Career
He will debut in the 2016 Renault Sport Trophy with the ART Junior Team. Early years
lieutenant was in the United Kingdom at the age of 8 that Raoul Owens began competing in karting. Shortly after, in 2005 with the family move to South Africa, Raoul continued his early development by joining the Western Province Motoring Club.
By the following year Raoul had his first substantial milestone, winning the Mini Max Regional Championship.
In 2009 he moved up to the South African Northern Region where he was able to race alongside sterner competition at circuits that included Zwartkops Raceway and Vereeniging. As a result, Raoul was eligible to compete in the season"s highlight event, the Rotax Grand Finals held in Egypt.
Simultaneously the same year, Raoul was to be seen competing in Europe, this time in the Rotax European Max Series. This proved a huge success, with Raoul being ranked 8th in a field of 50 other drivers.
2010 was also busy, with Raoul competing solely on the international stage in the Euro Max Challenge Series at leading circuits in Europe, as well as in the United Kingdom in the "Super1" National Series.
Formula Renault Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
2011 saw the biggest step up in class for Raoul as he advanced to Europe"s highest rated open-wheel category at this level, Formula Renault Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Consequently, Raoul was to compete for 2 years at some of the most iconic United Kingdom tracks including Donington Park, Thruxton, Snetterton, Croft, Brands Hatch and Silverstone – showcasing to crowds of up to 40,000. In the 2012 season he also competed in one-off competitions at Spa-Francorchamps, Magny-Cours and Le Mans. This year ended with an overall Top 10 finish.
Formula Renault Northern European Cup Nippon Electric Corporation
In 2013 Raoul embarked on a programme in mainland Europe with Mark Burdett Motorsport within the ranks of Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, racing in the hotly contested Northern European Cup (Nippon Electric Corporation) and increasing his exposure to the prestigious World Series by Renault (WSR) Formula Renault 2.0 category in 2014.
To consolidate his skills in 2014, in addition to competing again in the Northern European Cup, Raoul competed in selected WSR events under wild cards. During this period Raoul worked with chief race engineer, Andy Miller – veteran of Formula One team Stewart General Practice. Mazda Road To Industry
In 2015 Raoul relocated to Boston, United States of America to compete in the Mazda Road To Industry series in the Pro Mazda Championship.
The Mazda Road To Industry (MRTI) series forms part of the support to the INDYCAR race calendar. He initially joined JDC Motorsports for 6 races.
Following this Raoul joined the Florida-based Pro Mazda Championship Team Pelfrey.
The Pro Mazda category is part of the Road To Industry, which is the feeder series for IndyCar competition. His first race was in the 2015 Pro Mazda Winterfest series in advance of his debut in the Pro Mazda Championship. Next Steps
2016 sees Raoul return to Europe to make the change and crossover in to GT Racing.
He has joined the leading ART Junior Team competing in the 2016 Renault Sport Trophy in the new RS01 race car.
The races are part of the World Series by Renault and support the European Le Mans Series.