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.
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.”