James Grunwell
Encyclopedia
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
2003
In early 2003, James entered his first official race where the Champion Racing Team was formed under the support of Champion Ferodo.At the age of 14, James entered The Thailand Under 18 100cc Veloil Challenge and won its championship. He then later entered the Thailand Nationals in the Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
class and won 2 out of 4 races with podiums in the other 2. He continued to enter kart races with the 2003 kart, and still managed to finish the season 4th in the internationally recognized Intercon ‘A’ Class. James finished on the podium in every race he entered.
2004
Towards the end of 2004, James had an opportunity of a test drive with AIM Racing, one of Thailand’s leading racing teams. He passed with flying colors as the fastest rookie ever to take the test. He was immediately entered for the last two races of 2004 as a guest driver. He drove a specially designed Thai built car that ran with 12 valveValve
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...
, 1600cc, Toyota racing engines that produces top speeds of up to 160 km/h. He competed in 4 out of 6 races in the new season, finishing first twice and had a podium
Podium
A podium is a platform that is used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek πόδι In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podia can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of an orchestra stands on a podium as do many...
place in the rest.
In December 2004, James was invited for a test drive in a Formula BMW
Formula BMW
Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...
, with the Meritus Racing Team in Malaysia. Again he passed the test and was offered a drive with them in 2005. He entered the Formula BMW
Formula BMW
Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...
scholarship programme and missed out by one place for the scholarship. James and his sponsors decided to concentrate on karting in Thailand.
2004/2005
Grunwell won all the races in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
Rotax Max Junior series. He later entered the World Finals in Langkawi for Rotax Max
Rotax Max
The Rotax Max is a two-stroke engine designed by Rotax, part of Bombardier Recreational Products , to provide cost-effective but high speed kart racing. Built in Austria, the engine is liquid cooled, equipped with a balance shaft, integrated water pump, electric starter and centrifugal clutch...
. In Langkawi, James finished in the top 5 in all races and started 4th on the grid in the final. He was the highest placed Thai driver ever.
At the end of 2005, James again joined the Formula BMW
Formula BMW
Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...
Asia scholarship program and this time – having matured a little and with some more experience – passed with flying colors. He won one of 4 prestigious BMW Scholarship prizes worth USD 50,000 and managed to get bonus points for setting the fastest lap out of 20 competitors.
2006
Meritus Racing Team took James on as a Rookie driver to compete in the Formula BMWFormula BMW
Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...
Asia 2006 series where he finished 3rd in the Rookie Championship and 4th overall.
2007
This is his second year in Formula BMW Asia for Meritus Racing Team. The Pizza Company, Comcon Services Thailand, Image Makers Asia and Champion Ferodo are his main sponsors.Advertising & Sponsorship
All through 2005 and 2006, James has been featured in many magazines and newspapers. James also appeared with his Concept Car at the Bangkok 7th Rugby Tournament on behalf of his sponsors Champion Ferodo, where he did a demonstration drive by and helped present the prize to the winners of the tournament.In 2007, The Pizza Company became one of the main sponsors for James in the Formula BMW
Formula BMW
Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...
Asia Series followed by Comcon Services Thailand and Image Makers Asia, and James has been actively promoting both companies in Thailand and abroad.
James is based in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and is currently racing throughout Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
where he currently leads the Formula BMW Asian Championship after winning races in Malaysia and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
External links
Sources:
- http://www.automobilsport.com/formula-bmw-asia-bira-circuit-thailand-pattayaha-grunwell-james-meritus-sam-abay-e-rain-earl-bamber-james-ricciardo-eurasia-motorsport-storey-aaron-lim---14264.html,*http://www.afos.com
- http://www.asiaprnews.com/events/the-pizza-company-sponsors-thai-racing-star-james-grunwell.html
- Boudreau, Mark http://www.f1prospects.com/2006/01/formula_bmw_gru.html, F1 Prospect, January 28, 2006, Accessed July 31,