Force India - One From a Billion Hunt


Thread Starter #1
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Messages
2,977
Likes
27
Location
India
Force India Formula One Team, India’s first and only F1 team, today announced the launch of the Force India F1 Team Academy- an initiative aimed at identifying racing talent in India and providing vocational and academic training for young Indians aspiring to a serious professional career in motorsports.

The Force India F1 Team Academy has been set up as a separate, not-for-profit entity based in India and will devote itself to three key areas organized in the following verticals:-

· Talent Vertical- Identifying and nurturing racing talent in India

· Vocational Training Vertical – Providing vocational training for a career in motor sport or related industries

· Academic Programmes Vertical – Providing specialised academic courses/programmes related to the field of motorsports

Commenting on the unveiling of the Academy, Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman & Team Principal, Force India Formula One Team said: “The setting up of the Force India F1 Team Academy is a historic milestone in the sports arena in India especially since it marks the first time ever that anyone has embarked on such an ambitious programme to create a pool of talent and groom aspirants who show exceptional promise by providing them the necessary corporate funding and support backed with a crystal-clear professional career path in motorsport so that one day, they can go on to represent India in the international arena and hopefully bring glory to the nation”.

In the first year, the Academy’s predominant focus will be on unearthing and discovering racing talent while the initiatives in the other two focus areas will be rolled out in a phased manner over the next 12 months. The Force India F1 Team Academy is funded by Force India F1 and supported by its corporate partners.

On April 25, 2011, the Academy will launch its first comprehensive initiative, the ‘Hunt for 1 from a Billion, to identify and groom a future racing star from India. “The Force India F1 Team Academy was conceived with a vision to inspire young Indians who have talent but so far have had no proper opportunity or serious platform to showcase their innate abilities. I hope that this Academy will give young Indians who have the necessary passion and drive, a serious chance to show promise and an opportunity to excel, so that we can then develop their talent and grow it by channelling it properly over the long term. If the Academy is able to place even one Indian on the F1 grid then all the effort would have been well worth it when our national anthem is played out for a victorious graduate of Academy. I would like to thank our partners Exxon Mobil for sharing our vision and for joining hands with us as we together groom future F1 world champions and support them on every step of the long and winding journey that will ultimately prepare them for the rigours and demands of F1”, added Dr. Mallya.

The three-stage programme of the Hunt comprises:-

· “Hunt for 1 from a Billion” – This is a grassroots initiative aimed at identifying racing talent via a karting programme in India. In the first stage of the Hunt, the Academy will conduct:-

o Regional Trials in 7 cities across India where hundreds of aspirants can practise karting at subsidized rates and participate in selection rounds, all spread over a week in each city. 14 finalists will then get selected from each city and go on to the next level.

o National Final – 100 finalists (14 from each of the seven cities and two wild card entries) will compete against each other in September 2011 to win a place among 10 finalists who then move on to the next level of the programme.

o The driver hunt is proposed to be held every two years
· Silverstone Finale -

o From October 3 to October 8, 2011, ten finalists from the National Final will go on to do a week-long intensive stint at Silverstone, UK comprising sessions on driver tuition on Dmax Karts, a day at the Porsche Human Performance Centre to assess and develop fitness for motorsports, media training with Goodman Media, two full days at the Silverstone F1 circuit with sessions on safety, car control training, driver assessment, and race procedure briefing. The ten selected drivers will complete their Silverstone experience with a race in Formula Silverstone cars. At the end of the intensive hands-on week, an expert panel will pick three winners on the basis of a holistic assessment of their multiple capabilities and proficiency in requisite areas. The three winners will be announced in India around the time of the Grand Prix of India in October 2011.

· Future Champions Programme

o The three winners of the Silverstone Finale will be groomed as follows in 2012 and beyond:-

§ The winner will be put through a full season of racing in a competitive championship in the United Kingdom.

§ The first runner up will go on to do a full season of racing in a competitive championship in India.

§ The second runner up will go on to receive special racing tuitions in an Asian racing school

The Academy will fully support the winner over the next three years and a career path will be drawn out, depending on the progress made in 2012. The intent is to groom the winner through various stages leading up to a point where the winner is qualified and ready to apply for a super license from the FIA to drive in Formula 1.

