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Tests on the track, in the gym and in the classroom combined to provide a stern examination in Abu Dhabi today for 16 young hopefuls competing for a place in the FIA Institute’s 2013/14 Young Driver Excellence Academy.
Young Emirati Mansour Al Helei was among the drivers from across the Middle East and Mediterranean regions who were quickly in action as the three-day selection event got under way at Yas Marina Circuit, home of November’s F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Starting in the gym, the group took part in an intensive training session led by Dr Tony Turner, Sports Scientist at the University of Edinburgh, who said: “This was designed to show that, in order to compete at the top levels in motor sport, a very high level of fitness is essential.”
The classroom work that followed with current British Touring Car driver Tom Onslow-Cole centred on preparation in motor sport, focusing particularly on the mental approach needed in the countdown to a race day or the first stage of a rally.
Onslow-Cole said: “We also looked closely at sponsorship and self-promotion in order to highlight the benefits of being a fully rounded professional, while the drivers were grouped together for some interesting team-building exercises.”
Next, out on the Grand Prix circuit at the wheel of brand new Nissan 370Zs, the drivers were put through a series of exercises to gauge ability, beginning with a slalom on high and low grip surfaces.
“This was a straightforward test, but it told us a lot about the levels of steering input a driver is using,” said senior instructor Norbert Filippits, a member of the selection panel who will on Wednesday pick the driver who wins through to the Academy. “That in turn showed how they’re going to be using the tyres and the car’s dynamic ability, and it was a very interesting session.”
Organised by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE on behalf of the FIA Institute, the regional selection event at Yas Marina Circuit is one of five being staged globally to deliver eight of the best young drivers into the Academy.
Al Helei, whose father Yahya is a cross country rally specialist, said: “I’m looking forward to gaining as much knowledge as I can from all the professional instructors. I’m also very happy to be meeting so many more young drivers from around the region. Many of them are champions and have won lots of titles. I want to be the winner here to join the Academy programme and enjoy all the benefits, but the competition is tough so it will be very difficult.”
The track sessions today, and the others to follow, feature Emiratis Saeed Al Mehairi and Mohammed Al Mutawaa in the role of driving instructors. Al Mehairi, an instructor at Yas Marina Circuit, progressed into circuit racing after a successful karting career and made his debut last year in the legendary Daytona 24-hour race.
Al Mutawaa, who became the first Arab driver to be admitted into the Academy in 2012, has this season made his debut with Abu Dhabi Racing in both the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and the FIA World Rally Championship.
Further track and gym tests follow over the next two days, along with classroom sessions on sports science with Dr Turner, and on the FIA Institute’s ‘Race True’ Anti-Doping campaign with the ATCUAE’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Sean Petherbridge.
Based on ongoing assessment, the 16 drivers will be cut to five on Wednesday afternoon for a final shoot-out on the circuit prior to the winner being announced. The winner will receive a place on the Academy’s fully-funded training programme, which aims to help drivers develop their motor sport careers, with a focus on safety throughout.
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