10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Aspiring racer praises motor sport camp
A pit stop at an elite training camp in Dunedin has been the "cherry on top" for a teenage racing driver as he prepares for a shot at driving for a Formula 4 team.
Blake Dowdall, 18, who is nearing the end of a week-long stint at the Elite Motorsport Academy camp, will next week join Rodin Motorsport to audition for a spot in their team for the British and Spanish Formula 4 races.
He said the camp had provided lots of valuable lessons in both the classroom and gym.
Mr Dowdall and seven other up-and-coming motorsport athletes from around the country have been put through their paces at the academy, their days starting at 6.45am and often stretching to 8.30pm.
"It's all scheduled down to the minute and that's how I like it, it feels really productive."
The academy also helped drivers with things outside of the car, such as nutrition.
"Really, it's putting the cherry on top to anything else we have — whether you call it talent or any other word."
He was confident going overseas because he believed he had done the work to perform at a high level, he said.
"I'm looking forward to it more than anything in the world."
Motorsport athlete Blake Dowdall, 18, of Palmerston North, drives in a simulator during the Elite Motorsport Academy Camp in Dunedin yesterday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Years of work were put into getting to this stage of his career.
"It definitely looks like an overnight success, but it's been created in the years leading up to it.
"I've had a few really bad seasons in Formula Ford, but I can actually look at those as a blessing in disguise because it led up to the 2025 season where Rodin was involved."
During his trip, he will visit the Rodin Factory in London before heading to the Pembrey Circuit in Wales.
