Dunlop Race Academy is pulling up to the starting grid for the fourth time in 2007 and this season is set to be even bigger and more challenging.
In 2007, the Dunlop Race Academy will be part of the inaugural Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup and British Touring Car Championship winner Matt Neal will be joining the training team and panel of judges to find a racing star of the future.
Matt Neal said: “"The Dunlop Race Academy opens the door to a bright and exciting new world. If you’re serious about driving and racing cars, and you’re a dedicated and motivated individual, the Dunlop Race Academy can offer you a platform to stardom".
Race Academy will offer a schedule of training to budding BTCC drivers and then the chance to race on track with the professionals in the Sport Maxx Cup for one winner.
The competition stages have also been widened to encompass three regional semi-finals with 21 finalists taking part from across the UK. The chosen entrants will undergo training with experts such as Le Mans 24-hour racing driver, Calum Lockie.
The top three will then be invited back for the final and further training with 2006 British Touring Car Championship winner Matt Neal. Matt will also sit on the judging panel as the finalists go head to head in an on-track shoot out to find the winner.
James Bailey of Dunlop said: “The Dunlop Race Academy is an opportunity for people who love driving to experience the real life of a racing driver as they compete to race in a televised Dunlop Sport Maxx race before jetting off to Monaco for all the celebrity trappings.
“This year’s link with the Sport Maxx Cup will provide a genuine opportunity for talent to be displayed in our BTCC feeder series. We’re also delighted to have Matt Neal join us as a judge and trainer at the final stage.
“The winner will race against some of the UK’s top drivers in the Sport Maxx Cup during the Dunlop Great and British Championship finals. The Dunlop Sport Maxx is a genuine stepping stone to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. We aim to entertain spectators with a wide range of cars from superminis such as Fiestas, Minis, Citroen Saxos and C2s doing battle with bigger coupes and hot hatches. We look forward to it becoming a popular attraction at Great and British Festivals.”
Over the last three years, over 15,000 people have applied to enter the Dunlop Race Academy. In 2005, Simon Shaw from Warrington, won the Dunlop Race Academy and, in his first race at Silverstone, qualified an astonishing sixth on the grid in the Ginetta G20.
This year, Simon has been a regular top eight runner, finishing fifth in monsoon conditions at Donington in May. Simon has just announced his next step in his fledgling driving career with plans to move into the 2007 BARC/Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup.
For a chance to make it into the Dunlop Race Academy this summer, simply visit www.driversknow.co.uk and apply online.
