Indian F4 has launched a global scholarship shootout as it prepares for its inaugural season this Fall. I have the details in this week’s Driver Development Roundup. I also have updates on various scholarship programs, the continuing debate on the best way to develop female race drivers and how to support drivers on the development ladder.
All this and much more in this week’s edition of the Driver Development Roundup on Motorsport Prospects.
Enzo Mucci explains in the video above how you are a product in an industry. “If you want people to notice you then you must stand out in your industry (for the right reasons). Don’t be quiet!”
(Press Release) FEL Motorsports is driving change in Canadian motorsport with the launch of its groundbreaking ‘Accelerating Inclusion’ program. Teaming up with industry leaders like the Mosport Karting Centre, Michelin Motorsport, Hyundai Canada, and Pfaff Motorsports, FEL Motorsports is leading the charge towards a more diverse and inclusive racing community.
A standout talent from the Mosport Karting Centre, Khloe Drummond, will headline the program, transitioning from karts to cars. Khloe will take the wheel of the FEL Motorsports-owned Hyundai Veloster N Turbo TCA car, in the highly anticipated 2024 Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin.
Behind the scenes, the expertise of Mathieu Deschamps from MD Autosport, also a key team member at Pfaff Motorsports, will ensure the smooth running of the TCA car. The car will find its home and operations hub at Pfaff Motorsports in Concord, Ontario.
SpeedCafe reports that the QRDC Academy took six drivers for an evaluation day at the Willowbank complex operated by well-known driving instructor and race coach, Stephen Robinson and his new venture On The Pace in a Toyota 86 racecar. Other drivers to take part included Romeo Nasr – who will also be competing at Valencia this weekend, Cooper Barnes, Misty Grimsley, Cody Grimsley and Summer Grace.
“It is understood the Driver Academy is a fresh Australian extension of the Tony Quinn Foundation which has been in operation in New Zealand for a number of years and dovetails with the Scotsman’s ownership of the Raceway.”
The SCCA Women on Track Scholarship deadline is May 31st so if you are considering applying do so now!
In 2024, SCCA Women on Track will supply an impressive 14 scholarships to enthusiasts, be they SCCA® or non-SCCA members, continuing the group’s mission to expand participation of women in all facets of motorsports. From participants to volunteers, leaders, and supporters, SCCA Women on Track’s mission is to offer opportunities for women to achieve their #funwithcars dreams.
January 2024 brought the first deadline for, and presentation of, the first seven scholarships of the year. There, three women earned the Wendi Allen Solo Scholarship, two were presented with Time Trials National Tour Scholarships, and another two received Road Racing Drivers’ School Scholarships. Now, with seven more scholarships up for grabs and the May 31, 2024, deadline approaching, it’s time for YOU to apply.
From 2023, the video above looks at “how to support drivers on the development ladder. ”Hosted by Beth Paretta, Owner of Paretta Autosport and Co-Founder of WIMNA. With Hannah Greenemeier, Owner of Hannah Greenemeier Racing, driver of the #74 Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsports F4 car in the US F4 Championship and Toni Calderon, Chief Growth Officer at Maximo Capital and RAFA Racing Club, and Founder of Speed Group.
Motorsport UK has announced that a new Learning Hub will be launched on 22 May 2024, bringing key training and education materials to the entire Motorsport UK community. The Learning Hub will serve as the central location for key resources to support the development of marshals, officials, clubs, coaches and competitors.
The new Learning Hub will replace the existing one and bring together the Trainers’ Hub and Coaching Hub, that were also housed on separate platforms. With an emphasis on an improved user experience and accessibility of training materials, content will be tailored to the user based on the licence or registration they hold. In addition, the new Learning Hub is optimised for use on smartphones and tablets allowing further ease of access.
Autosport Plus looks at how a decade of F4 has revolutionized single-seater racing.
“In 2024, there are 15 FIA-certified F4 championships, on nearly every one of the continents of the globe. And this year, the Formula 1 grid contains six graduates of F4. While that doesn’t sound like many, it should be remembered that the remaining 14 were already in F1 or competing at a higher level of single-seaters at the time F4 began. Besides, in all likelihood Ollie Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli – respectively the 2021 and 2022 champions in both Italian and German F4 – will in 2025 join the elite, which presently includes Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant (graduates from British F4), Lance Stroll and Zhou Guanyu (Italian), and Yuki Tsunoda (Japanese).”
Formula Scout reports that T=the centrally-run Indian Formula 4 championship has announced it has launched a global shootout program, with the winner getting a paid-for seat on this season’s grid.
A schedule for the 2024 season was recently unveiled with pre-season testing on August 21/22 followed by five rounds on August 24/25, August 30-September 1, September 13-15, October 19/20 and November 16/17. No venues were listed, and it was confirmed that MP will continue to run the field and that there are 16 seats available.
