He might be something of a reluctant celebrity, but a celebrity he undoubtedly was as Jordan King – the youngest driver ever to compete in the modern era of the FIA Formula Two Championship – wowed his fellow students and left them with mouths agape after taking his new ‘toy’ into college.
Jordan has just completed his AS-level exams in Physics, Maths, Business Studies and PE at Princethorpe College. He has had to dovetail those pressures with his racing commitments, primarily in the Formula Renault UK Championship – in which he last month achieved his maiden podium finish at Croft in Yorkshire – but also, more recently, in Formula Two, following a personal invitation from ex-F1 driver and series director Jonathan Palmer, who had noted the ice-cool Warwickshire ace’s palpable potential.
Belying his comparative lack of experience, the 17-year-old car racing rookie claimed a strong eighth place on his history-making debut around legendary Belgian Grand Prix circuit Spa-Francorchamps, before speeding to an even more eye-catching fifth position second time out at Germany’s Nürburgring.
Jordan has one more Formula Two outing remaining – on home turf, this time, at Brands Hatch later this month – but the talented Stoneleigh-based hotshot found a slot in his busy timetable to give his Princethorpe College classmates and friends a special treat by taking his fearsomely-fast, 500bhp, 170mph-plus single-seater along to show them. The day was also caught on video camera by ITV’s Central News team.
“Since I became the youngest Formula Two driver, I’ve attracted a lot of media interest,” he acknowledged, unfazed by his meteoric rise through the motor racing ranks and handling the ever-increasing limelight maturely in his stride. “It was fun to film, and I think a lot of my classmates were a bit surprised to see a camera crew at college! They were impressed with the Formula Two car and how powerful it looks.
“My friends don’t really know about my racing. I don’t talk about it much; it’s just what I do. When I’m at college, I’m like everyone else and get on with my work. The racing bug bit when I was 11; I went to a go-karting birthday party, and it all happened from there – I realised I was hooked. The more speed and power you get in a car, the more you want to do it. I don’t feel any danger at all.”
Formerly a leading light on the national and international karting stage and now also a brand ambassador for high-end fashion label Hugo Boss, it is evident that Jordan’s appearance at college in his ‘office’ was a popular one, drawing admiration from fellow students and teachers alike.
“It is quite a challenge to combine the study of AS-levels with such a demanding schedule, and Jordan and his teachers make every effort to ensure that he knows exactly what he needs to cover in order to keep up,” revealed Princethorpe College Head of Sixth Form, Margaret Robinson. “Certain elements of the teaching, such as practicals, are carried out with Jordan to fit in with his busy schedule.
“On the whole, his teachers rely on effective communication, knowing just when he will be absent. We know that he will look for support and advice from his teachers when he needs it. Jordan also does a lot of extra study while he is away training or competing. He tells me that it is his social life that suffers a bit, because his racing and his school studies come first!”
“We have a number of extremely talented pupils at Princethorpe, and Jordan is certainly one of them,” concurred headmaster Ed Hester, clearly supportive of the BRDC Rising Star’s burgeoning career and praising his self-assured yet self-effacing manner. “And not only in motor racing – he is a tremendous athlete, too, recently winning the 1,500m and 400m races at the College Sports Day against stiff opposition.
“We are tremendously proud of his achievements so far. To progress to Formula Two at such a young age is remarkable, and all this has been accomplished whilst balancing studying for his AS examinations. We wish him the very best of luck.”
