Nine young race and rally drivers have been selected for the 2010 MotorSport Elite Academy to be run in Dunedin in July.
Announcing the awards, chairman of the MotorSport New Zealand Scholarship Trust, Steven Kennedy, said that the successful drivers were drawn from a field of 18 applicants, all of whom must have had some experience in racing, rallying or karting and have plans to pursue further their motor racing careers.
The successful applicants are:
• Race driver William Bamber, aged 17 from Wanganui, who raced a Suzuki Swift Sport in this year’s MotorSport New Zealand championships.
• Stephen Barker, 22, from Hamilton who has shown considerable talent as a rally driver and won the 2010 Rally of New Zealand Rising Stars Scholarship.
• Formula First driver and winner of the 2009/2010 Speedsport Scholarship Aaron Hodgson, 17, from Auckland. He finished second in the Formula First championship in 2009/10.
• Rally driver and former karter Alex Kelsey, 18 from Coromandel who is contesting his first full rally championship campaign
• V8 touring car, V8 Ute and Pro7 race driver Matthew Lockwood, 23 from Palmerston North
• Matthew Jansen, 23, Christchurch-based rally driver, 2009 Rookie and Junior national rally champion
• Taumarunui-based Daniel Jilesen aged 27, who has successfully contested the Toyota Racing Series for two seasons.
• Andrew Vincent, 17, Papakura, placed third in his first tilt at the Formula First championship.
• Race driver Matthew Williams, 22, from Christchurch who finished third in the hotly contested Formula Ford championship.
“The Academy has been a tremendous success,” Mr Kennedy said, “and that is highlighted by the success of the drivers who have graduated.
“The programme, which is run for the Trust by the New Zealand Academy of Sport South and Otago University’s sports science specialists, focuses on a wide range of skills required for high performance sport. Participants have to meet a very high standard of physical fitness prior to commencing the course.
“The scientists have recognised that the level of fitness and reflexes of the young drivers we have put through the academy has been the equal of Olympic athletes and their reaction times have been equal to or better than those of fighter pilots.
“The Academy is a tough, demanding programme both physically and mentally. Its benefit shows in the performance of many young Kiwi drivers both at home and overseas,” he said.
