The Elite Motorsport Academy of New Zealand’s class of 2024 was announced at MotorSport New Zealand’s annual awards evening over the weekend.
Eight competitors from across the country will begin the year-long program with the renowned Elite Motorsport Academy camp over the week of July 7-13.
The week-long programme at the Otago Academy of Sport sees competitors tutored on off-track elements of motorsport, including nutrition, fitness, media, marketing, sponsorship, data analysis, and more.
A tailored 12-month follow-up package ensures they retain and further develop the training regimes and educational opportunities demonstrated in the camp.
Ben Stewart, Jacob Douglas, Zach Blincoe, Jacob Begg, Bryn Jones, Hunter Robb, Mason Potter, and Will Kitching are the class of 2024.
Stewart burst onto the New Zealand motorsport scene by sweeping the 2021/22 Mazda Racing Series New Zealand, North Island and South Island Championships. He has since competed at Bathurst in a Toyota 86, winning the Scholarship Shootout in Australia to earn a place on the grid. He was also a standout performer in the recent Trans-Tasman TA2 Series.
Douglas is a USF 2000 race winner on the Road to Indy pathway and will run select GB3 races in 2024. He has successfully tested USF Pro 2000 machinery with the renowned Pabst Racing and will return to New Zealand, having been based in the US, for the program.
Potter is a New Zealand Formula Ford Championship race winner. His accolades include round honours of the penultimate 2023/24 race weekend at Manfeild on his way to finishing fourth in the title race.
Blincoe, too, has achieved success in Formula Fords and was a championship contender in the New Zealand and North Island titles. He has also achieved success in the New Zealand Formula First Championship.
Kitching won the 2022/23 Mazda Pro8 South Island series and switched to the Mazda Racing Series in 2023/24, winning races on his way to third overall in the national championship.
Begg is also a Formula Ford competitor and finished runner-up in the South Island Class 2 series in the 2023/24 season.
Robb enjoyed a breakthrough rookie season in the Toyota 86 Championship and was in title contention until the season’s last round. He has also been competing in the North Island Endurance Series in a Porsche 991 and finished on the 1-Hour podium in Round 1 at Hampton Downs.
He joined fellow Toyota 86 Championship competitors Summer Rintoule and Tayler Bryant for the 2024 Bathurst 6 Hour, where they finished 21st overall in a Toyota 86 GTS.
Jones is the sole rally driver in the class of 2024. The Cambridge-based competitor won the NZ Junior Rally Championship in 2023 and continues running towards the front of events nationwide.
“New Zealand has such a depth of young motorsport talent, which makes our job as selectors for the academy incredibly tough,” commented departing MotorSport New Zealand President and MotorSport New Zealand Scholarship Trust trustee Wayne Christie.
“This year’s class is the future of New Zealand motorsport, and perhaps even more encouraging was how high the level of talent was of those that just missed out on selection this year.
“On behalf of all the trustees, I want to wish this year’s academy cohort all the best for the camp in Dunedin. I know the trustees are looking forward to monitoring your progress.”
In its 20-year history, the Elite Motorsport Academy has seen Shane van Gisbergen, Hayden Paddon, Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber, Nick Cassidy, Mitch Evans, Richie Stanaway, and Andre Heimgartner progress through its ranks.
Header Image: Joel Hanks Photography
