Oliver Goethe took his first race win in a formula car in the competitive FIA Spanish F4 Championship this weekend (22-23 August) when he crossed the line at Paul Ricard more than three seconds ahead of the competition. The 15-year old Bullet Athlete now sits in second place in the series just nine points off the leader.
ROFGO Junior driver Ollie came to Bullet Sports Management at the start of 2020 looking for guidance as he stepped up from karts to single-seater cars. His results in his car racing debut at the end of 2019 didn’t match his talent so the company set to work putting together a holistic programme that would improve his performance and help him to unlock his potential.
Bullet Director Maria Catarineu said: “It was clear that Ollie has a lot of talent and that his coach Stuart Hall has done a fantastic job in developing his racing ability, but they knew that he needed a more holistic support system in place to take him to the next level. The first step we took was placing him with MP Motorsport – not only is this a leading team on track, but it has an atmosphere and culture that nurtures talent like Ollie.”
This was just the first step in the process for the 15-year old, however, as Maria went on to explain: “We then partnered-up Ollie with fellow Bullet Athlete Franco Colapinto. Franco won the FIA Spanish F4 Championship last year, so had a wealth of knowledge to pass on to our youngest Bullet Athlete. We believe that a mentoring scheme best replicates a family atmosphere – not only does Ollie learn from Franco but Franco learns through teaching. We also create bonds of trust and make our drivers feel secure and safe, which is extremely important for personal development. Spanish F4 is very competitive so you must develop all areas of the driver if you want them to stand on the top step.”
FIA Spanish F4 Championship comprises 19 up-and-coming single seater stars from nine countries across four continents and is well-known for producing some of the world’s top talent. After taking two second place finishes and a third place at the Navarra Circuit in southern Spain in his debut as a Bullet Athlete, Ollie took a dominant race win at Circuit de Paul Ricard and praised the work of the whole team:
“I think we sometimes forget the importance of the atmosphere in a team,” said Ollie. “We pick a good deal on paper, employ a good coach and think we will win. But I think this weekend has shown that it takes more than that. The team and car were incredible, and they certainly gave me the tools I needed to get the win. But, Stuart and the team from Bullet made sure I was in the best place physically and mentally to get the most out of the car. As well as boxing with Stuart to improve fitness and reactions, we played a table tennis tournament to relax and have fun, and we focused on my pre-race nutrition. Maria was there to lead things and the Bullet team back at the office supported me with social media and PR. I felt great going into the weekend and even better leaving, and I can’t wait to come back and fight for more wins.”
Ollie, who has finished inside the top five and scored four podiums from the six races so far this season now focuses on the third round that takes place at Jerez on 19-20 September.
Maria concludes: “We’re extremely proud of Ollie and the improvements he’s made so far. He is a pleasure to have in the Bullet camp and we can’t wait to see where his future will take him. There are 15 races left at five tracks, so lots more work to do but plenty of opportunity to take the championship lead.”