At a press conference, gathered for the occasion, announced the opening of a new global project — SMP Racing Academy.
Boris Rotenberg, who arrived specially for this in Sochi, said he believes SMP Racing Academy is extremely important moment for the development of domestic motor sport, «it is here that our boys and girls, professional pilots and simply speed fans will be able to acquire new knowledge and gain experience in a complex form sport as a car. »
The head of the Academy was Sergei Vorobyov, which will now combine this position with his work as a promoter of the Russian Grand Prix Formula 1, which he is in the last three years. Regional base in Sochi, which begins and all the action, headed by Dmitry Pleshakov.
It is supposed to create 85 regional branches of the Academy, of course, all this will happen within the next one and a half years with the participation of the Russian Automobile Federation and its regional offices.
Extended comment on the new project, we were asked to give the executive director of the SMP Racing Dmitry Samorukova.
— Dmitry, as will be the process of creating such an extensive network of branches of the Academy? On what basis it will build it work?
— 85 regions can not be covered immediately. Clearly, this is a gradual process. We will begin with those cities and regions where there is a ready-racing tracks. To begin, we noted five main tracks, each of which will open the Academy office and try to build it as much as possible. Our task is to ensure that the Academy of appliances, hire employees, to ensure the learning process.
Our program of work consists of three main areas of work: it is the selection of the new guys, training and preparation of existing pilots and the third direction — is the involvement in the process of sports already adults. At its core, the third area is more like a «ekspiriensa» school that has many car brands, or even Academy RAF security.
At the same time we are aware that the first two are not the direction that the non-profit, but even more subsidized, which need sposorah and in support of the region, and the third may be commercial, but rather arbitrary. Here, we set ourselves the task is not just to teach people the right to travel, but to teach him ethics automotive, teach him to love the car and motor racing, not apply to consumer-racing.
— From what region you are planning to start developing the Academy?
— All three areas easier to begin to implement as part of the existing circuits. Take, for example, the Nizhniy Novgorod: we agree with the motor racing track of its presence, with local authorities — about the social advertising, provide a selection of children in karting school. In addition, over the past year we have operated a joint program with Gazprom, «Gazprom — to children», in which we were able to visit 10 regions and otsmotret about five hundred children in search of real talents.
— There are restrictions on the age of children?
— Yes. About 10–12 years.
— All your units will be fixed?
— While stationary department can be called by at bases circuits. In other regions, it will cooperate with the RAF as part of the Academy. We will help them in the implementation of various projects, we start with the most simple: sites for karting, help with equipment. As for the circuit, there will be more serious equipment. I think the perfect set from the point of view of harmonious education will be approximately the collection: ordinary cards, sports, small Formula (like SMP F4), car bodywork class national or Touring Light. Maybe Lada, maybe VW Polo. Still, of course, it would be desirable good car transfer class GT...
— What are your basic steps to launch the program?
— First of all I must say that the launch will take place not once, but for a year and a half. This means that now we start with the fact that we will fulfill the main circuit on the first five floors, and only a year and a half we will get a fully functional system that satisfies everyone. A lot of work — from the design and preparation of regulatory documents and ending with the selection of professional instructors.
It is already clear that on each track will run our pilots — SMP Racing drivers: European champions, World champions. I believe that this should be one of the key points: the status of our instructors and teachers. Because if I were a boy I heard that in some school runs a Russian world champion, I would have dropped everything and went to study it there.
— What are the five areas you intend to use from the very beginning?
— It is precisely this Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Sochi. From the Moscow route, we have not decided yet. It is also possible that it will not in the first batch of five, and six circuits: a very interesting site in Krasnoyarsk — I mean the Red Ring road. And the guys there are very interesting and flexible. We would like to also use the Ryazan Atronach track, but postpone it to a little later period, to begin with a bit too much.
Our main task — to understand what incentives, motivation, mechanisms will force people to come to us. It is important to know what is their main purpose.
— An important question — how children learning process will take place?
— It is necessary that parents are clear about what they want from their children. To start required that parents have brought their children into karting, because even the entire budget of the country will not allow all the children to put in the card.
Mom or Dad need to teach your child to not only love motor racing, but also to respect him. A respected — it means cherish, cherish. This process we can not educate them, we can only catch so that family education is also very important.
We at the Academy will be a clear system of training, roughly comparable to what is available at present in the SMP F4: there is commercial space, there are free, but there are places free, but with compensation «battlefield.» And this is also a good educational moment that will help teach the care of the instrument.
We will select children on the basis of their results, as shown in the other competitions.
Give them the opportunity and provide chances. The rest will depend on them. But most importantly, they can — it is to gain experience and learn from the real racers. And if we see that they have the talent and desire, we, in turn, will try to provide them a good future.
