Life in the fast lane

Young Driver of the Year semi-finalist Dean Ross was just a teenager when he landed a job that would turn most car enthusiasts green with envy, writes Caroline Brodie

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NOT many young drivers, excluding the very rich and famous, get the chance to drive £400,000 supercars.

But motorsport engineer Dean Ross, of Alness, had driven everything from Porsche 911s to Ferraris, Lamborghinis and even a Pagani Zonda before he was even out of his teens.

Since landing a job with a British GT Championship team two years ago, the 21-year-old has travelled as far afield as Dubai fixing up Porsches and has visited some of the world’s most famous racing tracks.

Dean, who had always been into cars and was a keen follower of supercar racing, got the job with Team 4Car after meeting someone who worked on the team by chance.

He started off helping out at UK venues, such as Silverstone and Knockhill, but was soon travelling to Belgium, Holland and Italy.

Last year, his team was crowned the British GT Championship winning team. Dean has also worked with it on the Porsche Carrera Cup.

Looking back at the past two years, he said: “I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to realise my dream at such a young age.”

However, he said working in the world of high-powered racing cars had really “opened his eyes” to road safety.

He said: “It teaches you what is safe on the roads – what you can and cannot do.

“I think it has made me a safer driver.

“When I passed my test, all I was interested in was speed and trying to get the best out of my car.

“But when you’ve seen cars crash at over 120mph and fall apart, it makes you realise how fragile they are.

“You think you are invincible, but you’re not.

“You have to keep your eyes open for everything.”

Dean, who drives a two-door BMW, said it was now his dream to make the transition from mechanic to rally driver and become Scottish rally champion.

To cut the road death toll, Dean proposes restrictions on driving at night, when most accidents occur.

He also believes in continual and compulsory education.

He said: “If you’re always learning, you’ll remain fresh, alert and become a safer driver.”