Aston Martin Young Driver Academy Returns for 2019

Aston Martin racers between the ages of 17 and 25 could be the next official team driver.

Back in 2015, Aston Martin Racing held their Young Driver Academy and through that program, FIA World Endurance Championship team and development driver Ross Gunn was discovered. According to SportsCar365.com, the automaker has relaunched this program for 2019, giving young Aston Martin racers a unique chance to jump into the big leagues of endurance racing.

AMR Young Driver Academy

The goal of the AMR Young Driver Academy is to identify up-and-coming drivers who compete in Aston Martin race cars. To be exact, the program is open to drivers between the age of 17 and 25. Drivers must compete in an approved racing series and they must be racing in the Vantage GT to be considered.

A panel of judges will monitor those drivers involved in the program throughout the course of the 2019 racing season, using a variety of metrics to evaluate the rank the drivers. This includes lap times, consistency, technical feedback and physical fitness, but the winning driver needs to be able to manage the social aspect of the job. That includes things like public relations and team management.

In addition to helping to identify the next generation of racing talent, the Young Driver Academy also encourages these young, talented drivers to start Aston Martin-based teams or to sign with existing teams running the Vantage GT.

Input from the Champ

Ross Gunn has spent the past few years working with Aston Martin Racing after being the top driver back in the 2015 academy program. He had the following input on the success of the program and how it impacted his racing career.

“Winning the Aston Martin Racing Academy in 2015 was a massive milestone in my career. To have worked in a manufacturer environment was invaluable for my development and has significantly raised my level as a competitor both on and off the track,” said Gunn. I wish all those aspiring candidates in 2019 the very best of luck and assure them that it will be well worth the hard work, effort and sacrifice they will need to achieve their goal.”

“This program will be invaluable to so many drivers with ambitions to race at Le Mans who have the talent but not always the means to reach their goal. We have seen plenty of them in our cars over the past two years and we relish the prospect of seeing them competing for our customer race teams throughout 2019 in pursuit of this prize.”

Interested drivers have until March 1^st, 2019 to contact Aston Martin Racing to sign up for the program.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com