McLaren GT has announced that following the success of its Young Driver Program, the scheme will expand in to the ‘McLaren GT Driver Academy’.
2015 was the debut season of the Young Driver Programme which saw Andrew Watson and Ross Wylie gain valuable experience both on track – securing seven top-six finishes, including one win for Watson in the International GT Open championship.The revisions to the programs format are said to offer ‘greater benefits to a larger pool of drivers who hold a range of different on-track experience’.
Alex Fontana (23) from Switzerland and Jersey-born Struan Moore (20) will join Watson to work closely with the team at McLaren GT, including Factory Drivers Rob Bell, Alvaro Parente and Bruno Senna, as they look to establish a successful career in competitive global GT racing.
“The McLaren GT Driver Academy is a natural evolution of the Young Driver Programme which proved extremely successful in its debut season in 2015,” explained Andrew Kirkaldy, managing director, McLaren GT. “We are seeing that the GT grids are becoming among the most competitive in the world, and they are attracting the best of the best through all categories. The appeal of the various global GT3 championships is becoming greater, and the drivers are younger and more committed than ever. Despite being young, we are increasingly seeing drivers moving from single seaters with a wealth of experience and a very high level of skill who are hungry for a new challenge. The new Driver Academy will be tailored to this greater level of experience, and look to help enhance the talents and provide a more complete understanding of how to manage and progress with a successful GT career.”
