Young racer Partha Ghorpade is all set to make history, as he would be the first Indian driver to be testing at the famous Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA), located in Fiorano, Italy. It has been confirmed that his training is scheduled to begin from May 7, 2013.
Partha, who is a Formula Pilota Asia Champion, will be testing in a Formula 3 car at the FDA. By winning the Asian title in the 2013 Formula Pilota Championship, he qualified for this test. A complete assessment of his driving potential, which would include mental and physical fitness, would be conducted during the course of his training at the academy. Interestingly, Luca Baldisserri, who is running the training program at Fiorano, has been a race engineer to legendary drivers, Gerhard Berger, Eddie Irvine and the only seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. In the current crop of drivers, Sergio Perez and Jules Bianchi are being assisted by the academy.
Expressing happiness at being selected for the FDA, 19-year-old Ghorpade said, “Ferrari is a name that goes hand in hand with Motorsport and it is an honour for me to be present at the Academy. The FDA not only helps in training the drivers, but looks at the physical and mental preparation as well. It will also give me a better understanding of how a big team works and what is required to be successful in racing.”
The young racer from Kolhapur has a tight schedule in May, as he would be participating in the Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS race weekend at Imola from May 10-12, 2013, which would immediately follow the FDA test. It will be interesting to see another bright Indian lad being groomed in the world of motorsports. Fitness will certainly be a major factor on which Ghorpade would have to focus heavily upon.
