The now, Dunlop Motorsport News Race Academy (sort-of, because Dunlop doesn’t call it that), judges are: James Bailey (Dunlop PR chief), former academy winner Simon Shaw, BTCC racer Paul O’Neil (and half-brother to Sporty Spice) and Motorsport News journalist Matt James.

Dunlop Race Academy – How it works

Last week, Dunlop made registrations available on its website, as well as publishing further details of the academy will work. The key points can be summarised as follows:

• Registration is available up until the end of March. Applicants must submit a “video audition” to the Dunlop website informing them of their “racing form”.
• Dunlop will shortlist 36 drivers (six drivers from six regions of the country) on or around 10th April 2009.
• The Dunlop Race Academy judges will monitor the performance of the 36 short-listed drivers between 1st April and 25th May.
• On 26th May, each Dunlop Race Academy judge will vote for the best driver in each region whilst at the same time, the public can also vote for their favourite driver on the Dunlop Drivers Know website.
• Both judges and public votes will count, the judges contributing 75% of the vote (that was probably intended for three judges and not four) and the public 25%. The public is therefore effectively worth 1.3 judges.
• The top six drivers from each region will be assessed on circuit by the Race Academy judges and shortly after, the three finalists will be announced.
• Each finalist will receive a drive in one of the final three rounds of the 2009 Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup and both their on-track and off-track performance assessed by the Dunlop Race Academy judges.
• And finally – the top performing driver will receive a fully funded drive in 2010.

Dunlop appears to have the most transparent and accessible racing driver scholarship in British motor sport. That is a pretty bold statement considering it is in the context of an MSA initiative (MSA British Race Elite) and two from the BRDC.

During the 1st April to 25th May period I will potentially be racing four weekends (three National rounds and one Midland South). I plan to submit my application in due course and I will be hoping that a positive start to the year in National Formula Ford will compliment my past achievements.

Related posts:

1. 2009 Dunlop Race Academy – Good News for British Motorsport
2. London 2012: How much funding should Olympic sports receive?
3. MSA British Race Elite: My Application

What is the Racing Steps Foundation?

The Racing Steps Foundation is  a motor sport initiative, founded by successful business man Graham Sharp, to “help talented young British racing drivers realise their dreams…it is for young hopefuls with the ambition, skills and determination to succeed but without the funds to make their way up the ladder”. In practice, the Racing Steps Foundation, under the patronage of Graham Sharp, provides the necessary funding to any driver involved in the programme.

When it launched, the programme initially funded four drivers: karters Jacob Stilp (12) and Jake Dennis (13), karting graduate James Calado (19) and former McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner, Oliver Turvey.

Oliver Turvey

Oliver Turvey is the most high profile driver currently involved with the programme and has been involved since its inception.

Turvey began his car racing career in 2003 when he contested the Formula Renault UK Winter Series with Mark Burdett Motorsport, finishing 18th.  Following this, he spent three years racing in Formula BMW UK and this saw him finish 7th in 2004, 8th in 2005 and 2nd in 2006. During 2006, he finished 6th in the Formula BMW World Final and also contested two races in the British Formula Three National Class.

After receiving the 2006 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, Turvey dovetailed a season in Italian Formula Renault and Formula Renault Eurocup during 2007, finishing 9th and 8th respectively.

The Racing Steps Foundation immediately placed Turvey in British Formula Three with Carlin Motorsport. After leading the championship going into the last round, Turvey was to finish 2nd overall following a disappointing weekend at Donington Park and lost the championship to Carlin team mate Jamie Alguersuari. In November 2008, he also finished 8th in the Formula Three Macau Grand Prix.

James Calado

Also involved with the programme since its inception, James Calado made his car racing debut with the Racing Steps Foundation in 2007 after an extensive European karting career.

The Racing Steps Foundation placed Calado immediately in Formula Renault UK with championship winning team Fortec Motorsport. He finished 7th overall in the championship, having taken one win (Snetterton). During the season, he also contested three races in the Formula Renault NEC championship.

Towards the end of 2008, Calado also contested both the Formula Renault UK Winter Series and Formula Renault Portugal Winter Series, winning both.

For 2009, he will continue in the Formula Renault UK championship with Fortec Motorsport.

Jacob Stilp

The first of the two Racing Steps Foundation karters is Jacob Stilp. Despite being just 13 years of age, Stilp has already enjoyed four years of karting, the highlights of which are 3rd place in the 2007 Super 1 Cadet Championship and 3rd in the 2006 British Open Cadet Championship. As well as receiving Race Steps Foundation support, he is also the benefactor of the James Hunter Memorial Fund.

In 2008, the Racing Steps Foundation placed him in the Rotax MiniMax Super 1 National and BRDC Stars of Tomorrow Championships in which he finished 7th.

His 2009 destination is currently unannounced.

Jake Dennis

Jake Dennis (14) is the second Racing Steps Foundation karter and the final member of the 2007-2008 line up. Dennis had completed two notable years of karting prior to his involvement in the programme, which culminated in 5th position in the 2006 Super 1 Cadet championship, 4th position in 2007 whilst in the same year finishing 9th in MSA British Cadet championship.

