IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT weekend at the International Kart Race (AKOC). A spate of accidents left our team drivers (who were blindingly fast during practice), trophy-less on Sunday afternoon. I told my drivers that at the very least they should learn from this experience as a ?what NOT to do in the next race.?

The weekend wasn?t a total disaster because I met and had a great chat with a former Formula One driver, Alex Yoong. Alex was at the kart races also coaching a group of young karters while keeping an eye out for new talents in the race itself.

Alex is a Malaysian. His racing career started when he was only 16 and racing a local touring car series. He moved on to single seater racing in the Formula Asia series where he became a champion then drove in the British F3 races and did a few races in Formula Nippon. Alex got a fantastic chance to break into F1 in 2000 when he was called upon by F1 team Minardi. Alex raced for Malaysia in the A1 Grand Prix recently and has been quite successful.

Let me share with you some interesting parts of the conversation.

JP: What has been keeping you busy?

Alex: I?m primarily involved in Lotus F1 Racing which is involved in the Young Driver Development Program. A part of which is to identify and design programs to support kids that we believe have the talent to go very far in motorsports.
JP: What makes this program different from other F1 Young Driver Programs like Ferrari, McLaren or Red Bull?

Alex: Our program specifically looks at Asian drivers only. It is our team principal, Tony Fernandez, who has tasked me with the goal to find and develop a young talented driver not to just become a Formula 1 driver but a Formula 1 World Champion. Tony?s personal vision is to find a local talent. I believe it will be difficult task but one that is possible.

JP: What do you think of Asian Drivers?

Alex: I think Asian drivers have talent but most are very lazy. We are looking at not only Malaysian drivers but drivers from all over the region. We would like to get the drivers as early as possible to control what they do. I believe it is possible to manufacture drivers and make them great! Drivers from this region tend to mature later than their European counterparts, so it is important to get them exposed to racing out there as soon as possible.

JP: What are you looking for in recruiting a young potential F1 driver? Skill? Financial capability?

Alex: What we look for is work ethic. We are looking for young drivers that will be dedicated to make it all the way. Do the things that are necessary to become a Formula 1 driver. Skill and financial capability are important but not too high up on the requirement list.

JP: What does it take for drivers to get to F1 nowadays?

Alex: The cost is huge! Before you can even get considered for Formula 1 you must be willing to spend 5 million Euro (about P280 million) and about 10 years of dedicated racing and training. This is aside from the obvious skill, experience and maturity a driver must have before making the final step to F1.

JP: Finally, what advise can you give to an aspiring F1 driver?

Alex: Start as early as possible. Get kart racing experience and move on. The best drivers make it to Formula one by about 20. Good luck!

For more information about starting your racing career in the Philippines log onto www.tuasonracing.com or email me at info@tuasonracing.com. Send in your questions or comments and I will try to feature it on future articles! See you at the races!