Former Race Academy Winner Coaches Latest Intake

Dunlop Race Academy 2005 winner and Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup champion Simon Shaw is to coach this year’s Race Academy intake in a bid to find potential stars of the future. “I went through exactly the same process that this year’s finalists will go through so I know exactly how they will be feeling,” says Simon. “At the start of 2005 I was a car salesman but by the end of the year I was racing in the Ginetta Championship and last year I went on to win my class in the Sport Maxx Cup, supported by Dunlop.”

Race Academy will offer a schedule of training throughout 2008 with Shaw and Le Mans 24-hour racing driver, Calum Lockie. One winner will then race on track with the professionals in the televised Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup final race in October.

Last year 35-year old Software engineer, Philip Abbott from Bradford won the fourth Race Academy. This year 14 finalists from across the country will be selected to take part in two regional semi-finals where they will be judged on their performance on track, and in fitness and media tests. The top three will then be put through to the grand final where they will go head to head in an on-track shoot out to find the winner.

Dunlop’s James Bailey commented: “The Dunlop Race Academy has become the X Factor of motorsport with thousands of drivers signing up each year in a bid to race their way to the top. This is a genuine opportunity for people who love driving to experience the life of a racing driver as they compete to race in the Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup before jetting off to Monaco for the weekend to experience all the celebrity trappings.

“The winner will race against some of the UK’s top drivers in the Sport Maxx Cup during the Dunlop Great and British Championship finals. The Dunlop Sport Maxx is a genuine stepping stone to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with a wide range of cars from Fiestas, Minis, Citroen Saxos to Seat Leon FRs, Vauxhall Astra VXRs and the Nissan 350Z. This championship has become a popular attraction at Dunlop’s Great and British Festivals.

“Simon Shaw makes a fitting addition to the team this year. His performance in Race Academy 2005 was outstanding and his commitment and talent since then have helped him quickly rise through the ranks. This year, he will compete in the Sport Maxx Cup again and will face the 2008 Race Academy winner in the final round in October.”