The Racing Steps Foundation placed Dennis in the Super 1 National KF3 Championship (finishing 5th), BRDC Stars of Tomorrow KF3 championship, which he won.

In 2009, he is to continue racing in UK and European KF3 with Martin Hines’ Zip Young Guns Team.

Wayne Boyd: The one that got away

In October 2008, the Racing Steps Foundation announced that British Formula Ford champion, Wayne Boyd, was to receive a fully funded drive in the 2009 Formula Renault UK championship. However, after competing in the opening two rounds of the Formula Renault UK Winter Series in a Racing Steps Foundation car, it was announced that Boyd and the foundation were to part company.

Boyds management (headed by music impresario Chas Cole, father of British Formula Ford competitor James Cole) decided that they were not yet ready to commit to a season in Formula Renault UK, having received interest from British Formula Three teams. The Racing Steps Foundation would not negotiate on their offer and consequently the two split. Wayne Boyd is still expected to the compete in British Formula Three.

New Racing Steps Foundation addition for 2009: Jack Harvey

Filling the vacancy left by Wayne Boyd, kart racer Jack Harvey is to receive funding during 2009 in the Formula BMW Europe championship with former Formula BMW UK champions Fortec Motorsport. Harvey (15) has enjoyed an elaborate karting career, with highlights including 2008 CIK FIA Asia Pacific KF2 Champion, 2007 CIK FIA European KF3 Champion, 2007 Italian Open Masters Champion (KF3), 2007 Margutti Cup KF3 Champion.

Summary

And so, after its first full year of competition, the Racing Steps Foundation now funds five drivers, three racing cars and two who remain in karts. To this point, I’d estimate that the Racing Steps Foundation has invested somewhere in the region of £1 million during 2008, with what appears to be more than a  further £1 million pledged for 2009.

Related posts:

1. The Racing Steps Foundation… almost.
2. Spreading the wealth: Who’s getting all these scholarships and awards?
3. Introducing the BRDC Superstars initiative

I say “kind of” because the Dunlop Race Academy has in fact been around since 2004. This year, however, is the first year in which the academy will focus on drivers who have already started their motorsport careers (that is, competition license holders). In previous years, only drivers with no prior motorsport experience have been eligible.

Arguably the Academy’s leading light is 2005 winner Simon Shaw, who has since been class Champion in the Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup before finishing runner-up overall in this years Championship.

So how does the 2009 Dunlop Race Academy work?

Well, it is the self-proclaimed Motorsport’s version of the ‘X Factor’ and from what I can gather the application process reflects that.

Each applicant is being asked to submit an “audition video of themselves online”. The Dunlop Race Academy Judges (currently unannounced – although previous judges have included GT-racer Callum Lockie, Mark Hales and Simon Shaw) are then expected to monitor the early season performance of the applicants and together with individual online votes (the exact ratio has not yet been announced) select six finalist drivers in June, one from each region of the country.

Following this, the finalists will be subject to a full day assessment and evaluation by the Dunlop Race Academy Judges where the six finalists will be reduced to just three.

Lastly, each of the three finalists will receive a drive in one of the final three Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup races of 2009. Ultimately, the overall winner will be the driver who most impresses the Judges during their weekend in the Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup and the recipient of a fully funded drive in the 2010 Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup.

And what do I make of it?

Well, first of all I think that Dunlop should be applauded for continuing its support for young racing drivers during this time of economic disaster. I think also, they should be applauded for offering opportunities to those both complete novices and those already involved within motorsport.

The Academy’s ambitious, X-Factor style, application process is probably unlikely to capture the nations attention with the same fondness that Simon Cowell’s and Louis Walsh’s did. However, if it encourages public interaction with the sport, at any level, this should be seen as positive.

And what is more, by encompassing online votes, the process becomes more transparent than any other scholarship out there. Sure, the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award does, in theory, include an element of public voting but such votes are considered an “indication” of which drivers to consider, rather than a means of selection. Again, this is extremely positive from Dunlop.

And last, the prize of a fully funded drive in 2010 is very unusual indeed. In fact, the Racing Steps Foundation are the only other party to offer such opportunity as neither the BRDC Rising Stars, BRDC Super Stars, MSA British Race Elite nor the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship does so.

What next?

As more details emerge, I will start work on my own application. Until then, I will continue to concentrate on making a memorable start to the year when National Formula Ford 1600 kicks off at Anglesey in April. Having worked more than 60-days straight (no days off) up until Christmas last year, I’m working as hard as I can to make the most of 2009.

I’ve already won one championship with Dunlop tyres – I’d like the opportunity to win another.

Related posts:

1. Dunlop Race Academy: Now with Motorsport News
2. MSA British Race Elite: My Application
3. Introducing the BRDC Superstars initiative

During this spate of announcements, I was wondering: Is it just me, or do many of the same names keep coming up, time after time? I decided to take a look and see what I could find.

