Young racing drivers from Poland, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, India and Saudi Arabia will arrive in the UAE this weekend to continue with their training in GulfSport Racing’s renowned young driver development program.

They will undergo two days of intensive coaching and mentoring as they practise and race on the very same circuit that challenges the world’s best drivers in Formula One.

Said GulfSport’s Martin Hope “This really will be a very special weekend for our students. They have already made great progress under the tuition of pro driver coach Andy Pardoe, and this weekend they will be mentored by a very successful Brazilian racing driver, Tommy Erdos”.

“It is no coincidence that 16 year old Kane Shepherd, who has already spent nine days with us, won two Formula 4 races against stiff competition in Malaysia last week ” said Martin.

“Experience has shown us that with the right training and experience, some drivers are able to skip that F4 step and go straight into F3 cars in the EuroFormula Open which visits some of Europe’s greatest race circuits. In some countries F4 is incredibly expensive, so F3 has become a viable option”.

As is usual, the experience of the academy group varies with 16 year old kart racer Talal Beshara from Bahrain enjoying his first step into cars, whilst Saudi racer Omar Gazzaz has already driven F3 cars in Spain and the UK. This weekend will also see the return of Azerbaijan’s most popular racing driver Gulhuseyn (Quka) Abdullayev, who also has experience of both F4 and F3.

Another student who harbours great ambition is Filip Kaminiarz, who is well aware that the current Formula Gulf Academy Champion Alex Karkosik is a Polish compatriot.

With Formula Renault, British GT and multiple Le Mans titles to his name, let’s hope that Tommy Erdos can sprinkle some more success dust onto these very committed and ambitious young racers.

The action commences on Friday 23rd February at Yas Marina Circuit - please come along and say hello to the team and drivers.