Career
Kane, who was born in Newtownards, County Down and grow up in Ballynahinch, was voted McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year in 2001 (earning a test with the McLaren Formula One team), after winning the Junior Formula Ford Zetec championship by taking 8 wins and 4 runners-up spots in 12 races. From 2003 to 2005 he competed in Formula Three; finishing as runner-up in the Scholarship class (for year-old cars) of the 2003 British Formula Three Championship, finishing 3rd overall in Spain in 2004, and in 2005 he was 9th in the main British F3 championship. That year he took 3 poles and a win, despite the deal only coming together a day before the season began. At the end of 2005 he became the first driver ever to race a Lola at the Macau Formula Three race. He then raced in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, with a best result of 2nd.
For 2007 he moved into the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, finishing 3rd overall and fighting for the title until the final round, with a series-high seven wins, including pole position at Thruxton.
In 2008 he competed in the BTCC, driving a BMW for the Motorbase Performance team. He started the year strongly, finishing 8th on his debut and later taking a 6th place at Rockingham Motor Speedway after a tough weekend. At Croft he ran 4th for a while, but dropped out with an electrical problem on the final lap. His first podium finish came at the next meeting at Snetterton. At the next meeting at Oulton Park, he qualified 15th before advancing to 9th in race 1, and from 9th on the grid to 4th in race 2, before being eliminated from race 3 after a first-lap hit from Tom Chilton.
He did not return to the BTCC for 2009. He is the series test driver for the new FIA Formula Two Championship, and co-commentator alongside Martin Haven on Eurosport2's coverage of the championship.
On 26 September 2009 he was a guest driver in the Kumho BMW Championship at Oulton Park. He qualified first in both qualifying sessions, and won both races. He was later punished with two points on his racing license after he was deemed by the stewards to have taken out another competitor on purpose.
Kane returned to the BTCC with the Airwaves BMW team for the 2010 season, partnering Mat Jackson. Kane won his first BTCC race at Thruxton on 4 April 2010 when he completed a one-two for Airwaves BMW in race three. He finished sixth overall at the end of the 2010 season with 169 points.
On 15 June 2011, it was announced that Kane would pilot a Lola-Mazda prototype for Dyson Racing in the American Le Mans Series, partnering with Humaid al-Masaood. He and al-Masaood finished 3rd overall (and 3rd in the LMP1 class) in each of their first two ALMS events at Lime Rock Park and Mosport. Kane and al-Masaood claimed their first overall victory at the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix.
For 2012, Kane will race with Humaid al-Masaood in the Oryx Racing's Audi R8 GRAND-AM program in the Rolex Sports Car Series. In addition to this, Kane will also compete at the 12 Hours of Sebring with the Dyson Racing team.
Read more about this topic: Steven Kane
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“I’ve been in the twilight of my career longer than most people have had their career.”
—Martina Navratilova (b. 1956)
“The problem, thus, is not whether or not women are to combine marriage and motherhood with work or career but how they are to do so—concomitantly in a two-role continuous pattern or sequentially in a pattern involving job or career discontinuities.”
—Jessie Bernard (20th century)
“I seemed intent on making it as difficult for myself as possible to pursue my “male” career goal. I not only procrastinated endlessly, submitting my medical school application at the very last minute, but continued to crave a conventional female role even as I moved ahead with my “male” pursuits.”
—Margaret S. Mahler (1897–1985)