One of those seats will go to the winner of the shootout, which is taking place at a yet-to-be confirmed French venue on July 9-11 and will involve physical and mental assessments in addition to simulator challenges and on-track action in old F4 cars.
There will be 10 drivers invited to take part, and in addition to the winner getting a full scholarship the runner-up will be offered a 30% discount on the €120,000 (£102,791) cost of a full-time Indian F4 seat, third place will be offered a 20% discount and the seven others will get a €15,000 (£12,851) contribution to their budget if they choose to enter the championship.
To be eligible for the shootout, drivers must be born before August 21 2009 and have less than two race weekends of experience in anything other than karting since 2022. They can be from any country, and must register their interest before June 15 via a form accessible from the championship’s Instagram page. The 10 successful applicants will pay €10,000 (£8,565) to participate in the shootout.
Indian F4 launches global shootout to win paid-for 2024 seat
On a recent edition of the Move the Ball podcast, Darren Cox discusses his journey of innovation and disruption in the motorsport industry, from his role in establishing Nissan’s GT Academy to adapting his media company during COVID. The conversation delves into Cox’s early career aspirations, the strategic risk-taking in his professional journey, and the impact of the GT Academy in democratizing motorsport talent. Additionally, Cox shares insights on adapting to unforeseen challenges, such as pivoting his F1 media group during the pandemic, and the importance of pursuing one’s passions despite potential obstacles.
You can listen on Apple Podcasts here and Spotify here.
The debate over the best way to develop female race drivers is roughly split between two approaches. The first is that the use of female-only race series like F1 Academy and the FIM Women’s Motorcycling World Championship is the best way to shine the light on female racers and that this spotlight will enable them to attract sponsorship, attention from fans and the media and eventually the opportunity to compete against men.
The second approach is that women should be supported and promoted in race series that feature both women and men as they will have to compete together eventually. The competition on the track will be stronger and therefore better for the development of female race drivers. Organizations such as Shift Up Now and More Than Equal are proponents of this approach.
I tend to believe that the second approach is the better one and I would have preferred to see the FIA use the funds they allocated to F1 Academy go into a regional scholarship program that started in karting and extended to F2. But just because I do not favor the segregated approach does not mean that there is no value to it. In fact two women are racing in both the F1 Academy and other series that include both men and women racers so they are utilizing the best of both to develop their racing careers. Here perhaps gives us a clue of the bigger picture. Perhaps these two different approaches can be seen as complimentary instead of mutually exclusive.
Here are some articles and a podcast episode to read and listen to which looks at the issue of female driver development from different perspectives. While you may agree or disagree with some or none of these viewpoints, it is important to understand the reasoning behind both as you chose your race driver development path.
- “I Didn’t Know Girls Raced” with Sabre Cook (Be Differential podcast)
- Why F1’s pipeline for female drivers is a fraud (Jack Baruth)
- The big question F1 Academy faces as pecking order begins to form (Autosport)
- FREC cars’ front suspension modified in effort to support female drivers (Formula Scout)
Richard Morris is a pioneer in promoting respect for LGBTQ+ rights in motorsport through his Racing Pride movement. Here is a great article and podcast that will give you more of an insight in what Racing Pride is all about and the challenges that LGBTQ+ drivers face.
- Inside Racing Pride and GB3 at the Silverstone GT 500 (Formula Nerds)
- F1’s LGBTQ pioneer. With Richard Morris, Racing Prider Founder (MotorMouth Podcast)
Racer reports that two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, through his sponsor Shell, was at Charlotte Motor Speedway in mid-March to spend the day with Torsten Gross. Logano and Gross, a C6 quadriplegic and founder of the Just Hands Foundation, which focuses on adaptive driving solutions, were going to highlight the inner workings of a retrofitted hand-controlled Ford Mustang before each took a turn driving it through the road course section of the racetrack.
“I want people to understand what it’s like,” said Gross, whose foundation takes the approach of not walking a mile in someone’s shoes but driving a mile in their gloves. “Joey leaving with two different mindsets is exactly what I wanted (going) from, ‘That’s not as hard as I thought,’ to, ‘Wow that’s pretty damn hard.’”
Watch the video above for a look at the experience.
Racecar Engineering looks at the efforts of Alan O’Neil and his SCU Motorsport organization who is looking to create a new series that will develop race engineers as much as it will drivers.
“Alan O’Neill believes he has the solution to this problem. A former motorsport engineering lecturer, O’Neill’s vision is to launch a new student series that is linked to a new qualification. His company, SCU Motorsport, will licence this double-sided course to interested institutions such as colleges and universities. The Formula Ed series will use 140bhp single seaters based on a standardised tube steel chassis. The aim is to provide engineering students with a high level of practical experience alongside their studies.”
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.
