By IANS,
Bangalore : Business tycoon Vijay Mallya is on a hunt for an Indian driver to compete in the Formula 1 (F1) motor sport racing world championship through his Force India F1 Team Academy, a not-for-profit entity.
“The academy will begin its nationwide search April 25 for India’s next Formula 1 driver under a novel initiative ‘Hunt for 1 from a Billion’. The search is open to Indian boys and girls of 14-17 years,” Mallya told reporters here Tuesday.
Mallya roped in world’s leading lubricant major Exxon Mobil to partner with the academy, which will spot racing talent and train aspiring drivers for a professional career in motor sports.
The talent hunt will begin with two practice rounds of go-karting in seven cities – Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolhapur and Mumbai – across the country after two rounds of practice between April 25 and June 7, followed by regional trials between April 27 and June 12.
The academy will pick 14 finalists from the regional trials in each city for the national final in September where 100 finalists, including two wide card entries will compete to win a place among 10 top positions.
The 10 fastest selected drivers will be flown to Silverstone in Britain Oct 3 for a week-long stint, which will include driver tuition on Dmax Karts, a day at the Porsche human performance centre to develop fitness for motor sports, media training and two days at the Silverstone F1 circuit with sessions on safety, car control training, driver assessment and race procedure briefing.
“The top three winners will be announced at the first Indian Grand Prix at Noida near Delhi in October. They will be groomed for two years. The top winner will be put through a full season of racing in a competitive championship in Britain,” Mallya said.
The runner-up will do a full season of racing in a competitive championship in India and the second runner-up will receive special racing tuitions in an Asian racing school.
“The academy is a milestone in Indian sport for creating a talent pool and groom aspirants so that they can represent India in the international arena and bring glory to the nation,” Mallya, who is also a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, asserted.
Prospective participants can register online at www.onefromabillion.com or at the go-karting track centre in the respective city.