James Dornor looked around the motorsport industry and couldn't find a community that felt like his, so he built one. In this episode of BeDifferential, the founder of Driven By Us traces the full journey from that personal experience of isolation to an organization that has directly impacted over 4,600 students and reached nearly 19,000 more through workshops, conferences and academia events.
Driven By Us' mission is to drive meaningful change by championing underrepresented talent in STEM and reshaping perceptions across the automotive and motorsport sectors. Built by industry professionals, it empowers aspiring leaders through a community space that offers mentorship, development pathways, and real-world opportunities, supporting personal and professional growth in environments grounded in inclusion, excellence, and equity. Its reach spans the UK, North America, Europe, and beyond, and through partnerships with schools and the wider industry ecosystem, it shapes a future where diverse voices lead, inspire, and succeed, supported by industry-leading role models embedded within the community.
That work includes a Driver Academy, which supports young talent from underrepresented backgrounds through a system that was never designed with them in mind, in partnership with the FAT Karting League, founded by Rob Smedley, former Ferrari Race Engineer. Recognized with the Prime Minister's Points of Light Award and the Black Talent Award for Social Change & Race Media – Inspirational Campaign in Motorsport, Driven By Us has also built genuine partnerships with Aston Martin Amarco F1, Oracle Red Bull Racing, and Mission 44, Sir Lewis Hamilton Charity.
In this conversation, James gets honest about what the industry keeps getting wrong about this work, what "inclusion built into the chassis" actually looks like in a real conversation with a manufacturer who thinks they're already doing enough, and what the version of motorsport Driven By Us is building toward actually looks like. For any young person who loves this sport but has never once seen themselves reflected in it, this conversation is for you.
Learn more about Driven By Us at https://www.drivenbyus.org/
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