SCCA Member Kenton Koch Takes Part in FIA Academy

TOPEKA, Kan. (Oct. 15, 2014) – Kenton Koch, of Glendora, California, is attending a racing day camp this week in Mexico at the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy, as nominated by the Sports Car Club of America. The 20-year-old reigning SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Champion is the United States’ lone representative to the Oct. 13-15 program that educates young racecar drivers on what it takes to further their careers.

Koch is competing against 15 other drivers from North and South America for the opportunity to move onto the final world-wide academy. The four-day selection event is hosted by the OMDAI, Mexico’s connection to the FIA, at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed near Puebla, Mexico.

As part of the program, Koch will go through many drills on and off the track aimed at charting his performance. Aside from learning where he stands right now, Koch will get to sit down with instructors to learn how to maximize his performance with the goal of becoming a complete racecar driver able to compete at the highest levels of motorsports. Physical, psychological, team development and, of course, driving skills will be measured and enhanced during the week.

Koch’s selection for this program was due, in part, to the association between SCCA and the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), the liaison between the Federation Internationalale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the six major motorsport sanctioning bodies in the United States. SCCA is one of two motorsports clubs to have full membership in the organization. The FIA Academy program has three main objectives: to increase skills in the area of driver and road safety; to actively promote the principles of safety, fairness and responsibility both on and off the track; and to prepare young driver to compete at the pinnacle of the sport.

The FIA Academy is open to drivers between the age of 15 and 23 years old. Each nominee must also have a long-term goal to compete in top-level, international events and have a logical pathway to get there. Among the instructors are former Formula One driver Alex Wurz and former World Rally Champion co-driver Robert Reid.

The Academy started in 2011, and is supported by FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability.