Grand Prix Pathway
Santa Pod owner Keith Bartlett has plans to create a global Drag Racing championship
George Russell leads the BRDC F4 pack through the challenging Craner Curves at Donington Park in 2014
JEP
careers. Recruiting annually to bring in the best fresh racers, it provides its members with dedicated courses that go far and beyond everyday racing techniques – covering everything from mindfulness to media management.
“ We put a lot of focus on preparation, fitness and dietary health,” says Biggs.“ It also helps with networking, and with media training. Some of these students are very talented drivers, but there’ s different character types, and several of them are quite introverted, so that training really helps them improve.
“ Sometimes, it’ s also about the mindset. One driver we had was really good at karting, but when he went from junior to senior karting, he lost a little bit of the aggression that is needed sometimes at that level. Working with the Academy helped him get through that, and I’ m really pleased to see that he’ s doing well on the single seater ladder now.”
It is this level of professionalism, the attention to detail, that defines British motorsport. That also plays out in the way the racing rules and regulations are applied in the UK, and Biggs
believes that being immersed in such a well-practiced environment from an early age builds a stronger, more competitive and more career-ready driver.
“ I think that competing in the UK at an early age really helps to build up good discipline,” says Biggs.“ We have a tight control on the technical rules, so the equipment is more under scrutiny, and we’ re very disciplined with regards to our officials, the Clerks of the Course, and the way they apply themselves.
“ The discipline and eligibility control is at the right level to prepare drivers for international competition, so they go into the higher levels having that background and I think that makes them nicely prepared. They know what to expect and it’ s not a shell shock like it can be for some drivers from other nations.”
Ultimately, having the full pipeline – from flagship events to low-cost grassroots events, with the professional Academy pathway to guide those who want to advance to higher levels – is key to the UK’ s success. And if you want proof, just look at this year’ s Barcelona- Catalunya Grand Prix podium – the first all-British F1 rostrum in 58 years.
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