Queen’s University engineering student Dalton Kellett (Sc’15) has broken through into the world of professional auto racing after signing a one year contract with Andretti Autosport. The 21-year-old will drive for the Indianapolis-based team for his sophomore season in the Pro Mazda Championship.

After he completes his degree this spring, Mr. Kellett is heading to Indianapolis to start racing full time with hopes of moving up the ladder to the Indy Racing League.

“This is a big announcement for me,” says Mr. Kellett. “The Andretti name has a lot of weight and that will provide benefits down the road when I’m looking for further sponsorship to advance my career.”

Mr. Kellett started racing go-karts in 2008 at the Toronto Kart Club when he was 14-years-old and quickly moved up the ranks. In just two years he advanced to the senior ranks, competing in the Eastern Canada Karting Championship and the Florida Winter Tour. From there he’s travelled the world competing and last year caught the eye of the Andretti Autosport team who signed him for the 2015 season.

Having a background in engineering should give him a leg up on the competition, Mr. Kellett believes.

“I can relate to race engineers as I’ve already built and raced my own car when I was with the Queen’s Formula SAE Design and Race Team,” he says. “My engineering skills have been critical to my success.”

“We’ve noticed Dalton as he's been making his way through the Mazda Road to Indy and have been impressed by his work ethic and consistency over the years," says JF Thormann, Chief Operating Officer, Andretti Autosport. “Dalton joined us earlier in the offseason for a test and we were pleased to see how well he fit in with our Pro Mazda team. We're very excited to have he and his family join our Mazda Road to Indy family and expect great things in the 2015 season.”

For more information visit Dalton Kellett’s website or Andretti Autosport.