Facing challenges both on and off the track can be tough, but this week you’ll find some inspiration to help you navigate them. Additionally, I’ll share four ways to kickstart your racing career in 2024, highlight the importance of the phrase “if you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” and explore the differences between European and American development series.
In the video above, All In Driving explains how you can start racing in 2024 inexpensively. “Racing is an expensive hobby, but have no fear! I’ve broken down the four easiest ways to START RACING TODAY!! I’ll go through the options for anyone trying to get into racing, and give a rough cost estimate for your first year. Please like and subscribe to the channel if you found this helpful, I’d love to do more videos like this that talk about the process of getting into race driving, where to find your next track day, and how much it really costs.”
The first three Motorsport Ireland 2024 Sexton Trophy Young Racing Driver of the Year award nominees have been chosen. Hailing from all parts of Ireland, the three selections represent the best up-and-coming talent in circuit racing. This year, nominations will come in the form of a monthly selection, as adjudicated by the members of the Motorsport Ireland Race Commission.
Read more about nominees Brandon McCaughan, Max Hart and Jamie Moylan at the Motorsport Ireland site here.
The Autosport Plus article When Spa’s significance was elevated for off-track key players has a lot of great info (including the importance of understanding the language used in a contract) but more importantly for young drivers, it looks at the role of driver managers.
“In today’s world the best driver managers nurture and guide their proteges up the increasingly tricky junior racing ladder, a great example of which is the work done by the guys at ADD Management, especially Mark Berryman (who is often confused with Lando Norris’s dad on TV by the way) and Fraser Sheader (who raced karts against Lewis Hamilton).”
Andretti Altawkilat XE driver Catie Munnings dived into her experience and aspirations in Extreme E and Extreme H ambassadorship in an interview with Motorsport Week.
“So now I think it’s having the opportunity to be able to develop our skills. It sounds quite simple, but in motorsport, we all know how expensive it is to test and train and to get that experience. And the championship where it’s equal has just shown what we can do when we have that opportunity.”
If you can’t see it, you can’t be it. Monica Hilton in her Shift Up Now column Danica, Simona, Pippa: How These Powerful Women Changed My Life explains how seeing female racers compete changed her life and evolved into her role with Shift Up Now..
“The Athletes of Shift Up Now are GETTING. IT. DONE. I get to cover podiums, wins and championship victories. These are women who are making the most of the opportunities they’re given. The Athletes don’t take for granted that people support them and believe in them. They give it everything they have and that – combined with their natural talent – is turning heads as they take their rightful spots on podiums, weekend after weekend.”
In the video above, Marie-Soleil (Sunny) Labelle explains how she overcomes challenges both on and off the track.
Brit Louis Foster is aiming for an IndyCar dream by dominating its junior feeder series, and he explains to Motorsport Magazine that America does far more for young drivers than F1.
“Speaking to Motor Sport about his trailblazing climb to the top of the Stateside tree, Foster says that the European circuit has much to learn from the “million-times better” American way, not only in handing young, lesser-funded drivers a chance but also in how to give fans the best possible experience.”
Read the full feature here.
Christchurch race driver Jacob Douglas, 19, has won the Bruce McLaren Trophy by topping the points table for the 2024 Elite Motorsport Academy of New Zealand camp.
The Elite MotorSport Academy is an annual competitor development program put on by the MotorSport New Zealand Scholarship Trust for eight young and aspiring motorsport athletes. A week-long camp in Dunedin at the Otago Academy of Sport is the first part of the tailored 12-month development program each athlete receives.
Following a series of workshops, participants were assessed not only on their physical fitness but also their newly acquired knowledge in sports psychology, nutrition, data analysis, public speaking/media skills, and motorsport regulations and procedures. Participants were also split into two teams and completed challenges together to assess their interpersonal skills and how they work as a team.
Applications for the 2025 Elite Motorsport Academy will open later in October 2024 for the next crop of aspiring competitors who want the best kickstart to their motorsport careers.
Read more at the Motorsport New Zealand site.
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.
