Motorsport: Elite driving school goes to front of the grid

Drivers undergo a variety of tests, including this simulation in which they are subjected to 40C heat and high humidity. Photo / Supplied

For the past six years, the Elite Motorsport Academy - held in conjunction with the Academy of Sport (South Island) and Otago University - has been honing our nation's young drivers.

The week-long, intensive camp, held in Dunedin, is for the best and brightest, up-and-coming circuit and rallies drivers and also has support from government agency Sport and Recreation New Zealand.

Flying just under the radar, it has however produced drivers of the calibre of Formula One super licence holder Brendon Hartley and Mark Tapper who's competing in selected rounds of the Production World Rally Championship as the winner of the Pirelli Star Driver scheme. Shane van Gisbergen, a key part of Stone Brothers Racing's assault on the Australian V8 Supercar series, is a graduate, as is Earl Bamber, a part of A1GP Team New Zealand's driver line up who is contesting GP2 and Emma Gilmour, who's competing in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

Other graduates include Hayden Paddon, Daniel Gaunt, Andrew Knight, Sam MacNiell, Jonathan Lester and the find of Hamilton 400 Toyota Racing Series race, Richie Stanaway.

Not bad for a country of only 4 million people with a fixation on ball sports.

I had the privilege of not only presenting to the 2009 intake, but also completing the course with the nine selected drivers.

MotorSport New Zealand Scholarship Trust manager, Ian Snellgrove, still gets a kick out of the programme: "I am still up on a cloud as the attitudes the nine arrived with were even better than previous years - and they were bloody good as well - and there were no real negatives all week," he said. "I felt every one of the nine moved up a gear overall ...".

"The specialist sports science staff are very committed and each year's academy has increased their knowledge and understanding of the demands on drivers of different motorsport disciplines, helping them refine the programmes."

President of MotorSport New Zealand, Steven Kennedy, echoes these thoughts. "Everyone can see the success of drivers who have graduated from the academy and recognise how important it has been to their development.

"That success means high expectations on the current young drivers, which this year for the first time has included two siblings. We predict New Zealand's likely to hear a lot more about this up-and-coming intake in the future."

The academy delivers a tailored high-performance course to each year's crop of inductees. The programme, which has been running since 2004, attempts to provide a comprehensive toolbox to help drivers cope with the high-pressure demands of world-class motor racing.

Drivers who get into the programme are bombarded with physiology, mental skills training, nutrition, media training and life management skills during the week-long camp. At the end, the drivers aren't just put back into general circulation and left to their own devices; they receive ongoing advice and direction. They have access to a two-year, individually targeted programme to continue in their skill development.

The nine selected for the 2009 intake were made up of seven track racers and two rally drivers broken into three groups of three. Not only do they have to compete against each other in teams, but also individually. They ranged from 14 to 24.

There is very little, if any, driver training. It's not the academy's function to make the nine go faster, rather to focus on preparing the body and mind for high-performance, high-speed sporting careers. They have the driving skills already and polish them elsewhere. The young drivers receive expert training in fitness, nutrition, mental skills training, public speaking and decision-making techniques.

Programme director Martyn Croy explained the programme's holistic approach that has successfully established a strong high-performance culture among a generation of motorsport professionals.

"This year's programme was without doubt the best camp we have delivered, both through the collective quality of people we had involved and the new initiatives we introduced," said Croy.

"All these positives do not of course hide the fact that there are still improvements to be made, which we look forward to rectifying in 2010."

After six days of arduous physical and mental tests and tasks, rally driver Josh Marston pipped Simon and Mitch Evans at the post to take out overall honours. "It was an amazing experience and I will take away such a wealth of knowledge from everything that has been learned," said Marston. "I will take a lot away from the week spent in Dunedin, much information has been taught, awesome experiences taken place and great friendships grown.

"I am looking forward to putting some of my newly learned skills into practice at the Rally of Wairarapa this weekend."

All the high-end performance testing was done at Otago University's Human Performance Centre (HPC), with the other sessions and seminars held at the Academy of Sport facilities. Here the drivers experience simulated race conditions and learn how drag works in the flume (where Michael Phelps tested the one piece swim suit before the Olympics). Software from the university's Cognitive Ergonomics and Human Decision Making Laboratory, normally used for research into air-traffic control and commercial flying, is put to use. The test examines the drivers' decision-making abilities while being confronted with multiple sources of information. At the end of that test, most of the drivers pass the entry criteria for flight school.

"The elite motorsport academy is an excellent opportunity for sport science researchers such as myself to educate - and be educated - by a group of truly professional, exceptional athletes," said Dr Chris Button. "In my interest area of decision making, I discussed some of the practical strategies that the drivers can use to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of their decisions."

Also included in the battery of testing, seminars and workshops are sessions with racing simulators in the HPC's environmental chamber, where the drivers were exposed to the extremely high temperatures of their sport. Here they learn about mental skills, decision making, managing heat stress and correct hydration and nutrition.

The effectiveness of the academy, which is the first of its type in the world, is catching the attention of motorsports organisations in other parts of the world and the Trust is looking at opportunities to run a similar course for drivers from overseas.

Recently appointed MotorSport New Zealand general manager Brian Budd attended the programme.

"I have a particular interest in developing young talent and have in the past been involved in the development of a yachting academy. I would have to say that I was blown away by this unique programme that offers so much in the way of personal development and ongoing support for these young drivers."

The academy has established a global reputation for making a remarkable difference to the performance of drivers in New Zealand MotorSport.

TOP OF THE CLASS

Elite Motorsport Academy's 2009 intake

* Nicholas Cassidy (Auckland), winner of the Speedsport Scholarship, who finished second in Formula First in his first season's racing.
* Simon and Mitch Evans (Auckland), brothers who both contested the Formula Ford championship. After a second place in the championship, Mitch also shone in the Formula Ford events at the Australian Grand Prix.
* Ben Jagger (Whangarei) currently competing in the 2WD NZ Rally Championship in a Ford Fiesta and already achieving good results.
* Damon Leitch (Invercargill), who has contested two seasons in Formula Ford with good results.
* Joshua Marston (Christchurch), currently competing in the NZ Rally Championship in a Lancer Evo 8.
* Jamie McNee (Wellington) just completed his second season in Formula Ford after a successful karting career.
* Mathew Penrose (Rangiora) another successful karter who contested the Formula Ford championship in 2008/09.
* Martin Short (Auckland) former NZ kart champion contesting the Formula Ford championship. It's the best-kept secret in New Zealand sport.