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Duncan Tappy profile
Tappy's hitting the heights
Can Duncan Tappy be the next young Brit to make the leap into the big time?
Jumping for joy: Tappy is delighted at recent success, and aims to follow Raikkonen and Hamilton to F1
By Jonathan Gill
06th November 2007
There aren’t many budding young racing drivers who can honestly say they are following in the wheel tracks of grand prix top guns, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. But that is exactly the position Duncan Tappy finds himself in.
The 23-year-old from Surrey has just been crowned champion in the 2007 Formula Renault UK series, which was won by Raikkonen in 2000 and Hamilton in 2003.
“It’s regarded within motorsport as a very competitive championship,” said Tappy. “To finish in the top four is an achievement, so to win it shows people that I have what it takes.
“When you see what previous champions have gone on to achieve, it’s definitely going to help me to progress. Obviously Formula One is where I want to be, and if I can get there, I’m going to grab the chance with both hands. But there are plenty of other avenues for me to pursue.”
As with so many of his peers, Tappy was born into a motorsport family. His father had done some rallying, and regularly took his son to grands prix. So, it was no surprise when Duncan asked if he could have a go in a kart for an 11th birthday treat. He impressed and spent the following seven years progressing up the national karting ladder.
The next big step into single-seater racing cars came at the end of 2003, but a lack of budget severely restricted his competitive outings. However, his talent shone through, and the Jamun Racing team snapped him up to represent its Formula Ford team in 2005.
After proving his potential with some early podiums, he took the championship by storm, winning 13 races on the trot. He also dominated the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, where he faced stiff competition from international Formula Ford rivals.
It was a remarkable achievement – more so as it was by a comparative novice in what was still his first full season in competition. “I won my first race on my birthday in June at Castle Combe, and then triumphed in every round for the rest of the year,” he recalled.
The following season, Tappy graduated into Formula Renault UK and stayed loyal to Jamun Racing, enduring what he admits was a character-building campaign. How-ever, a move to leading team Fortec for 2007 has now put him right back on course for the top, with nine victories, plus the title. Sadly, though, there’s no fast track to F1.
Unlike Hamilton, whose career path was underwritten by McLaren, Tappy now needs to find close to £500,000 to fund his next step into the European-based World Series. And his father is a heating engineer, not a venture capitalist.
But he does have a couple of aces up his sleeve, which might do something to woo potential backers. After all, there aren’t many rising stars who can genuinely hail themselves as being on a par with Hamilton and Raikkonen...
The 23-year-old from Surrey has just been crowned champion in the 2007 Formula Renault UK series, which was won by Raikkonen in 2000 and Hamilton in 2003.
“It’s regarded within motorsport as a very competitive championship,” said Tappy. “To finish in the top four is an achievement, so to win it shows people that I have what it takes.
“When you see what previous champions have gone on to achieve, it’s definitely going to help me to progress. Obviously Formula One is where I want to be, and if I can get there, I’m going to grab the chance with both hands. But there are plenty of other avenues for me to pursue.”
As with so many of his peers, Tappy was born into a motorsport family. His father had done some rallying, and regularly took his son to grands prix. So, it was no surprise when Duncan asked if he could have a go in a kart for an 11th birthday treat. He impressed and spent the following seven years progressing up the national karting ladder.
The next big step into single-seater racing cars came at the end of 2003, but a lack of budget severely restricted his competitive outings. However, his talent shone through, and the Jamun Racing team snapped him up to represent its Formula Ford team in 2005.
After proving his potential with some early podiums, he took the championship by storm, winning 13 races on the trot. He also dominated the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, where he faced stiff competition from international Formula Ford rivals.
It was a remarkable achievement – more so as it was by a comparative novice in what was still his first full season in competition. “I won my first race on my birthday in June at Castle Combe, and then triumphed in every round for the rest of the year,” he recalled.
The following season, Tappy graduated into Formula Renault UK and stayed loyal to Jamun Racing, enduring what he admits was a character-building campaign. How-ever, a move to leading team Fortec for 2007 has now put him right back on course for the top, with nine victories, plus the title. Sadly, though, there’s no fast track to F1.
Unlike Hamilton, whose career path was underwritten by McLaren, Tappy now needs to find close to £500,000 to fund his next step into the European-based World Series. And his father is a heating engineer, not a venture capitalist.
But he does have a couple of aces up his sleeve, which might do something to woo potential backers. After all, there aren’t many rising stars who can genuinely hail themselves as being on a par with Hamilton and Raikkonen...
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