Akhil lands spot in Aston Martin racing driver academy
The best performer of the year will earn a reserve driver role in 2020 with the factory Aston Martin Racing team.
Published : Mar 30, 2019 17:17 IST
Young Indian racer Akhil Rabindra has been selected by the Aston Martin Racing (AMR) Young Driver Racing Academy for training and assessment, which presents him a chance to earn a reserve driver role with the team in 2020.
The 22-year-old Indian is the only Asian amongst 23 elite young drivers picked from across the world.
The drivers were selected by a group of judges that included three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Darren Turner (GB), FIA World Endurance Championship drivers Jonny Adam (GB) and Maxime Martin (BEL) as well as Aston Martin Racing team principal Paul Howarth.
The best performer of the year will earn a reserve driver role in 2020 with the factory Aston Martin Racing team.
Akhil was also chosen from Asia Pacific region for the prestigious FIA Institute Young Drivers Excellence Academy in 2014 and then in 2017 when he was the only Indian to be selected by the McLaren GT Driver Academy.
“Being the only Indian and Asian in this group of elite drivers gives me a rush of excitement and pride to be a representative of my country as well as my continent to embark on this very prestigious journey. I look forward to a great season of learning and success,” said Akhil.
The selection process for AMR Driver Academy was a mix of interviews, simulator and fitness tests.
The academy drivers will now continue to be evaluated in their chosen GT3 and GT4 championships throughout 2019 along with off the track assessments.