Club Racing Spotlight: Steven Dailly

Steven Dailly, the BMW racer aiming to climb the ladder

How far does he drive each year for racing’s sake? “Probably 10,000 miles,” Steven Dailly says, “maybe more.” When you’re based in East Lothian, getting to Thruxton isn’t the work of a moment.

Now 26, Dailly started karting in 2000 and scooped his first title (of several) the following season. After taking a break from the sport to focus on education, he returned in 2010 – placing third in the Scottish championship – and then began to think about cars.

“My father and I liked the look of the BMW Compact Cup here in Scotland,” he says, “on the grounds that it was reasonably cost-effective.” He made his debut in the series late in 2013, driving a car built by his father Paul’s KC Motorsport team, and took second in the championship one year later… and then won all 16 rounds in 2015. Next stop: the English equivalent.

“It was a logical choice because we already had a car,” he says. “We weren’t sure we’d do the whole series, but I qualified on pole first time out at Brands Hatch, so we stuck with it.” He was third that season – and then won the 2017 title after a rival was excluded on a technicality. “This year,” he says, “I decided I’d do it again so that I could try to prove a point.” He was leading the standings at the time of writing, too.

Future ambitions? “What I’d like to do and what I can do are different things,” he says. “I’d love to race in British GT, but that’s unrealistic at present so I’m looking at perhaps Ginetta GT5s or Caterhams. If it’s rear-wheel drive and ultra-competitive, that will suffice for now.”