ONE YEAR ON : Dylan McClements' First RTA Win

By Evan Dalton 

Photo Credits : Sean McClements

On the 26th of March, 2024, the world was greeted by the next star of RTA Virtual Motorsport, Dylan McClements. After starting third in Heat 3 of that evening’s action at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, McClements led a dominant race, picking up his first RTA win seconds clear of Evan Walsh and Jason Smyth. 

Since this race, Dylan McClements has been a name that will be very familiar to regular viewers of RTA. Why, however? Let’s look back at his last year of sim racing and how at just the age of 14, Dylan McClements is starting to become a household name in the world of Irish virtual motorsport.  

McClements’ first race win came at Round 3 of the TH Jordan GT4 Cup. At the next event in Sebring, which came two weeks later due to iRacing update issues, the form did not really continue. He managed to snatch a podium in Heat 2, but overall it was a difficult week. 

There was a steady trickle of podium finishes across the remainder of the season, but the victories returned with Dylan’s second and third wins of the season in Laguna Seca. His best week as an RTA driver so far helped him secure second in the championship, behind Jordan Kelly. 

The next season for drivers to tackle was the Super Formula Lights. The second quickest single seater machinery raced in Japan. From the offset, Dylan appeared comfortable in the car, and this was proven with a race win at a soaked Donington Park in Round 1 of the season. These sort of conditions favour drivers with more experience, but in his, and RTA’s first, wet race he excelled. 

It was an up and down season for a lot of the field, and Dylan only managed one more race win. This win however, is what started to make heads turn. Dylan was up against a familiar foe, the on-form Jordan Kelly, who in a nimble single seater with a lot of power under his right foot can almost be deemed unbeatable. It was a sunny day at Brands Hatch, with perfect conditions for racing. 

Kelly had won the previous two heat races, and if everything went cleanly, it was almost expected for him to win the third. Dylan started in seventh, and had managed to work his way into the lead just before the three minute mark. With Kelly right behind, and 17 minutes to overtake, his name was being carved into the trophy.

However the young boy from the north of Antrim persevered. The reigning British Formula Ford champion [at the time] could not find a way past. A defensive masterclass, one really seen against Kelly this season. The most impressive part? In his post race interview, he barely seemed phased. 

Ok, you could definitely hear the post race adrenaline running through his veins, but he played it off pretty well. 

The RTA world was now awoken to Dylan McClements, and his next big result came at Round 3 of the following season’s Motorsport.ie Mustang Americas Cup. Once again a soaking wet circuit, but this time at one of RTA’s trans-atlantic rounds in Montreal, Canada. 

The Circuit Giles Villeneuve was catching out all calibre of drivers, on a wet, mucky night. It was the perfect conditions for a Division 7 Junior B relegation semi final if I’ve ever seen them. Champion elect Oscar Mangan made multiple mistakes, and he was by far from only one. 

Dylan however? He won all three races and did not miss a beat while doing so. A bit of luck when his older brother, Sean McClements, got hit from the lead in Heat 3, but his pace was sublime all evening. Dylan was no longer the young kid having some fun on his racing game, he was a future RTA champion. 

Unfortunately the next season of Formula Vee’s was not going to be Dylan’s crowning moment, and he ended up finishing second behind Ronan Doherty. By the end of 2024, Doherty was as familiar with a Formula Vee as he was with his own arms and legs, and performed superbly across this whole season. 

Dylan opted for consistent results rather than going all out for race wins, and this certainly worked, but was not enough to overcome the 13 wins that Doherty had accumulated. Doherty now knew his cousin was handy in a Formula Vee however, and the Doherty/McClements family had another Formula Vee expert on their hands.

Heading into the next season, the Motorsport.ie LMP2 Cup, Dylan did not change his philosophy. Get the maximum out of your race, without throwing it away. This approach turned out to be perfect in a season where adaptability was key. 

The LMP2 cars had a mid-season update, and drivers had to relearn everything they knew after Round 3 of the season. Dylan’s approach of keeping it clean, consistent and steady worked a charm, and he was averaging almost a podium a week, and almost 70 points a round. 

His cousin, teammate and title rival from the Formula Vee season, was his biggest rival once again in the LMP2 cars. Doherty pushed Dylan right to the end of the season, but Dylan waited until the right time to put the hammer down. He won his first, and only, race of the season in Round 7 of the championship at Road Atlanta. In Keke Rosberg-like circumstances, Dylan McClements was crowned champion just a week later in Interlagos. The youngest to ever do it. At just 14 years old, the McClements era had begun. 

With a return to single seaters next, Dylan looked to go back-to-back. Unfortunately it was not meant to be, with both trouble adapting to the car and bad luck hampering his title ambitions. He still ended the championship in third, with a lot of podiums along the way.

Whether it be Jordan Kelly dominance in GT4’s, Ronan Doherty brilliance in Formula Vee’s or a re-born Jason Smyth in F4’s, Dylan is always there and amongst the front runners. 

Just one year on from his maiden win on that March evening in Monza and Dylan McClements is already a force to be reckoned with. One title is under his belt, and many different experiences have come his way, and he is still learning everytime he heads onto the asphalt. The next challenge will be the Motorsport.ie RTA British Touring Car Championship, which will be a new experience in itself. 

The Motorsport.ie British Touring Car Championship starts on April 8th and will be live streamed on GantryTV. All new drivers can sign up on RTAVirtualMotorsport.com