Making a name in racing is not easy. It takes more than raw talent, especially these days. But Porsche's Young Driver Academy is seeking to help find and cultivate the top racing talent of tomorrow.
In addition to speed behind the wheel, a modern racing driver must also have supreme race craft, a cool head under pressure, knowledge of car setup to give feedback to the engineers, the ability relate well on camera, and, of course, a healthy relationship with some deep-pocket benefactors, or deep pockets of their own.
In this video, Porsche takes a look at how it helps train its student body of under-25-year-olds at the Young Driver Academy. The current class is impressive: a trio of leading drivers from three junior series.
The instructors are even more impressive: Hurley Haywood and Patrick Long are among them, as well as Andrew Davis, a former Rolex Grand-Am GT champion for Brumos, and Porsche Sports Driving School instructor Jeff Purner.
Porsche's North American version of the Young Driver Academy will be an annual event aimed at seeking tomorrow's top racing talent, hosted at the Porsche Sport Driving School at Barber Motorsports Park.
Other carmakers also put in considerable effort for young driver development, perhaps most notably Mazda, which supports the Skip Barber driving school, a number of development series, and other involvement in training and cultivating young (and young at heart) racers.
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