Writing the 2009 version of the Stars of Tomorrow has been by far the hardest yet.
No fewer than twenty-nine different drivers were short listed as potential inclusions fighting over just ten places.
My job was made easier when Earl Bamber, Ranger Van Der Zande, Mika Maki and Chris Van Der Drift were all called up to race for GP2 Asia teams at the season opening race in Shanghi, China. Racing in GP2 or GP2 Asia invalidates a driver for inclusion on the Stars of Tomorrow.
From the remaining drivers the top six basically wrote themselves leaving me with the difficult situation of having nineteen drivers to deserved a place on the list based on their performances in 2008, but only having four places to fit them in.
Somehow I managed to eliminate fifteen of them to make my final ten, I just hope I have made the right decisions and selected the next Michael Schumacher and not the next Yuji Ide.
The chosen drivers will be reviled to you over the course of the next week – two every day, starting tomorrow with numbers ten and nine. Enjoy!
10. GABRIEL CHAVES
Where is he from?
Gabriel Chaves, better know as “Gabby” is from Colombia, born on July 7 1993. With his inclusion this year at the age of fifteen, he becomes the youngest person ever to appear on the Stars of Tomorrow and the first from the continent of South America.
What Has He Done?
Gabriel started his car career, like most people from the Americas racing under the stewardship of Motorsport legend, Skip Barber. He started of in the Skip Barber Mazda MX5 where he took part in one race, and won it setting fastest lap in the process. He also did one race in Formula Renault 2.0 Colombia here he also won setting fastest lap but this time he did it from pole position.
His main championship in 2007 was Skip Barber Eastern Regional Series in ten races he won five races and a total of seven podiums on his way to second in the championship.
In 2008 he moved about a bit, in the Skip Barber Western Regional Series he competed in two races, winning both with a pole and a fastest lap as well. In the Skip Barber National Series he won three of his five races and was fourteenth after competing less than a third of the series.
His most successful spell was in the Skip Barber Southern Regional Series, where his record speaks for its self, ten races and ten wins and his way the title. He also finished fourth in the Formula BMW Pacific Championship, finishing fourth with three podiums and no wins. His success earned him a place in the Formula BMW World Final where he finished fourteenth.
His career statistics: 53 race starts, 22 wins, 30 podiums and eight poles.
What is He Doing Now?
Formula One works mainly in Europe so a young driver needs to get their attention racing on their doorstep as soon as possible, although he has not announced a drive for 2009 he will hopefully race in Formula BMW in Europe and then move to Formula Three in 2010 once he reaches the minimum age limit.
My Prediction for the Future
Number ten is traditionally becoming the number where I stake my reputation with gambles. In 2007 we had a driver that I did not rate highly and in 2008 and drive that I admitted that I had never heard of, but 2009 is the biggest gamble of them all.
As stated above Gabriel is only fifteen years old and still racing in National Championships in Colombia, therefore the is still the great possibility that he will move north into America and go oval racing in the Indy Racing League.
Hopefully he will decide to move north-east to Europe and compete in Formula Three, but whatever he does after watching videos on his website I am convinced that he has the talent to become a mega-star.
Gabriel still has a very long way to go before he can take Europe by storm (in fact he is still under the minimum age to race in Formula Three) but a strong 2009 then a move to Europe will set him on his way
9. ALEXANDER SIMS
Where is he from?
Alexander Sims in a twenty year old British driver born on March 15 1988.
What Has He Done?
His car career started in 2006, where he only did four races in the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series he scored one podium and took ninth place in the championship.
2007 saw him move to the main Formula Renault 2.0 UK series where one win and three podiums gave him eighth place in the series. He also raced in the Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0 four races gave him nineteenth in the championship
He started 2008 as the favourite to win the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship, but after two wins and ten other podiums he was narrowly pipped for the title and was forced to settle for second, despite scoring more outright points and only losing out because of dropped scores.
After his successful year in Formula Renault he was awarded with the highest honour available to a young British racing driver, as he was voted the McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year. His prize includes a test in a McLaren Formula One car and £50 000 to fund his racing career.
His career statistics: 64 race starts, three wins, 16 podiums and two poles.
What is He Doing Now?
At the Autosport Awards where he won his Young Driver of the Year Award he announced that for 2009 he would be racing in the Formula Three Euroseries with Mucke Motorsport working alongside his team-mate fellow British driver, and Star of Tomorrow, Sam Bird.
My Prediction for the Future
The Formula Three Euroseries is traditionally a series that takes two years to win, so a solid year this year will put him in a great position to challenge for the title in 2010. Although he is with the front running Mucke Motorsport race wins would be asking a bit much of him, his targets for 2009 should be a top ten championship finish and, of course, beat his Formula Renault 2.0 UK and Autosport Awards rival from 2008, Adam Christodoulou, who also makes the step up.
Written by Paul Crossling on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:16:32
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