Up to 23 candidates from the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia are to attend the regional qualifying event taking place from 28th September to 1st October for the 2015 FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.
Organised by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), the event will select one of the young drivers who will win a place in next year's fully funded Academy programme to develop young talent and promote safety in motor sport.
The need for young drivers to match driving skills with peak fitness in order to be successful will be driven home by Professor Gareth Davison, a specialist in sport and exercise science research at the University of Ulster.
"Drivers nowadays need to be extremely fit to cope with the demands of motor sport," said Davidson, who will be among a panel of experts in Abu Dhabi. "You just need to look at the current F1 drivers to see extreme examples of fitness at the top of motorsport." During a series of classroom sessions at Yas Marina Circuit, the drivers will undergo a range of demanding fitness tests and physiology procedures to examine aerobic endurance, anaerobic capacity, strength, flexibility, body fat and hydration status.
The ATCUAE and 22 other regional motor sport authorities have each been invited by the FIA Institute to nominate a driver aged between 15 and 23 to take part in the Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit qualifying event, one of six being held worldwide.
"The work in the classroom is just as important as the expert driving instruction they'll receive out on the circuit," said ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA Vice President.
"To find success in motor sport these days a driver must be physically fit, mentally sharp, have strong powers of concentration, and be able to handle the additional pressures that come from media and sponsorship demands." The ATCUAE has been assessing potential candidates and will shortly nominate its representative for the qualifying event. Other candidates have been invited from Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Yemen.
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