A Journey Decades in the Making

Adam’s love affair with karting began long before he ever stepped onto the track at Daytona. Growing up in Brackley, he caught the bug early. After being gifted a Formula Fast bundle in early 2010 he discovered a competitive drive and fell in love with motorsport. However, the expense of the sport held him back from jumping into it two footed. That competitive spirit, though, never left him. When life, and work, brought him closer to Milton Keynes, Daytona became a second home. He officially debuted in June 2024 and made his presence known immediately, taking podiums right from the start.

Since then, he’s dipped in and out of almost every racing discipline Daytona has to offer. He's well known to the staff, Archie Snell in particular, hawks Hawtin as "our most regular customer, sometimes doing every single session in a day". Whether it’s the nimble SODI fleets or the lightning-fast DMAX karts, Hawtin adapts quickly. He highlights, the first time he tried DMAX, noting the speed surprising him. We joked that they take some getting used to and that the community of Daytona Milton Keynes is essential to young drivers progression. Stepping onto the track for open sessions you can find yourself driving alongside seasoned racers. He mentions names like James King and Ashely Mayston-King lending a helping hand and offering advice when Hawtin was getting back into the sport. Something we've heard time and time again from our up-and-coming drivers.

Red Bull

Off-track, Adam’s no less impressive. He’s been an electrical technician at Red Bull Racing since April 2023, joining right as the team began one of its most dominant eras in Formula 1. "F1 has been my passion for years," he says. “I always wanted a career in motorsport but I never expected it to come so soon.”

His road to Red Bull wasn’t traditional. After attending an engineering college in Bicester, he secured a week’s work experience in electronics at Prodrive in 2017. That week turned into a junior job. And that job led to Red Bull, the very environment he always dreamed of. Now, whether he’s integrating electrical components into Formula 1 cars or thrashing a DMAX around Daytona MK, he's living the dream of any discerning motorsport fan.

Even his karting is influenced by the high standards of Formula 1. “I shadowed a lot of experienced engineers as an apprentice and evolved my own style,” he explains. The same goes for his kart racing. Having shadowed our aforementioned regulars, he's integrated their styles to his own arsenal. Following the lines of experienced drivers, speaking on and off track, while keeping a cool head is the formula our most successful racers follow, and indeed Hawtin follows suit.

The Recipe For Success

This year, Adam took part in a 2-hour DMAX Inter Tuition session at Daytona Milton Keynes with instructor Archie Snell. It proved transformative. “The track walk was the best insight, learning the elevation changes and the little surface details.” Archie even threw in some race-pressure simulation, intentionally breathing down Adam’s neck to provoke mistakes. And it worked.

“Six to eight months ago I’d crumble under pressure. Now I’ve had six consecutive podiums in TNL.” That resilience paid off in a big way: Adam made a surprise appearance at the DMAX National Championships final in MK last month and won the Endurance Inters Class in his first-ever hour-long solo stint. He cites that one tuition session as the reason for his success this season. The opportunity to ask questions and play out scenarios physically on track with a professional driver opening his eyes to the next level. And now, he turns his eyes to endurance racing, with a solo 3-Hour in mind and perhaps even a 24-Hour team in the future.

The Community and the Competition

Adam is also quick to point out the role of the Daytona community in his growth. He’s formed close bonds with the likes of the KBR team, even getting invited under their tent at the 10-Hour Endurance. “Seeing what they do behind the scenes, their organisation, their skill, it makes you understand why they’re so successful.” It’s clear he sees karting not just as a personal competition, but a collective one. As he puts it, “Without competition, it takes the joy out of it.”

At the moment, Adam sits P1 in the Thursday Night League DMAX Light class and P8 in SuperChamps. Interestingly for our team he mentions the difference between the championships. The weight classes for TNL suiting his natural weight, allowing him to drive without ballast he can employ his own body to throw the kart into corners.

But he’s realistic about his prospects across the board. “TNL suits me, no ballast, but SuperChamps is harder. I’m carrying more weight in that class.” Still, that hasn't stopped him from impressing. He recently won a split race at an EKS round in Tamworth on his first outing. The man is adaptable, and deadly fast. We spoke about what makes drivers great. We often see guests who are quick at one venue but less so on other tracks. We discuss the importance of getting to know your local track and community, but equally it being essential to diversify your abilities. Racing against strangers at unknown tracks helps a driver to broaden their horizons and gain the experience and composure required to go from good to great.

Eyes Forward

With consistent results and ever-growing experience, the sky’s the limit for Adam. He’ll be heading to the Gary Phillips Invitational soon and is even considering next seasons prospects.

His advice to young racers looking to follow in his footsteps is honest and practical: “You need sponsorship, backing, and the right eyes on you. The competition is incredibly high worldwide. But if you can get involved in lower forms of motorsport to build experience and build relationships, do it.”

Whether he’s working in the Red Bull garage or tearing up another Daytona circuit, one thing’s for sure: Adam Hawtin is a driver with purpose, talent, and a relentless will to win. And now, he’s officially our Driver of the Month.

Stay tuned for more on Adam’s journey, both on and off the track. We eagerly anticipate the results of this seasons Thursday Night League and SuperChamps to see if he can retain his lead. While the endurance community at Daytona should keep an eye out too, we feel they're not going to know what hit them when Hawtin steps on track.