I’d like to begin with a disclaimer and to state my objectives. It should be noted, I am, in no way, criticising the recipients of any award, nor their entitlement to them. Similarly, I am not drawing conclusions, merely making observations to what are facts available in the public domain.

I have also only taken into account single-seater drivers (or former single-seater drivers) who have received (or been nominated) for a scholarship or award during 2008. For those recipients, any previous award or scholarship has also been included.

And so, as a chart, it looks like this (below) and is sorted initially by the number of awards received, then alphabetically.

Click to enlarge

Time to extract some facts.

Sam Bird is currently the recipient of the highest number of awards and scholarships, having received six between 2004 and 2008: Formula BMW Scholarship, BRDC Superstar, BRDC Rising Star and two McLaren Autosport BRDC award nominations (2005, 2006 and winning neither time). He is also an MSA British Race Elite member.

Oliver Turvey follows with four honours, having won the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 2006. He is also a BRDC Rising Star, a BRDC Superstar and the recipient of the Racing Steps Foundation’s patronage (a fully funded year in British Formula Three with Carlin in 2008).

Youngster and recently crowned British Formula Ford Champion, Wayne Boyd has the support of the BRDC Superstars programme and recently won the patronage of the Racing Steps Foundation for 2009 with a fully funded year in Formula Renault UK. He has also been nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award this year (and in my opinion is the strongest candidate to win). It’s worth noting that his British Formula Ford campaign was made possible due to the patronage of Boyd’s manager, music impresario Chas Cole (Autosport, p87, 16/10/08).

Currently, all McLaren Autosport BRDC Award nominees (excluding the FPA Shootout) are also members of the BRDC Rising Star and/or Superstar scheme (Boyd, Sims, Christodoulou, Stoneman, Moore).

Furthermore, the only drivers to have received nominations for awards who are not members of either the BRDC Rising Star or Superstar schemes are Aaron Steele (Formula BMW Scholarship, Porsche Carrera Cup GB nominee) and Richard Singleton (Porsche Carrera Cup GB nominee). Every other driver who has received or been nominated for an award is also recognised by the BRDC on one of its two programmes.

You can continue, make further observations for yourself.

I am not concluding anything at all. If these really are the most promising young racing drivers in Britain, then it might make sense for them to share the entirety of the sports honours amongst themselves. And what’s more, if that is the case, it would also make sense for them to be members of the BRDC Rising Star scheme (but note: the BRDC Rising Star programme is invitation only and there is no formal application process).

I think there are many positives to be taken from British motorsport at the moment, especially considering we might be just about to see the first British Formula One World Champion for 12 years. Yet, at the same time, there are some ever deepening problems too. An unnatural amount of young talent is being wasted each year because they simply cannot afford to continue racing. So I guess the question is: are all of these scholarships and awards actually helping the problems they presumably aim to solve or, on the other hand, are they just making it worse?

Related posts:

1. Racing Steps Foundation: 2008 season review
2. 2009 Dunlop Race Academy – Good News for British Motorsport
3. Dunlop Race Academy: Now with Motorsport News

As you can read above, former McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner Oliver Turvey has already been selected for the F3 drive. Six candidates for the Formula Renault were shortlisted from drivers in Formula BMW, Formula Ford and karting and each driver interviewed and evaluated in a simulator. The three remaining candidates will take part in a “shoot-out” for the seat later this month.

An initiative such as this is a step in the right direction (and is aptly named so). However, it is still a little wide of the mark.

To begin with, candidates were selected in private and without any process of nomination, application or public consultation. What’s more, the very existence of the initiative was not made public until the final stages of the selection process.

In addition, the selection criteria itself was unimaginative. What is known is that the shortlist of candidates was based on drivers with experience of British Formula Ford, Formula BMW and karting. With a front-running British Formula Ford budget in excess of £120,000 and the Formula BMW UK equivalent potentially double that, the RSF has from the outset pledged its support to drivers who have already enjoyed access to substantial funding.

What the RSF represents is progression up the professional junior ladder and founder Graham Sharp should be applauded. Whilst we know nothing about the economics behind the initiative, it is entirely plausible to assume that he has himself pledged a large amount of money upfront. (Possibly around £1,000,000 if you assume Formula Renault UK is £300,000 and British Formula Three is £600,000).

But what bothers me more is that the overwhelming majority of youngsters who get involved in British motorsport and achieve crucial success are still no less constrained. It is the financial bridge between club and national motorsport which needs an RSF. For the plethora of talent in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Vee or SaxMax (to name but a few) a couple of £80,000 (or Formula Palmer Audi drive) scholarships would be of much greater impact and for what is potentially less than 10% of the current initiatives value, possibly more cost effective too.

It is the under-funded club racing Champions in this country who need a Racing Steps Foundation more than anybody else.

Related posts:

1. Racing Steps Foundation: 2008 season review
2. Spreading the wealth: Who’s getting all these scholarships and awards?
3. In an alternate reality, would we still have Lewis Hamilton?