UAE in the national karting championship, but then I ventured into Europe when things got more serious,” he said. “I’ve only recently moved into cars, at 15, and that’s when it got quite serious.”
Bale’s parents have played a huge part in his development, dedicating time and finances to support what the teenager still calls his “hobby”.
But Bale’s success has meant it is becoming more than just a pastime. Still, he is determined that success on the track does not come at the expense of his education.
“The balance between my racing and schooling has been difficult, especially this last year as I’ve had my GCSE exams,” Bale said. “So I’ve had to narrow down on the racing. Even though that isn’t ideal, I understand how important an education is, especially since it is so hard to make a career out of motorsport, and I need other options.”
This level of maturity has brought him success at more than one discipline.
“The last season in the UAE was an important and good one. I raced in both karting and in cars,” he said.
“The car racing [Formula Gulf 1,000] went fantastically with me winning the championship in my debut year.
“In terms of karting, I missed a few events due to commitments to the car racing, but the events I did enter went well, and it is good to see the karting scene is growing in the UAE.”
Bale has excelled at karting previously, competing in WSK European and CIK World and European Championships.
He is a three-time UAE Cadet Karting champion and finished fourth in the 2012 CIK Academy Championship. Now he is looking to emulate two of his heroes on an even bigger stage.
“I have always supported Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi,” Bale said. “They have inspired me more than anyone else in motorsport.”
During the past week, Bale and his family have been back in the UK as he prepares to join the remainder of this season’s BRDC F4 Championship.
The series is a single-seater format for young drivers, with a mix of professional and privately funded teams driving identical two-litre cars.
His first race is tonight at 7.30pm UAE time, while tomorrow he will compete twice, at 1.50pm and 6.30pm.
“In terms of preparing for a race, I try to do as much practice on that track as possible in addition to watching videos and doing simulator work to get into the right mindset for the car and track,” the young Welshman said.
Despite all his success during the past few years in the UAE, Bale is well aware that he is stepping into a far more competitive field.
“The level of competition will definitely increase from racing back home,” he said. “The driving standards are much tougher here as there are bigger grids and more experienced drivers.
“I have a good idea of how difficult it will be to adapt so quickly to the new car and tracks I am faced with, and I look forward to the task at hand.”
Obviously a level-headed young man, Bale still has a dream.
“My ambitions for the future are to make a successful career out of my hobby, motorsports, ideally by getting paid to drive a car very quickly,” he said.
akhaled@thenational.ae
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