Mclaren Award
As one of six finalists for the 2006 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, Jeremy Metcalfe joined
an elite list of some of the most talented single-seater drivers in British motorsport to be
short-listed for the prestigious accolade.
Held annually, the contest sees the cream of young drivers evaluated for the opportunity to win a £50,000 prize purse, a GP2 test and the ultra-rare opportunity to test a McLaren Formula One car.
Over the course of two days, Jeremy had the chance to get behind the wheel of some stunning race machinery which included a 3.5-litre, 425bhp World Series by Renault single-seater, a Porsche Carrera Cup GB car and a Mercedes C-class DTM racer.
The driving stage of the evaluation process took place at MotorSport Vision’s 1.95-mile Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk while the finalists also took part in a special interview procedure at the McLaren F1 team headquarters in the company of double Formula One World Champion Mika Hakkinen.
“It was absolutely amazing to be nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award”, says Jeremy, “It capped off a great year in 2006 and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the judging panel for presenting me with such an incredible opportunity.
“The chance to drive three world class race cars was fantastic and to have been nominated for the final stages of the award in only my second year in cars makes me feel very proud of what we’ve achieved so far”.
Jeremy was chosen as a 2006 finalist by an esteemed panel of judges including British Racing Drivers’ Club President, and 1996 F1 World Champion, Damon Hill, McLaren F1’s head of test and race engineering Steve Hallam and former F1 driver, and ITV Grand Prix commentator, Martin Brundle.
Past winners of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award include Formula One drivers David Coulthard and Jenson Button and 2005 DTM Champion Gary Paffett.
Following on from his time behind the wheel of the Porsche Carrera during the award evaluation, Jeremy then had the opportunity to race the 'VIP' car during the 17th and 18th rounds of the 2007 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship at Knockhill in Scotland as part of his prize for being named a McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalist.
