About Bradley
Bradley Ellis Career Highlights
Bradley Ellis is one of the UK’s leading sportscar drivers. A British Champion by the age of 21, he took the 2007 Avon Tyres British GT Championship crown and only narrowly missed out on claiming back-to-back titles after finishing third in the FIA GT3 European Championship and capturing the Ford Manufacturer Cup in 2008.
Since he started karting in 1997, Bradley has shown race-winning prowess. With a Cadet karting title clinched in his first season, he attracted the attention of multiple World Karting champion Martin Hines, who recruited him to the Zip Young Guns team.
Claiming consecutive MSA British Cadet and British Yamaha titles in 1999 and 2000, Bradley switched to Europe with Rambo Motorsport from 2002, adding the JICA Industrial Trophy to his CV.
His consistent form earned a factory drive with the Italian ITLOOX Racing team before his racecar debut in Formula Renault Italia followed at just 16, again with promising results. Bradley returned to UK racing in 2005 and the Formula Renault UK Championship as sole driver for Mark Burdett Motorsport. A move to Fortec Motorsport for the Winter Series proved his potential as he flourished within a bigger team.
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship beckoned for 2006 and Bradley rapidly established himself as a GTC championship contender, claiming his first podium in a matter of races. His maiden British GT victory soon followed, sharing the spoils in Pau with teammate Alex Mortimer. The Team RPM duo notched up a further two wins and several podium finishes to finish third overall.
The pair graduated to the championship’s GT3 category for 2007, equipped with a Dodge Viper Competition Coupe. Despite podium finishes in two of the first four rounds, equalisation measures initially hampered progress.
Double victory at Bradley’s home track, Brands Hatch, however, earned him a place in the annals of motorsport history with Dodge’s first British GT victory. His first GT3 pole position followed at Silverstone, ahead of another podium double at Thruxton, but disaster at Croft left the Rockingham finale looming with an eight-point deficit.
Undaunted, the Team RPM duo fought back in style, their second double victory sealing the title with one pole, four wins, two seconds, two third places and 12 point-scoring finishes in 14 rounds.
Taking the next step on the GT ladder, Bradley joined the FIA GT3 European Championship for 2008 having secured full membership to the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC). RPM teammate Mortimer stepped in as co-driver from round two at Monza, immediately rekindling the successful partnership in style with a double-header victory.
Bradley’s assault on the European crown, however, was put in grave danger when he broke a bone in his neck following a massive accident while guest driving in the Avon Tyres British GT round at Thruxton in June.
Despite an overnight stay in hospital, Bradley purchased a new helmet and HANS device on the way home, sought specialist treatment and was cleared to race in the FIA GT3 rounds at Oschersleben the following weekend. He would later receive recognition for his sportsmanship and courage in the form of the BRDC Innes Ireland Trophy.
Again, equalisation measures, together with a large measure of poor fortune, hampered the campaign mid-season, but Bradley remained in the title battle after returning to the points at Brno, and to the podium with third at Nogaro.
Approaching the season finale in Dubai, he was one of seven drivers capable of taking the crown. A solid third in the penultimate round put the title just out of reach but it was impossible to defend second place when torrential overnight rain flooded the circuit, forcing the final round to be cancelled.
Despite that, the 21 year-old was awarded the Ford Manufacturer Cup as the highest scoring Ford driver, with two race wins, two third positions and points scored in seven out of 12 rounds.
While concentrating on developing his specialist driver coaching company, Bradley took on the testing role for Apex Motorsport in the Jaguar XKR-S in 2009, delivering an encouraging start to the development project in the opening FIA GT3 European rounds at Silverstone.
His extensive expertise meant he was called in for long-distance endurance feasibility analysis for Team RPM’s Ford GT programme. A role he expanded in 2010 to include full endurance race distance tests, component and tyre reliability analysis and strategy planning ahead of Team RPM’s 24 Hours of Spa debut.
While developing the next stage of his sportscar career with planned manufacturer backing for 2011, Bradley was called upon to take on special duties with the British Touring Car Championship, driving the medical response car throughout the 2010 season.
