University of Gloucestershire Karting Club’s Finn Houlihan is ‘thrilled’ to move from virtual racing to the British Universities Karting Championship in the team’s debut season.
The Irishman enjoyed a short but stellar Esports career. The 18-year-old took two championship victories in 2021, winning the ABS Racing League and the ETSR championship. He also recorded an impressive podium in the SRC Championship.
“A few years ago I thought, let’s really throw myself into sim racing. I got better. I managed to win two championships in tier one Esports leagues,” Houlihan explained exclusively to Park Life Sport.
Houlihan (Top right) checks his results after UOG Karting’s first session in October
Houlihan’s previous contenders are part of a widening trend of young motorsport stars who began their careers sim racing. The most notable being BRDC Young Driver of the Year winner Joseph Loake, who is now part of McLaren’s development team after a stint with Aston Martin’s Esports outfit.
“I raced against guys like Alfie Butcher, Otis Lawrence, and of course, Joseph Loake. I’ve had experience racing against some great people. It’s very difficult because they’re rapid. But it’s nice to have that.”
19-year-old Joseph Loake got to drive an Aston Martin F1 car around Silverstone as part of his prize for winning the Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award ⚡️
— Autosport (@autosport) November 12, 2024
Here's his POV 🎥 pic.twitter.com/VH9fM9EWAB
Current Aston Martin Esports starlet Pedro Silva also weighed in on the hugely competitive nature of sim racing. The Portugese driver is currently competing in the British F4 Esports Championship. Red Bull, Ferrari and Williams are just a few fellow Formula 1 teams also investing in young sim racing talent in the spec series.
“Well, for me the highest level of simracing is a highly competitive environment where every millisecond and tenth counts,” Silva began.
“Psychological preparation is crucial for performance and reaction times. The top level of simracing is also something that people follow the most because it can bring a lot of exciting races and great battles, in addition to the big names present in the sport.”
Houlihan’s first ever step up into competitive motorsport will come with the University of Gloucestershire’s Karting team. Four hand-picked drivers are set to race on behalf of the university at a national level across five rounds.
“Karting will be challenging. But I’m thrilled to do it. I feel that I know how to drive well enough to be able to translate that into a real-life performance.”
A small snippet of what Finn Houlihan has to say heading into the BUKC season!🏁 pic.twitter.com/hhgoLld7lO
— Park Life Sport (@ParkLife_Sport) October 20, 2025
Casual nights with the club are not at the top of his priority list. After finishing a set of blistering laps at the tricky JDR Circuit in Gloucester, Houlihan had already been preparing for Halloween’s all-important pre season test day; using the help of one of a sim racing pioneer.
“Steve Brown (Super GT) uploaded a track guide to Buckmore Park. So I was studying that, just looking at the lines, and seeing maybe what could be done differently to help with my lap time.”
Gloucestershire’s team will be looking to collect data while testing the identical Club 100 machinery at Buckmore Park Circuit before the season begins in mid-November.
“I didn’t know the layout. So now I feel like I have a good understanding of what to do and what to expect when we go on the 31st of October.”
Images from Ryan Donnelly
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