Full Name: Christopher James Wootton
Born: December 11, 1988
Lives: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Marital Status: Single
Height: 184cm
Weight: 73 kg
Occupation: Personal Trainer, Race Driver, Business Owner
What do you do when not racing? Running, Cycling, and Boxing
First vehicle: 1999 Lexus ES300
Current road vehicle: Toyota Hilux

FAVOURITES:
Favourite possessions: Mountain & Race Bikes
Stress buster: Training, reading sport books, movies
Racing Ambition: Formula 1 World Champion 
Holiday destination: Swiss Alps, Whitsundays
Sporting team: Australian Cricket Team
Spectator sport: Extreme Sports, Formula 1, WRC, any racing!
Sportsperson: Valentino Rossi, Lance Armstrong, Sir Donald Bradman.
Reading: Driving books, anything motorsport related!
TV program: Top Gear
Video: The Official Tribute to Senna 
RACING:First Race: 2005, Karts, Gold Coast (Qld)
Categories raced: Karts, Formula BMW
Favourite Racetrack: Singapore Grand Prix circuit
Least Favourite Racetrack: “Eastern Creek Karting Raceway! (Chris was flung 10 metres across the track and broke his collarbone during the Karting Nationals there in 2007) Seriously but, any time you have the opportunity to go onto a racetrack in a racecar, it’s a privilege”
Drivers you aspire to: Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Mark Webber

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

·         Being offered a Formula BMW Junior scholarship two years in a row

·         Finishing on the podium in first Formula BMW race weekend

·         Being the first motor racer to finish the Mark Webber Challenge in 2007 & 2008

·         Racing alongside well-respected adventure racers, celebrities and Mark Webber in the Mark Webber Challenge

·         ‘Rookie of the Year’ in two categories of karts in first year of racing

.          Official Lap record holder FBMW Sepang International Circuit

CHRIS WOOTTON – 2009 FORMULA BMW JUNIOR

Chris Wootton – a 20-year-old race driver from the Brisbane suburb of Birkdale – is on a fast track towards the ultimate sporting contest – Formula 1.

Beginning in the nursery of World Champions in 2005 – karting – he’s a relatively late starter by some standards, but has quickly shown potential, not only on the track, but off it as well.

Chris and his family understand the value of having a solid support network behind you. Beginning this process was sending Chris to the Formula BMW Pacific Scholarship Program at the end of 2007.

Of the 27 aspirants that attended, Chris was one of three drivers to be offered a €50,000 (AUD$100,000+) scholarship to compete in Formula BMW Pacific throughout Asia. Following on from his performance in 2008 – which saw him finish the season seventh, despite missing the first two rounds, BMW offered to keep Chris in its Junior Program for 2009.

The BMW Junior Program is the most intensive training program for Formula 1 aspirants in the world.  Drivers have access to several training programs on top of their racing commitments which cover such areas as media, presentation, sponsorship, diet and fitness. It is little wonder then, that five of the current Formula 1 grid have come through Formula BMW on their way to the top.

Formula BMW Pacific puts it’s drivers right into the consciousness of the F1 teams – with events at the Formula 1™ Malaysian Grand Prix and the only night race on the F1 calendar – the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Formula BMW racecars – which can hit a top speed of 230kph from the 1.2 litre engine – are produced by the same BMW Motorsport team that produces the BMW Sauber F1 Team racers. Formula BMW is considered the leading entry level motor racing category in the world.

Chris has been able to build a mentor relationship with Mark Webber, largely through the Australian F1 star’s Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge.

Combining his love of adventure sports with motor racing, Chris jumped at the opportunity to compete in the Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge in 2007.

He finished in seventh placing and as the highest ranked motor racer in the Challenge. He backed this up in 2008, with his team finishing fourth overall – once again in front of the other motor racers and many experienced adventure racing teams.

Aside from motorsport, Chris takes a strong interest in the majority of sports – particularly cricket – and taking cues from Webber – concentrates on being one of the fittest drivers around. A Formula BMW trainer working with Chris rated him fit enough to stand up to the rigours of driving a Formula 1 racecar.

In 2009, Chris is aiming to take out the Formula BMW Pacific Series win. He has joined with Eurasia Motorsport for the season and they too are motivated for victory.

Eurasia Motorsport is operated by Mark Goddard, Piers Hunnisett and Martin Quick. The triumvirate has a long history in World Motorsport – Goddard running the most successful team in Asian F3 – Team Goddard - and the only team in Asia that had direct links to a Formula 1 outfit – known as Team Minardi Asia in 2004-2005.

Hunnisett is the manager of the first Indian F1 pilot, Narain Karthikeyan – who has gone on to be a proven race winner in A1 Grand Prix and Quick is a renowned race car preparer throughout the world, having won many Championships and the Sepang 12 Hour several times.

Eurasia Motorsport has a technical relationship with the Raikkonen-Robertson Racing outfit in Formula BMW Europe and European Formula 3, which is part owned by former World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen.

Following on from the Formula BMW Pacific Series, Chris aims to be racing in Europe in 2010, with his eyes on the ultimate prize of a Formula 1 seat.

Chris’s progress throughout 2009 can be followed on his website at www.chriswootton.com.

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