Penrose top of the class

James Penrose has won the Ian Snellgrove trophy after topping the points table for the 2021 Elite Motorsport Academy. 

The Christchurch racer, who also won the academy camp last July, continued his form during the subsequent 12-month development programme to scoop the overall academy honours.

Penrose, pictured, was one of eight recent graduates of the academy that is administered by the MotorSport New Zealand Scholarship Trust.

The scheme begins with a week at the Otago Academy of Sport in Dunedin where participants learn about the “off-track” elements involved in a motorsport career such as nutrition, fitness, media, marketing, sponsorship, data analysis and more. 

At the end of the camp, a winner is determined based on performance during the week.

Participants then complete a 12-month follow-up programme tailored to them where they are assessed on their progress and performance to determine the overall academy winner. 

Penrose, a former NZ Formula Ford Champion, described his academy success as a “huge achievement” and he looks forward to putting what he has learnt into practice.

“The academy is world-renowned, and I know there are a lot of motorsport competitors all over the globe that would love to be able to go through this programme,” he explains. 

“Everything I’ve learnt is incredibly valuable and has helped make me a more well-rounded driver.”

Wayne Christie, MotorSport New Zealand’s president, says the class of 2021 was one of the most competitive and high calibre he has seen on the programme.

“After not being able to hold the academy in 2020, there was a lot of pent-up excitement for the 2021 edition and it did not disappoint,” he adds.

“We had an incredibly high level of talent amongst the graduates which made for some extremely close competition.”