18-year old Kelvin van der Linde is quickly making a name for himself after winning the 2014 Academy Driver of the Year award from the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.
Competing against drivers from across the globe, Van der Linde was one of ten drivers to graduate from the 2014 programme held at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France. As part of his prize, Van der Linde will be assisted by the academy performance managers, Alex Wurz and Robert Reid, in progressing his career and ensuring that he gets chances and opportunities to meet key people and develop opportunities in the sport.
Van der Linde not only impressed with his raw speed, but also with his willingness and enthusiasm to engage with the Academy programme.
“Selecting a winner is never easy, however, Kelvin’s performance across the entire range of the Academy was outstanding and makes him a well-deserved winner,” Wurz said. “It’s always at the end of the Academy during this last workshop that you realise you work with such promising talent and appreciate the friendships you have built with such extraordinary young people like this year’s Academy graduates.”
Of Van der Linde, Reid said: “[He] is a well-deserved winner of the Academy, he has performed well throughout but also learnt a lot and improved on all levels. It has been great to work with [him] and to see the progress made.”
Van der Linde is eager to put his new-found knowledge to good use when he takes to the track again.
“I’m really speechless right now,” the young man said. “To come to the Academy as the African representative where, despite being a large continent, racing is still growing and to win this is amazing. I came here with an open mind ready to learn and gave it my best. It’s great to win and receive this trophy but the real work starts now,” he said.
Van der Linde drives in the ADAC GT Masters championship and his next race will be taking place at the Slovakia Ring on August 8-10.
– Charlen Raymond
