Before becoming an endurance racing star, James Calado competed in single-seaters with internal combustion and electric powertrains. “I love every kind of engine on a vehicle with four or two wheels,” says the three-time British world champion with Ferrari in the LMGTE Pro class. The driver was born in 1989 and made his top-class FIA WEC debut in the 2023 season in the number 51 499P shared with Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi. <br />James’ first foray into motorsport proved encouraging. “I won my first karting race, while success in a single-seater came in Snetterton in 2008 in the first season of the British Formula Renault 2.0: it was one of the most intense emotions I’ve ever felt.” In the first season of karting, “my family went to great lengths: we couldn’t afford a hotel room, so at weekends I slept in the back of our old van, which became my bedroom. We couldn’t buy wet tyres either: I used slicks even when it was raining, a necessity that then helped me adapt quickly to every situation on the asphalt.”
