At the age of 18, having completed his studies at college, he gave up a university place to start his racing career in 2009. He competed in 11 Senior Rotax kart races in the South of the United Kingdom - setting a fastest lap in a field of 24 in his first ever race at Clay Pigeon.
In 2010 Wells graduated to Formula Ford 1600. Together with engineer John Percy - who ran him out of a single trailer - Wells took five class poles and five class wins in just seven race weekends. This brought him to the attention of the Racing Steps Foundation for their 2010 Formula Renault UK Winter Cup shoot-out. After a six-week evaluation program which culminated in a day on track in Formula Renault machinery at Rockingham, he was 0.7s clear of the other finalists, astounding the on looking assessors, John Surtees and the late Martin Hines. Dan graduated to Formula Renault UK in late 2010, taking part in the 2010 Formula Renault UK Winter Cup. Dan finished 5th in his first ever race weekend, lapping just a tenth off a second off experienced team mate Alex Lynn. In the second weekend, Dan suffered incidents and mechanical failures, coming away with a best result of 11th.
Formula Renault
Wells joined the 2011 Formula Renault UK championship with Atech Reid GP from Round 3. He finished 10th in the overall in the standings, just 22 shy of 7th place, with a best result of 4th at Rockingham and Brands Hatch. His progress continued in the Formula Renault UK Final Series, where he scored three podiums in six races, with a best result of 2nd at Snetterton. He emerged as Vice Champion of the series, never finishing outside the top 6 beating Red Bull and McLaren backed drivers. Over the winter, Wells worked hard to secure the necessary budget for a 2012 Formula Renault UK seat. However, in March 2012 it was announced that Formula Renault UK series would not take place in 2012. Dan was already in the process of looking for alternative options to pursue his career, and thus looked towards Asia.
On 28 March 2012, Wells announced he would compete in the Formula Pilota China Series in 2012, for the Hong Kong-based KCMG team. He moved to Hong Kong in April 2012 and raced in Asia for the whole season, taking a double win in just his second weekend in the series. Dan ran in a one car debut team for the majority of the year. He took a total of 3 wins, lined up on pole position 3 times, and took 9 podiums from the 18 race series with series debutantes KCMG. Most noteworthy was the fact he moved to Hong Kong with very little personal funding, and paid for his first race using money raised through his GoFundMe page, which was successful in bringing nearly 14,000 euros to start his racing season.
Dan became well known for his openness through social media, including Twitter, Facebook and his blogs. Twitter was his main medium to connect with fans, and they got a real insight into the life of a young racing driver trying to make it in the sport. When Wells started the GoFundMe page, people started sponsoring him - and over 2012 over 150 people worldwide had sponsored over 14,000 euros to continue his path.
Racing record
Career summary
Personal life
Wells was educated at La Retraite Swan in Salisbury, where he got seven A*’s and four A’s at his GCSE. He was also Top 10 in the UK for Politics and Economics at Peter Symonds College in Winchester. He enjoys fitness, including hiking, spinning, running, weight work and pilates. He also likes learning about driving, philosophy and nutrition.