Mr. Raymond Wong, CEO, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt. Ltd. commented: “We are delighted to have broadened our Formula 1 involvement with the launch of Force India Formula One Team Academy. Our partnership with the Force India Formula One Team Academy reaffirms our commitment to supporting the sport of Formula 1 worldwide. We would like to thank Dr. Vijay Mallya for this great opportunity, we are working closely with him and are looking forward to play an important part in giving aspiring Formula 1 drivers a chance to achieve their dreams; inspire others to dream big, and go on to be the best of the best.”
 

Attachments

Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Messages
9,164
Likes
330
Location
Chennai
Re: Force India F1 Team Academy - Become F1 Race Driver!!

Very good initiative by Force India , with this hopefully we can produce many more Indian F1 drivers!
 

350Z

Core Team
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
21,193
Likes
7,835
Location
New Delhi
Re: Force India F1 Team Academy - Become F1 Race Driver!!

This is one fantastic initiative I must say. Just saw an advertisement of same in newspaper and I could not be any happier to see the young talent being focused a lot more than before. I had always wanted to participate in such kind of programmes during my early teenage but alas, we didn't had anything as such then. But finally the Motorsports is picking up in India and soon will provide more scope to demonstrate the talents of enthusiasts in future.

Drive Safe,
350Z
 

350Z

Core Team
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
21,193
Likes
7,835
Location
New Delhi
Re: Force India F1 Team Academy - Become F1 Race Driver!!

Good news for wannabe F1 champs. Force India has extended the age group levels after receiving an excellent response. The contenders will now have a special chance to enter through wild card entry. Please find more details in Press Release below.

Mumbai, July, 6, 2011—The Force India Formula One Team Academy today announced that based on requests from a number of talented karting enthusiasts, it had extended the age group for participation in the One From A Billion Hunt via awild card route. While the One From a Billion Hunt was initially open to those in the age group of 14 to 17 years, in response to a number of requests received from F1 hopefuls, the ambit of the Hunt has been widened by modifying the upper and lower limits of the eligible age groups. Contenders between 12–14 years of age and between 17-19 years of age will now get a chance to qualify for the National Finals via a special wild card.


The Wild Card Selection Round will be held at Kart Cave, Lower Tank Bund Road, Hyderabad from 3rd – 7th August 2011. Contenders for the wild card entry in both these age groups will need to better the lap time of 25.376 seconds which is the time set by the 14th fastest finalist from the recently concluded Hyderabad round of the regional trials. One winner from each of the above age groups will be selected as a wild card entry and will go on to the National Finals later this year. Registration for the Wild Card Selection Round will be open from 1st July to 31st July on the One From A Billion Hunt website, Force India Formula One Team Academy - One From A Billion Hunt.

Sharing his perspective on the rationale behind widening the ambit of the One from a Billion Hunt, Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman & Team Principal, Force India Formula One Team said, “I personally received requests and representations from a large number of parents and F1 hopefuls asking if we could consider including age groups somewhat younger and older than what we had originally envisaged in our programme so that more aspirants could benefit from the historic initiative undertaken by the recently set-up Force India F1 Team Academy. Not including them in the on-going Hunt would have meant budding racing talent from India would have had to wait for another two years. With a view to broad-basing the programme in response to popular demand, we have tweaked the age-limits of the eligible categories for the Hunt and we hope that more talented young Indians will take advantage of this opportunity and give it their best shot. Two talented young Indians from the expanded age groups will be selected as wild card entries and will go on to join the 98 other talented young Indians in the National Finals of the Hunt. I wish the contenders for the wild card entries all the very best!”

The age groups eligible for the Wild Card Selection Round are:

• for 12 - 14 years (born on or after 1st January 1998 to born on or before 31st December 1999)

• 17 - 19 years (born on or after 1st January 1992 to born on or before 31st December 1993)

The Wild Card Selection Round will be open to eligible persons of Indian Origin including NRIs and PIOs.
Commenting on the announcement of the expansion of the eligible age group, Mr. Raymond Wong, CEO, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt. Ltd said, “We have received an overwhelming response from motorsports enthusiasts for the ‘One from a Billion Hunt’ trials. Mobil 1 and Force India Formula One Team Academy are pleased to provide aspiring Formula 1 drivers across India yet another opportunity to be part of this country-wide search, and a chance to be part of India’s Formula 1 team. The Wild Card Selection Round will be held in Hyderabad.”

