From karts to cars, we’ll get you up to speed with Calgary’s Nicolas Taylor

Calgary’s Nicolas Taylor moved to Malta with his family in his early teens and decided to try his hand at racing.

Taylor started in karts but this year, the 18 -year-old move to cars.  He was signed by PMA Motorsports which is supported by Audi sports and Taylor became the first Canadian to get a seat in the prestigious Touring Car Championship in Italy.

Despite being a rookie, Taylor is really making a name for himself on the circuit.  He’s thrilled with how it’s going.

“From the second round in Sicily, I think I came home with five podiums,” he said.

“At the moment I’m in second place in the championship, I’m leading the under 25 drivers and I’m leading the rookie cup which is unbelievable.”

Gaining confidence

All of this success after two rounds in the Touring Car Championship has given Taylor a lot of confidence.  He says he wasn’t sure what to expect when he switched from karts to cars.

“I thought I would be a nobody, I thought I would be just a midfield buy and wouldn’t get much coverage on T.V.” he said.

“But after these two rounds it definitely is a confidence boost.  I’m not seeming so much like an outsider, I feel like I now fit in with these top drivers.”

Nicoas Taylor of Calgary

The future

The next round will be at Autodromo del Mugello where Taylor will race on a big track for the first time.

He says for this year, he’s going to concentrate on the rookie championship.  Beyond that, he doesn’t see himself racing Formula cars, he’s happy to have a seat in a touring car.

“It’s still very likely to make a possible career out of touring car racing,” Taylor said.

“I don’t see a problem with that because the racing is always fantastic.  You know every one is banging doors which is something you don’t see in the Formula levels because of too much damage -- you can hurt your race car.”

“These cars can withstand that," he adds. "I haven’t thought too far ahead in the future but racing touring cars doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”