Thomas Yates

Throughout his childhood, Thomas participated in various motorsports, including racing small single-person vehicles, including riding motorbikes, quad bikes, and jet skis. He also competed in rallying, particularly enjoying the speed and thrill of driving on dirt roads, and even won gravel stages in a 1400 MG ZR rally car that he and his father prepared. And later in 2019, became the elite quad bike champion in the UK. Throughout his schooling, Tom excelled in design and engineering, picking up many prestigious awards; he went on to obtain a first-class degree in mechanical engineering from Bath University.

Before founding McMurtry Automotive, Tom worked at Mercedes’ High-Performance Powertrain division, where he was involved in optimising Formula One power units for both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg during their dominant championship winning years. He then led the testing and approval team responsible for endurance testing of the engines to maximise their performance window and ensure reliability. 

Tom always aspired to create a single-seater high-performance track car and make a significant impact in the automotive industry. Collaborating with Sir David McMurtry, he established McMurtry Automotive with the goal of reviving and modernising fan car technology inspired by the successful 1970’s Can-Am and Formula One fan cars. This venture presented an opportunity to breathe new life into a technology that has laid dormant for four decades and explore its potential for the future of motorsports and performance driving.