Post the selection of the wild card entries, the next stages of the One From A Billion Hunt will be as follows:

• National Final – 100 finalists (14 from each of the seven cities and two wild card entries) will compete against each other in September 2011 to win a place among 10 finalists who then move on to the next level of the programme.

The driver hunt is proposed to be held every two years

• Silverstone Finale -

o Ten finalists from the National Final will go on to do a week-long intensive stint at Silverstone, UK comprising sessions on driver tuition on Dmax Karts, a day at the Porsche Human Performance Centre to assess and develop fitness for motorsports, media training with Goodman Media, two full days at the Silverstone F1 circuit with sessions on safety, car control training, driver assessment, and race procedure briefing. The ten selected drivers will complete their Silverstone experience with a race in Formula Silverstone cars. At the end of the intensive hands-on week, an expert panel will pick three winners on the basis of a holistic assessment of their multiple capabilities and proficiency in requisite areas. The three winners will be announced in India around the time of the Grand Prix of India in October 2011.

• Future Champions Programme

The three winners of the Silverstone Finale will be groomed as follows in 2012 and beyond:-

• The winner will be put through a full season of racing in a competitive championship in the United Kingdom.

• The first runner up will go on to do a full season of racing in a competitive championship in India.

• The second runner up will go on to receive special racing tuitions in an Asian racing school

The Academy will fully support the winner over the next three years and a career path will be drawn out, depending on the progress made in 2012. The intent is to groom the winner through various stages leading up to a point where the winner is qualified and ready to apply for a super license from the FIA to drive in Formula 1.
Drive Safe,
350Z
 

350Z

Core Team
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
21,193
Likes
7,835
Location
New Delhi
Re: Force India F1 Team Academy - Become F1 Race Driver!!

I missed to update about the results here. Just remembered after seeing the mail in my inbox. Alright. So Sahara Force India had announced the winners of One from a Billion Hunt back on October 28th.

Arjun Maini (14 years old) from Bangalore was chosen as the winner. The first runner-up was Tarun Reddy (14 years old) from Chennai, with the second runner-up being Jehan Daruvala (13 years old) from Mumbai. While Arjun Maini and Tarun Reddy qualified from the Bangalore and Chennai regional rounds of the One From A Billion Hunt, Jehan Daruvala qualified through the Wild Card Entry Round held in Hyderabad.

The winners were chosen from the ten national finalists selected during the National Finals held in Goa. The ten finalists went on to do a week-long intensive stint at Silverstone, UK comprising sessions of driver tuition on Dmax Karts, a day at the Porsche Human Performance Centre to assess and develop fitness for motorsports, and media training with Goodman Media. They completed their experience with a race in Senior Dmax karts at the Daytona Kart Circuit in Milton Keynes. Arjun Maini, Tarun Reddy and Jehan Daravala will receive a fully funded European-based driver development programme preparing them to become Formula One drivers. They will commence their journey with a go-karting programme in Europe. They will then advance to an appropriate single-seater Formula series before progressing to GP3, GP2 and then F1.

Arjun_Maini.jpg

Top_3_and_judges.jpg

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
3
Likes
0
Location
Mumbai
Re: Pics of YOU!!

Thanks 350Z,
I am new to karting and have sat in a kart just 4-5 times. But to my surprise, I logged in 26.85 in my qualification. By the end of the qualification week, i finished in fifteenth place in Mumbai. Had i been 0.04 seconds quicker, I would have been selected for the nationals. The karts were very smooth with amazing handling.
There was just 1 second separating the top 15 drivers, so imagine the competition!
Moreover, of the top fifteen, 5-6 were regular karters in national championships and one had come down from England along with his proper gear and coach.By coming 15th, I beat some of the karters who regularly practice and for this I am proud of myself:biggrin:
I am also planning to go to Mohite's academy in Kolhapur for training. There they have 33bhp rotax karts which go from 0-100 in just about 7 seconds!!!! But this will have to wait till my board exams get over[frustration]
 

350Z

Core Team
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
21,193
Likes
7,835
Location
New Delhi
Your performance was far better for a first timer. Never be discouraged, just keep moving on and practicing if you’re really keen to make a career in motorsports. I was trying to closely keep in a loop with the updates of this competition and could figure out that most of the toppers were seasoned anyways. Best of luck for the future.

Drive Safe,
350Z
 

Top Bottom