F1 Scholarship

Super Tourer · 28 Aug 2003, 09:18 (Ref:701542)

This has prob been covered before, but I couldn't find a thread on it - so here goes with a poss repeat !

The F1 Scholarship is advertised in Autosport today. it looks like a cleverly constructed competiton.

Essentially you pay £99 to enter, providing you are over 18 and not held a competition licence before , there is no mention of what assessment takes place, presumably the details come on entry.

The winner gets a funded drive in the Zip Formula and the chance to progress from there, then comes the clever bit.

The F1 Scholarship only has to fund the Zip Season as you only progress to the next stage if you win the championship each time - the funding above Zip Formula is covered by prize indemnity insurance, so they insure against the 'loss' of their entrant winning the series, based on the odds - in a similar way to an organiser insuring against you throwing six sixes on six dice to win a car.

If you win the Zip series you progress to F Renault, where you get a funded season plus a salary.

If you win that series you porgress to the F Ren V6 series, again with a salary - the prize for winning this series (anyway) is a F1 test drive in the Renault. Hence the F1 angle, from there you take your chance depending on how you do - which they make quite clear.

Basically a very clever competition, the organisers only have to fund the Zip season and pay the insurance premiums that cover the subsequent seasons, and they only apply if the driver keeps winning - not sure what the odds are on a driver winning three series in a row - but they must be fairly long.

For the entrant, a very cheap opportunity to get into motorsport and potentially get a free passage up the ladder.

New idea, be interesting to see the results.

Rocktracer · 28 Aug 2003, 09:33 (Ref:701553)

A rival to the Exchange And MArt competition run by Tim Matthews. However this has a £99 but what do you get for that?

With the 2004 E&M you get a session of karting for your small entry fee!

Cant really see myself that the winner of the comp has a hope in hell of actuaally winning the zip championship then all the other's he does.

Seems a good idea though and provides an incentitive to put max effort in!

Are there any big names behind it> How will it be covered>

Gore · 28 Aug 2003, 11:10 (Ref:701637)

Free karting session if you get thorugh E&M's fitness round (not that I'm bitter about not standing a chance!!)

Rocktracer · 28 Aug 2003, 11:26 (Ref:701660)

kartings first as far as i know

peteconnors · 28 Aug 2003, 16:51 (Ref:701993)

The way the industry works at the moment you need to go racing to get sponsors, and you need sponsors to go racing. Anyone in my position wouldn't have any chance of going racing without these kinds of competitions, and hopefully one of them will find the next superstar. I don't know how good I'd be on a track, as I've never had the chance to have a go, but I'm entering the scholarship as it will be a challenge, and even if I don't win, at least my entry fee will help the best one to go racing. Anyone else gonna have a go at it?

No 4 · 28 Aug 2003, 19:28 (Ref:702122)

I really don't think this competition is anywhere near as good as Be A Grand Prix Driver. As for the winner going into ZIP for their first competitive drive and winning it -dream on, they'll get slaughtered, not a cat in hells chance.

Gore · 30 Aug 2003, 11:39 (Ref:703300)

The fitness round was the first in this year's E&M competition. It seems to me that the idea is to eliminate a lot of people without having to pay to put them in a kart, which is fair enough when you consider the entry fee.

Entering seems a good idea for anyone who's confident they'll get through the fitness round--I was speaking to a bloke at Buckmore Park a few weeks ago who had gotten to the FRenault stage (I think), and won "most improved driver," for which he's getting a test at Barcelona in Michelin's F1 test car (think he said it was a Tyrell from a few seasons ago). He, as anyone in his position would, thought the contest was great--he'd never sat in a kart before it, and he now seems to be making a pretty good amateur career for himself. Nice guy, too.

As people have pointed out, the winner of the F1 scholarship has little chance of progressing beyond FZip, but a season's racing for £99 is a great deal for whoever wins it. Personally I don't think I'll be entering, there are faster guys than me out there, and I'm sure a lot of them will enter--the entry fee only pays off if you get to the third assesment round, which I doubt I would. It would be interesting to know how many people progress from each of the assesment rounds, though--can't find any mention on their site.

Good luck to you though Pete, let us know how you get on!

peteconnors · 30 Aug 2003, 14:15 (Ref:703365)

I will indeed. The fitness round will definately be difficult for me; in May of this year I was weighed at over 15 stone (96kgs), but I am currently working very hard on my fitness (in the gym this morning at 8:45 even though I didn't finish work until 2am!), and should be competetive by November.

No 4 · 31 Aug 2003, 12:28 (Ref:703973)

The organiser of Be A Grand Prix Driver, Tim Matthews, told me that they'd had some 3000 entries and therefore the only practical way to arrive at managable numbers for the karting round was to use the fitness stage to reduce numbers.

Re the Buckmore Park bloke, his name is Stratton McKay.

As for the merits of the two competitions, as I've said before I don't think a single seater novice has any chance of winning ZIP first time out. Indeed, given the F1 Scholarship winner has to finish in the top 6 in one of his/her first two ZIP races, not as easy as the competition organisers suggest, it's by no means certain they'll even get a full season.

BAGPD on the other hand delivers. Last years winner Mark Johnson and outstanding achievement award winner/last 6 finalist Jamie Morrow, both got offered management contracts by Esentially Sport, and have both raced this season - Mark in a TVR round and Jamie in ZIP (a win and a 4th place) + Formula Renault. Runner up Neil Purdie has an E&M sponsored drive with Team So in Sports 2000 and is doing well and Stratton is competing in a saloon class. Not bad for the competition's inaugural year!!

gtownrds · 6 Sep 2003, 01:09 (Ref:709718)

How do you enter the Be a grand prix driver contest? I can't find much information about it.

No 4 · 6 Sep 2003, 13:15 (Ref:710080)

Look in the Exchange & Mart for entry details. Good luck.

racingdick · 12 Sep 2003, 14:41 (Ref:716494)

Regards the Exchange and MArt comp...

Out of the last 12.

4 (inc Jamie Morrow) are now involved with racing.

Just goes to show how many doors the Show has opened!!

mrinvader · 12 Sep 2003, 15:06 (Ref:716522)

Would anyone happen to have an entry form they can send to me? I live in the states so it is kinda hard to get that magazine/paper.

racingdick · 12 Sep 2003, 15:09 (Ref:716527)

0871 222 3629

Uk number..

mrinvader · 12 Sep 2003, 15:12 (Ref:716534)

Is that the number for the magazine? or what?

racingdick · 12 Sep 2003, 15:14 (Ref:716538)

sorry its the number to enter the comp.
When you thinking of coming over here?

See Email...

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Scholarship	TTRMotorsport	Cool Sites	4	11 Aug 2004 19:11
F3 Scholarship	Vortex	National & International Single Seaters	17	21 Feb 2003 22:01
Goes anyone know the f1 scholarship	jamesb	National & Club Racing	5	22 Jun 2002 01:34
F1 Scholarship	D Fleming	National & International Single Seaters	12	19 Apr 2002 21:31