Dion Gowda to race for Carlin in ROKit British F4 in 2023
Bengaluru, 1 Feb 2023: Dion Gowda, a Bengaluru-born karter will be racing in the ROKit British F4 Championship for 2023 with Carlin team. The grid will also have another Indian karting star, Jaden R Pariat, who made his debut in Bengaluru. (Editor’s note: added on 31 Jan 2023)
A day after Carlin wrapped up the 2022 Teams’ Championship in the highly competitive junior series in October 22, it announced the signing up of Gowda. He will compete in his first season of single seater racing with the British team and had started a thorough test programme ahead of the first round in April.
The 15-year-old Gowda has already been making a name for himself despite his young age. Racing in multiple kart championships the youngster has finished fourth in the ROK Cup Singapore and also competed in the X30 SouthEast Asia Championship.
Born in India, but racing under a Singaporean flag, Gowda made the commitment to move to the UK to continue his racing career having fallen in love with the sport. Joining forces with karting legends Ricky FlynnMotorsport since the 2020 season, Gowda has been learning his craft in multiple championships.
Gowda has already begun his preparations for the 2023 ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA season having embarked on a full pre-season testing programme, including simulator work at Carlin’s Farnham factory, before the opening round of the year gets underway in April at Donington Park.
Speaking about the season ahead, Gowda said, “I’m hugely exited to join Carlin for my F4 racing debut. Carlin is one of the most successful racing teams in the world, so of course I was thrilled to confirm my place with them in British F4.
“I have built a great relationship with the team already and preparations for 2023 are well underway. There will be a lot to learn in my first season stepping up from karting but I’m confident we will be competitive, and I can’t wait to go racing.”
Racing Director Trevor Carlin added, “Dion is a very promising young driver with exactly the right attitude. He’s keen to learn as much as possible at every test and has a fantastic approach both inside and outside the car. For every rookie there is a lot to learn in the first season of single seaters but we’ve no doubt that Dion will adapt well to that challenge and be a great asset to the team.”
About Dion Gowda
Born in Bangalore, India, Dion’s racing career began at the young age of 9 with a visit to a Singaporean kart track, inspired by watching Formula 1 stars such as Lewis Hamilton on TV.
Dion quickly discovered a natural talent for driving in the Cadet (Mini 60) and Mini ROK categories of karting, and with the support of his family, moved to London to pursue his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver himself.
In 2017, Dion joined the Kokoro Performance roster of drivers and took two podiums on his way to 4th overall in ROK Cup Singapore. Dion also competed in the X30 South East Asia Championship finishing 3rd in Round 3, before fighting in the top 10 of the X30 International Finals to round out the season.
Now 14, Dion enters his final yearof competing in World Championship Karting events for Ricky Flynn Motorsport. Success in the OK class takes Dion one step closer to achieving his dream of being the first driver from India to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
