Dan Livingstone is enjoying his debut season as part of the Caterham Academy and that showed in his last weekend at Donington Park.
In that race weekend at Donington Park he managed to achieve his best race result of the season so far.
Speaking about Donington Park he said: “I was extremely pleased with my qualifying position. I hoped to be in the top 5 going into the race so I would have a fighting chance of the podium. Qualifying was difficult to get a clear lap. I was 6 tenths up on my fastest time and unfortunately a slower driver got in my way on the last corner. If I could have carried the speed to the line then I had the potential for P2. P4 was a very good result though which I was happy for.
“I was over the moon with finishing on the podium in my first ever race! My best result of the season was P4 in the last sprint event so getting P3 at Donington Park was brilliant. The race was very close between the top 4 and at one point anyone could have won the race. Caterham Motorsport will be on Channel 4 and Motors TV soon and you will be able to watch the exciting race.
With his best results in the bag and his first ever podium position also in the net Dan is looking forward to the rest of the season.
He added: “This has given me great confidence going forward for the rest of the season. I believe I have the pace and race craft to run at the front. Caterham racing is very close with the great slipstreaming that these cars can offer so one minute you can be leading and the next lap you could be 4th or 5th. I hope to push for an equal if not better result at Brands Hatch.
Brands Hatch is the next circuit on the calendar and it is extra special given that it is Dan’s home race and the first time he will have raced around the track.
He said: “Brands Hatch is my home circuit and I really can’t wait for the race weekend to arrive. I’ve been going to Brands Hatch as a spectator for the last couple years and now it will be my first turn to race there. The Indy circuit at Brands Hatch is awesome. I especially like Paddock Hill Bend and Surtees. They are fast corners which require a lot of commitment. I will be pushing hard for a good result.
“Any track time before a race event is a good thing. It helps you learn the circuit, learn more about the car and yourself.”
Dan got the opportunity to race in the Caterham Academy by virtue of winning a tough competition with Pistonheads as he explains.
He added: “I entered a Pistonheads competition while I was at the Autosport Show. I had to write 500 words as to why I should be considered for the 2013 Caterham Academy drive. I had previously been Karting for 2 1/2 years and really wanted to take the step up to car racing but was held back due to funding.
“The final was located at Caterham F1 Factory in Leafield. The schedule for the day was to have a 1 to 1 interview and then to drive the F1 Simulator. Driving the simulator was an amazing experience and one that I won’t ever forget. I was happy with how I had performed in the Simulator and managed to put in some respectable lap times. It was then announced at the end of the day that I was the winner. I was overjoyed by this and couldn’t believe I had actually won at first. My dream was becoming a reality :-)
“The competition on the day was tough and there was a couple of guys which you could clearly see that they were keen fast drivers. I had no idea whether I had a chance of winning. I tried to remain focused during the day and hoped I was in a chance of winning.
“Racing this year has been amazing and is all I ever wanted to do. When I’m not driving my Caterham, then I’m talking about racing, or watching racing on the television. Some might say I am obsessed with Motorsport. I love to push myself and I feel like I am doing so massively this year.”
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