Bothwell driver Dexter Patterson has been tipped for an immediate top-10 hit in next year’s British Touring Car Championship.
The 18-year-old has been snapped up by Laser Tools Racing to partner Aiden Moffat after impressing in trials, and team principal Bob Moffat reckons he’s a natural.
Patterson started competitive karting in 2011, had won the Super 1 National and Formula Kart Stars Series by 2015, and the Kartmasters British Grand Prix in Rotax Mini Max class the following year.
He impressed in 2017, winning the Trofeo delle Industrie and triumphing in the CIK-FIA Junior World Championship on his first attempt.
In 2019 the karting division of the Sauber Junior Team signed Patterson up for his final year of karting competition, and the following year he became the first Sauber Karting Team graduate to move up to their Academy in single seaters.
Dexter then progressed into the British Racing Drivers’ Club British Formula 3 Championship, earning his first podium in his third race.
And Moffat reckons he ‘s a top talent.
He said: “I think he’s got a good pedigree, and I think he’ll do very well – he’s a decent kid as well, which helps!
“He seems to have that much talent already that I don’t think it will take much time for him to be a top-10 challenger.
“He’s certainly got ‘it’; even with older drivers coming into the Touring Car from all different single
seaters there is a little period of time that it takes to adjust.
“But I think because he’s young, he’s clever – he seems to have a really good balance when he drives – I don’t think it will take us long to get him up there.”
Patterson impressed during a track test at Snetterton, driving one of the team’s championship-winning Infiitis, and achieved impressive times in cool, damp conditions.
Dexter, who was driving the car for the first time, said: “I loved the Infiniti — it is certainly different to the single-seaters that I’m used to.
“It was a bit slippery in the morning session but as the track dried off in the afternoon we went onto slicks and I was very happy with my lap times.
“The brakes take a bit of getting used to though – in the single-seater I can see when the tyres are about to lock up and I can brake much later.
“I’m really looking forward to the extended test sessions pre-season and of course, getting used to the new hybrid car.
“What an opportunity!”
Martin Smith, chairman of Laser Tools, believes they’ve got a perfect partnership together.
He said: “We feel that Dexter will be the driver to watch in the 2022 BTCC season.
“Combined with Aiden Moffat’s abilities both on the track and with his coaching experience, we’re confident that we’ve assembled another winning team.”
Moffat says the team hasn’t yet set a target for the 2022 BTCC campaign, but they do have high hopes that changes to the sport will benefit rear-wheel drives.
He said: “There are a lot of changes this year, with hybrid, drivers moving about and new engine suppliers coming in, so there’s nobody in the whole paddock that probably can guesstimate how the season is going to come out.
“I think for us, and every other team, we’re all levelling again to an extent, because of the changes.
“Some of the changes do affect our car, the Infiniti, better than it affects other cars, so we quite like that idea.
“The changes seem to be better for a rear-wheel drive car and the engine changes seem to be better for our car, so I am hoping that we can make the best of it.
“But it’s too early to see how we think we’ll do until we get into the early season or pre-season testing.”
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.
