Grace Bates Racing - An Introduction.

Grace Bates is a 17 year old British racing driver, currently competing in Classic Formula Ford  1600. Grace grew up around motorsport, stepping into her first kart at 6 years old. Her family ran  Formula ford team provided a clear path in how she wanted to begin her single seater career.  Progressing into Formula Ford at just 16 years old has taught self-belief, confidence and  determination to learn and better herself each race.  

Grace has been surrounded by motorsport for as long as she can remember, particularly in  Formula Ford, where her Dad raced before her, heavily inspiring who she is today as a driver.  She began karting aged 6, which is where the love of speed was discovered, as well as where the  basics of driving and race craft were learnt. After many years of on and off karting, Grace  stepped up and drove her first manual car, aged 13. From there she worked hard, gaining  experience in many different cars, whist also gaining tuition from some incredibly  knowledgeable drivers. In the years leading up to being eligible for formula ford, many  challenges arose, which taught great perseverance and resilience to find alternative routes to  reach her goals.  

She grew up surrounded by her parents growing race team, Shaw’s Motorsport, where she got  heavily involved with all the aspects involved in running a team, such as the mechanical side - learning basic race preparation for the cars, being able to make quick car changes and  adjustments track side and learning how to take each car through scrutineering successfully.  These skills are vital as a driver, to be able to know how the car works and how to prepare it for  a race weekend. Being so heavily involved in Shaw's Motorsport taught many more skills which  were imperative in how a team ran smoothly and that are now brought forward into her racing  career. 

Being Involved in the team meant Grace also got to see first hand how different drivers performed; she’d see many of their lows and their greatest achievements, how they all prepared  differently and how they dealt with setbacks and challenges. For her, this massively impacted her  outlook on competing, and outlined how pure determination, resilience and passion for the sport  is what makes a driver grow.  

Grace entered her first race at Mallory Park towards the beginning of 2025 with Super Classics,  this race showed a huge improvement in her driving in comparison to her previous test sessions, with the competitive, yet friendly and supportive championship being a great starting point to her  career. Throughout the rest of the 2025 season, Grace continued to compete regularly, each  weekend building confidence and speed. As the season progressed, she began finishing higher up  the grid and won her first novice trophy at Silverstone in October. She also managed to achieve  second place in the Super Classic class C championship.  

Grace currently drives a Van Diemen RF80 Classic Formula Ford, which she is immensely  devoted to, since it became her first car back in 2024. The car for her is more than just a chassis  and engine; it’s a personality. It has quirks and imperfections, yet when treated with respect, it  performs. The Van Diemen is one of the most notorious names in Formula Ford manufacturing  history, with their cars dominating grids in early Formula Ford days, with some familiar names  such as Ayrton Senna, Roberto Moreno and Jonathan Palmer being behind the wheels. Graces  RF80 was bought off a fellow racer who she had known for many years previously, and she  quickly built a connection with it, even giving it a name, ‘Valerie’ as many now know it as.  

Another driving factor in Graces career is the support she receives, her parents' belief and trust in  her, as well as all the hard work put in to get her out on track, is what makes all this possible. In  addition, coaching and wise words from fellow drivers have helped give confidence when there  was little left. Also, her partner Harrison Morrow, a fellow driver who helps massively in the  lead up to races with sim training and track help, is a massive support. The support at track and  in the background has been a massive factor of Graces journey so far, and what will continue to  help her progress in the future  

For the 2026 season, Grace plans to continue developing in Formula Ford, setting goals to push  herself to achieve what she believes she’s truly capable of, whilst also developing a deeper  understanding of the mechanical and technical elements of driving, with intention to work her  way further up the grid. She also plans to compete in a full season of racing, gaining as much  seat time as possible.  

In summary, racing has always been in Graces' blood, but this last season has begun to put the  dreams into reality, building confidence, patience and skill, with each race teaching a new lesson.  Formula Ford will always be her roots, and no matter where racing takes her, she’ll always return  to where she built a dream, a family, and a pure passion.