BMW South Africa has revealed its exciting new BMW Racing Academy aimed at transforming the local motorsport scene by identifying and nurturing young racing talent.
Announced just ahead of the 2024 BMW M FEST, this initiative coincides perfectly with the celebration of the high-performance M division.
Running from late 2024 through 2025, the driver development program will scout and develop aspiring racers with dreams of a motorsport career. NGK Pablo Clark Racing (PCR) lends its expertise in racing car engineering to support BMW South Africa’s driver development goals.
The program will utilize FIA and MSA-approved sim racing to identify potential talent. Following this, participants will progress to a karting program before ultimately getting behind the wheel of specially prepared BMW models. This unique academy specifically seeks to discover and develop young talent from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, offering them a potential pathway to a future in circuit racing.
BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen said: “At the last M Fest, Sheldon van der Linde was our star guest. Fresh from his DTM championship, one thought-provoking discussion during our M Talks was how to develop promising young racing drivers.’’
“We gave it some thought and together with NGK Pablo Clark Racing we are developing an approach to help bring racing dreams to life!”