Motor racing’s ‘X Factor’ competitors see chequered flag in sight
The wait is nearly over for six young British racing drivers, as motor racing’s version of the ‘X Factor’ nears its grand finale. The drivers competed head-to-head at a two-day driver assessment at MotorSport Vision’s Snetterton circuit earlier this month in a bid to win the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award and with it £50,000, the opportunity to test-drive a McLaren Formula One car and overnight recognition as motorsport’s rising star.
The accolade is just one of the Autosport Awards which will be presented on the night of December 4th at a star-studded affair hosted in the Great Room of the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. Compere Steve Rider will reveal the winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award alongside the 12 other awards, which include:
International Racing Driver of the YearRacing Car of the YearInternational Rally Driver of the YearRally Car of the YearBritish Competition Driver of the YearNational Rally Driver of the YearNational Racing Driver of the Year (Paul Warwick Trophy)British Club Driver of the YearRookie of the Year Pioneering and Innovation AwardJohn Bolster Award (technical achievement)Gregor Grant Award (contribution to the sport)
Previous winners of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award include Formula One stars Jenson Button (1998) and David Coulthard (1989). The Award has also helped promote the careers of Anthony Davidson (2000), third driver at BAR Honda, IRL ace Dario Franchitti (1992), DTM champion Gary Paffett (1999) and A1 Grand Prix of Nations driver Alex Lloyd (2003).
Commenting on this year’s finalists Paffett said: “You’ve got to be able to offer the whole package and the finalists have really impressed. The prize on offer is great and the prestige of winning the award will stay with you forever.”All six nominees for this year’s McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award ran at the front of the single-seater racing championships they contested this season. Sam Bird, 18, runner-up in the 2005 Formula BMW UK Championship, narrowly missed out on the title by three points. Joey Foster, 22, has been racing in America during 2005 where he became Vice-Champion in US Formula Ford 2000. James Jakes, 18, was runner-up in the 2005 UK Formula Renault series while fellow nominee Oliver Jarvis, 21, was crowned champion of the UK Formula Renault series. Duncan Tappy, 21, was runner-up in the UK Formula Ford Championship and Joe Tandy, 22, is the Formula Palmer Audi Champion.
The people’s choice
Whilst a panel of motorsport professionals has decided the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award winner, it is the public who will cast their winning votes for nine of the other Autosport Awards winners in true ‘X Factor’ style. Favourites for International Racing Driver of the Year are Fernando Alonso (youngest F1 world champion in history), Kimi Räikkönen (Alonso’s key rival during 2005), Tom Kristensen (seven-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner) and Dan Wheldon (IRL Champion and the first Briton to win the Indy 500 in four decades).
Wheldon is also a contender to win British Competition Driver of the Year, although he faces stiff competition from Jenson Button (Britain’s highest profile racer), Gary Paffett (2005 DTM Champion with Mercedes), Andy Priaulx (2005 World Touring Car Champion) and Matt Neal (the people’s champion who is the 2005 British Touring Car Champion).
Background notes:
• Motor racing is a fiercely competitive environment in which Britain leads the way. Of today’s ten Formula One teams, no fewer than seven are British-based, and more world champion drivers have come from Britain than any other nation.
• Britons once dominated the F1 World Championship, winning six titles in the ’60s, three world crowns in the ’70s, and eight world driver’s titles in a glorious 11 year period spanning those two decades – but they’ve won just three in the last 28 years (James Hunt 1976, Nigel Mansell 1992, Damon Hill 1996).
• McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award nominees had their skills scrutinised by McLaren’s Steve Hallam, Autosport magazine’s Marcus Pye, British Racing Drivers’ Club secretary Roger Lane-Nott, veteran circuit commentator Ian Titchmarsh, former award winner and sportscar racer Andrew Kirkaldy, BTCC, F3 and A1 Grand Prix team boss Dick Bennetts and MotorSport Vision’s Jonathan Palmer.
