Started in 2015, the academy has been working to develop more opportunities for young drivers. This year, they have chosen Indian star Akhil Rabindra along with seven other drivers from all over the world.
Andrew Kirkaldy, Managing Director, McLaren GT, commented, “We started the Driver Academy in 2015 with two young drivers, Watson is still with us in the programme today, and it was all designed in helping youngsters make the move into sports cars. It is no secret that there are more career opportunities for young upcoming drivers within the sports car world than the traditional single seater ‘dream'.” With such a powerful idealogy, one can see why the Driver Academy is such a success.
This year, four Academy drivers will compete in the 2017 British GT Championship. The four selected are Sandy Mitchell, Ciaran Haggerty, Akhil Rabindra and Dean Macdonald and they will come together to compete in the series with team Black Bull Garage 59 across its two-car 570S GT4 programme.
Rabindra and MacDonald will make their series debut, sharing the #59 570S GT4. Sixteen-year-old Macdonald joins the academy as a Scottish Motor Racing Club Rising Star, while 20-year-old Rabindra moves into the programme after competing in both BRDC F4 and British F3 since 2013. This is huge step forward for both the drivers and it remains to see how this experience shapes them.