This week I introduce an opportunity for young Canadian race drivers in addition to more driver development news and inspiration.
I also have the latest news from Shift Up Now, FIA Girls on Track UK and the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy. I also present a question for you, are you really giving it your all?
All this and more in this week’s Driver Development Roundup on Motorsport Prospects. Its news aspiring racers can use.
Road to Racing Canada has announced the the opening of applications for the 2024 R2R Driver Program. This program offers aspiring Canadian motorsports champions the opportunity to utilize R2R’s charitable fundraising platform, providing a unique pathway to support their racing dreams.
The 2024 R2R Driver Program is open to Canadian karting national championship winners 19 yrs and under, and Canadian amateur drivers aged 24 years and under competing in racing categories such as F1600, F4, USF, etc in Canada, US and Europe. These exceptional talents will have the chance to apply for R2R’s fundraising program, allowing them to raise funds and provide charitable tax receipts to their donors.
To express their interest, applicants are required to submit a one-page essay addressing specific aspects of their racing journey and aspirations. A dedicated selection committee will then review all submissions. Successful candidates will gain entry into R2R’s vibrant community of motorsports enthusiasts and the best Canadian amateur motorsports athletes.
Neil Braun, President of Road to Racing Canada, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming program: “We are thrilled to open applications for the 2024 R2R Driver Program. This initiative embodies our commitment to supporting and nurturing the next generation of Canadian motorsports champions. We look forward to expanding our driver roster to approximately 30 exceptional talents from across the country.”
For more information go to the Road to Racing Canada website at https://road2racing.com/ or contact: Neil Braun, President, Road to Racing Canada neil@road2racing.com.
The Shift Up Now Foundation has announced that seven female racers, including six Shift Up Now Athletes, will be the recipients of the first ever sponsorship grants from the organization.
The seven Athletes chosen include Sabre Cook, Sarah Montgomery, Michele Abbate, Ashley Freiberg, Amber Balcaen, Kelsey Rowlings and Heather Hadley.
President Pippa Mann: “On behalf of the entire Shift Up Now Foundation executive committee, we want to thank everyone involved,” said Mann. “Special thanks to all of our donors, and to everyone who took the time to share the 40 for 40 Campaign to their professional and social networks. Without you, our loyal fans, friends, and supporters, we wouldn’t have achieved this success. We look forward to a bright future of funding female racers.”
For more information or to donate, please visit www.ShiftUpNow.org.
Amongst the questions answered by Enzo Mucci in the video above is how to make a career out of racing if you live in a country with no motorsport infrastructure or history.
FIA Girls on Track UK and Cosworth have announced a partnership to deliver further programs to inspire girls to enter the motorsport industry. The collaboration will deliver an increased number of events at Cosworth’s Northamptonshire base for local schools, plus provide ongoing support for girls whose interest has been piqued by the existing program.
“Following our previous event in June, we are delighted to strengthen our relationship with Motorsport UK through their FIA Girls on Track UK programme,” commented Bruce Wood, Managing Director of Cosworth Propulsion Systems. “This partnership allows us to continue inspiring young, talented females within the engineering sphere. Initiatives such as Girls on Track are making STEM education and careers much more accessible for females at an early age, which is fundamental to growing and diversifying our industry. As part of the partnership, we are hosting another event to inspire the next generation and can’t wait to welcome the second group through our doors.”
Girls on Track UK Programme Manager Jenny Fletcher added: “We are delighted to build on the success of our collaboration with Cosworth this year. We saw so much enthusiasm from the girls involved. Hosting events in stimulating locations that have a direct relevancy to the engineering industry gives such a great energy to a Girls on Track UK day and we are excited to see how many more young girls become inspired by seeing the possibilities that exist for them.”
The finalists have been named for the sixth running of the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy shootout, which awards a paid-for seat in Spanish Formula 4 as its prize.
Three of the finalists, Emanuele Olivieri, Mattia Colnaghi and Maciej Gladysz, have recently been selected to take part in the Ferrari Driver Academy’s scouting camps.
The other five finalists are Jimmy Helias, Louis Iglesias, Martin Molnar, Thomas Strauven and Sita Vanmeert.
To be eligible for consideration for the shootout, drivers had to be born between January 1 2007 and April 1 2009, and have spent 2023 racing in international competitions in senior karting. One spot in the shootout was reserved for a driver from the factory Birel ART team (or one of its satellite squads).
Drivers were allowed no more than two weekends of single-seater racing experience, while any karter who was part of an established driver management agency was ruled out unless they were Formula 1 juniors who could move under the wing of All Road Management – the company that organised the shootout – for 2024.
All Road is run by Nicolas Todt, son of ex-FIA president Jean Todt, and backs drivers primarily in karting and single-seaters.
In the video above from Speed Cafe, hear from Racing Together’s founder, Motorsport Australia’s Garry Connelly, about how he and his wife Monique established the program. Racing Together aims to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth with opportunities in motorsport. Connelly said she was proud the organization was the first recipient of the inaugural FIA President’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award in 2022.
Speedcafe talks to founder Garry Connelly, indigenous racer and apprentice fabricator at Triple Eight Race Engineering Braedyn Cidoni, and Supercars driver Zane Goddard. Want to find out more? Racing Together is holding upcoming open days: Saturday October 14 at Queensland Raceway Sunday October 15 at Norwell Motorplex
This Black History Month, Motorsport UK is hosting a Developing Young Driver day on 23 October 2023 at their Bicester Heritage HQ for competitors from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Interested in attending? To register, visit: https://forms.office.com/e/3r4kZCG3id
The collapse of the W Series and the success of the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup don’t look good for Formula 1 and its desire to have women racing at the very highest level says Autosport Plus’ Mark Gallagher.
“Yet, after watching the impact of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the fervour in Australia for the Matildas and the huge support for the Lionesses, it’s hard not to ponder if Formula 1 is simply not moving fast enough. Liberty Media must surely look at the 1.6 million World Cup ticket sales and record-breaking viewing figures and wonder how Formula 1 can accelerate women racing in the world championship.”
Autosport reports that FIA Rally Star finalist Romet Jurgenson scored a maiden outright rally podium finish in Slovenia last weekend to boost hopes of netting a prize World Rally Championship drive next season.
The 23-year-old Estonian and co-driver Siim Oja claimed third at Rally Nova Gorica, which also hosted the third round of the inaugural FIA Rally Star talent search competition.
Organised and funded by the FIA, six driver and co-driver pairings have been selected from regional finals held across the world to tackle six European rallies this year behind the wheel of an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 car
The best four crews at the end of the six rallies will receive a fully funded two-year programme in the Junior WRC beginning in 2024. If one of the finalists wins the JWRC title, they will earn a coveted WRC2 campaign for 2026.
FIA Rally Star finalist claims maiden outright podium
The Grand Prix Trust (GPT) has launched a £100,000 annual bursary scheme to help disadvantaged college students become part of the dynamic and hugely successful British motorsport industry. The new initiative is a partnership with the Silverstone based National College for Motorsport (NC4M) and Silverstone University Technical College.
The program will provide a broad range of assistance to young people from a variety of different backgrounds creating a stream of talented, work-ready individuals primed to fill the motorsport jobs of the future. Above all, the initiative aims to break down barriers that would ordinarily hinder those who aspire to work in the motorsport industry.
For further information and donations to GPT please contact: arlene@grandprixtrust.com
Enzo asks, are you really giving it your all?
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.