BENGALURU: The
McLaren GT Driver Academy
on Wednesday picked Indian racer
Akhil Rabindra
to compete in the British GT Championship. Rabindra, one of the seven drivers chosen by the outfit as part of its programme to develop young talent, will be joined in the championship by three academy colleagues - Sandy Mitchell, Ciaran Haggerty and Dean Macdonald - as he prepares to race with team Black Bull Garage 59.
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The 20-year-old Bengaluru boy and 16-year-old Macdonald will share the #59 570S GT4 car as they make their debuts in the seven-round championship. Macdonald is a
Scottish Motor Racing Club Rising Star
while Rabindra has experience in both BRDC F4 and British F3 since 2013.
"We started the academy in 2015 with two young drivers. It was designed to help youngsters make the move into sports cars," said
Andrew Kirkaldy
, the managing director of McLaren GT. "It is no secret that there are more career opportunities for young drivers within the sports car world than the traditional single seater dream," he added.
"We are delighted to have Akhil on board. Having competed in the top level of single seaters for the last few years in the UK, he knows the circuits we will visit in the championship. We are confident that his knowledge, coupled with knowledge of the car he can gain from his teammates, puts us in a good position for the season ahead," said Bas Leinders, the manager of Black Bull Garage 59.