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Edinburgh, Scotland - South Africa's Andrea Bate has been chosen as one of 18 drivers for the 2012 FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.
Eighteen drivers have been chosen from a squad of 30 international drivers. Amongst the drivers vying for a spot in the academy was local Ashley Haig-Smith.
Bate's selection follows four days of rigorous and intense testing on and off the track.
Robert Reid, Performance Manager at the FIA academy, said: "It has been really good to meet these drivers, who have arrived here from around the world but have all demonstrated the same hunger to succeed.
"They've been through lots of rigorous testing which has given us a great understanding of what makes them tick. I'm really looking forward to working with the chosen Academy drivers over the next year," he said.
DRIVER COACHING
Drivers will be coached by former Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz and his team from Test and Training International. The young drivers will also be tutored by former World Rally Champion co-driver Robert Reid and his team from Elite Sports Performance.
Wurz said: "Over the course of the four days we have been looking at every area of driving skill. We have broken this down into its composite parts, such as steering input, braking input, throttle input, and into combining all of this behind the wheel.
"Overall, these guys have demonstrated a lot of talent. They are also all very coachable and they have a good understanding of what we are after. I'm really looking forward to a good cooperation with the new Academy drivers," he said.
During the course of 2012, drivers will attend a series of workshops covering aspects of driver performance and safety. The driving elements of the course include the development of technical skills, safety training, attitudes and awareness.
The 18 drivers chosen for 2012:
Andrea Bate, 22, South Africa
Mohamed Al Mutawaa, 18, United Arab Emirates
Klaus Bachler, 20, Austria
Craig Breen, 21, Ireland
Andrea Caldarelli, 21, Italy
Gabriel Chaves, 18, Columbia
Jonas Gelzinis, 23, Lithuania
Michael Klitgaard Christensen, 21, Denmark
Jack Le Brocq, 19, Australia
Michael Lewis, 20, USA
Alexander Lynn, 18, United Kingdom
Jose Andres Montalto, 21, Costa Rica
Ramon Pineiro, 19, Spain
Brendan Reeves, 23, Australia
Pontus Tidemand, 20, Sweden
Timo van der Marel, 22, Holland
Sepp Wiegand, 20, Germany
Lewis Williamson, 21, United Kingdom
Eighteen drivers have been chosen from a squad of 30 international drivers. Amongst the drivers vying for a spot in the academy was local Ashley Haig-Smith.
Bate's selection follows four days of rigorous and intense testing on and off the track.
Robert Reid, Performance Manager at the FIA academy, said: "It has been really good to meet these drivers, who have arrived here from around the world but have all demonstrated the same hunger to succeed.
"They've been through lots of rigorous testing which has given us a great understanding of what makes them tick. I'm really looking forward to working with the chosen Academy drivers over the next year," he said.
DRIVER COACHING
Drivers will be coached by former Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz and his team from Test and Training International. The young drivers will also be tutored by former World Rally Champion co-driver Robert Reid and his team from Elite Sports Performance.
Wurz said: "Over the course of the four days we have been looking at every area of driving skill. We have broken this down into its composite parts, such as steering input, braking input, throttle input, and into combining all of this behind the wheel.
"Overall, these guys have demonstrated a lot of talent. They are also all very coachable and they have a good understanding of what we are after. I'm really looking forward to a good cooperation with the new Academy drivers," he said.
During the course of 2012, drivers will attend a series of workshops covering aspects of driver performance and safety. The driving elements of the course include the development of technical skills, safety training, attitudes and awareness.
The 18 drivers chosen for 2012:
Andrea Bate, 22, South Africa
Mohamed Al Mutawaa, 18, United Arab Emirates
Klaus Bachler, 20, Austria
Craig Breen, 21, Ireland
Andrea Caldarelli, 21, Italy
Gabriel Chaves, 18, Columbia
Jonas Gelzinis, 23, Lithuania
Michael Klitgaard Christensen, 21, Denmark
Jack Le Brocq, 19, Australia
Michael Lewis, 20, USA
Alexander Lynn, 18, United Kingdom
Jose Andres Montalto, 21, Costa Rica
Ramon Pineiro, 19, Spain
Brendan Reeves, 23, Australia
Pontus Tidemand, 20, Sweden
Timo van der Marel, 22, Holland
Sepp Wiegand, 20, Germany
Lewis Williamson, 21, United Kingdom