Teenager gets big opportunity to make waves on the racetrack

YOUNG TALENT: Wellington's Jamie McNee scorches around the track at the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild.

Wellington College's Jamie McNee heads to Florida next week to rub shoulders with Scott Dixon.

McNee, 16, will race at the Palm Beach Indy Racing Rookie Challenge to compete for a fully paid drive next season in eight rounds of a feeder class to the IndyCar series.

The challenge event is the brainchild of Scott Dixon's father, Ron Dixon, along with fellow New Zealander Kane Williams.

Scott Dixon will be one of the scholarship judges, but McNee isn't feeling too nervous.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity the Challenge gives me," McNee said.

"It will be great to meet the Dixon family and the other Kiwis in the team and to have a chance to win such a great prize. I've never been to the US before, so the whole experience of going there will be great."

For an up-and-comer like McNee, the test includes 150 laps in a Formula BMW racing car.

With 30 young drivers from around the world in the field, competition for the United States Formula 2000 series driving seat will be fierce.

McNee's father, Wayne, believes his son has a fair chance. New Zealand drivers Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber have paved the way for young Kiwis, he said.

"New Zealand kids start young and they get a lot more car racing than some from other countries," Wayne McNee said.

McNee made the step up from Formula Ford to the Toyota Racing Series smoothly this summer. At the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild, he qualified fifth but finished sixth after losing ground at the safety car restart.

Regardless of the outcome in Florida next week, McNee will still have the chance to race in the US. His backers have arranged a start in the first round of the Indy Racing League series at St Petersburg on March 28, before returning home to Wellington.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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