Born on July 30, 1996, Collard is a third-generation racing driver. He is the son of Rob Collard, a long-time competitor in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), and the grandson of Hot Rod racer Mick Collard. He began his competitive career in karting in 2006. His early highlights included finishing fourth in the 2009 British Cadet Championship and sixth in the 2011 Kartmasters British Grand Prix KF3 category. In 2012, he placed eighth in the U18 Karting World Championship while simultaneously making his transition to car racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship.
Collard’s progression through the single-seater ranks was marked by consistent championship contention. After finishing seventh in the 2014 British Formula Ford Championship with five podiums, he joined the inaugural MSA Formula Championship in 2015. During that season, he secured six race victories and finished as the series runner-up behind Lando Norris.
In 2016, Collard moved to the BRDC British F3 Championship with Carlin Motorsport. He maintained his front-running form, winning five races and once again finishing second in the overall standings.
In 2017, Collard transitioned to sportscar racing as a BMW junior driver. Competing in the ADAC GT Masters, he secured a victory at Oschersleben and a podium at the Red Bull Ring alongside factory driver Philipp Eng. His 2018 campaign in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup with Rowe Racing proved difficult, resulting in retirements in all four events he entered.
Collard returned to prominence in 2019, driving an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 for R-Motorsport in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup. Partnered with Marvin Kirchhöfer, he achieved a race win at the Nürburgring and finished eighth in the championship standings. Although his 2020 and 2021 schedules were less consistent, he achieved a major endurance milestone at the 2020 24 Hours of Spa. Competing for Barwell Motorsport, he won the Pro-Am class in a lineup that included Sandy Mitchell, Leo Machitski, and his father, Rob Collard.
In 2024, Collard partnered with his father Rob to compete in the GT3 class of the British GT Championship.
Collard’s entry into the British Touring Car Championship occurred under unexpected circumstances in 2018. He made his debut at Rockingham as a substitute for his father, who had been sidelined on medical advice following a concussion. Driving the BMW 125i M Sport, Collard secured his first BTCC podium with a third-place finish at Silverstone.
After a full-time return to the BTCC in 2022 with Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, Collard briefly announced his retirement from racing at the conclusion of the season. However, he reversed this decision and re-signed with the team for 2023. That season featured a controversial moment at Brands Hatch, where Collard crossed the finish line first in the third race of the weekend. He was subsequently denied the victory after a track-limit infringement on the final lap resulted in a penalty that demoted him to eighth place.
Collard’s career is defined by his versatility across single-seaters, GT machinery, and touring cars. His statistical peak in sprint racing occurred between 2015 and 2016, where he amassed 11 wins in top-tier British junior categories. In the BTCC, his most successful full-season campaign to date was 2023, where he finished eighth in the standings and recorded a podium finish at Knockhill.
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