For years Nigerians have been obsessed with motorsport, with
a growing community of millions of fans from around the country. The most
dedicated fans fly out to places like Abu Dhabi to watch the likes of Sebastian
Vettel and Lewis Hamilton battle out on track, with many more watching
tentatively from back home.
There is also a thriving community of enthusiasts who
organise and take part in unofficial racing events around Nigeria which is most
evident in places like Lagos and Abuja.
Until very recently, there hasn’t been any Nigerian
participation in professional motorsport. There are many talented young
Nigerians who have achieved impressive results in Go Karting but are left
unable to progress due to a lack of infrastructure and funding for motorsport
in Nigeria.
However there is an exciting young emerging talent currently
racing in the United Kingdom - Ovie Iroro. He started his motorsport journey
here in Lagos, where he won the first ever Go Karting championship he entered
in at the age of 16. He later moved to the United Kingdom where he studied full
time along with pursuing his racing career. He also gained further Go Karting
experience by competing in the Rye House club championship and winning the
award for the top rookie.
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In 2012 he signed up with a Formula Renault team, where he
took part in a successful training program over a few months as his first taste
into F1 style single seater racing.
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In 2014, history was made when he signed up to be the first
Nigerian to ever compete in the British Formula Ford Championship, which is the
same place the likes of Jenson Button and the great Ayrton Senna started their
car racing careers. He achieved impressive results in his debut season,
including top 10 class finishes and is currently undergoing a training program
for a full on assault for the championship next season.
Later on in 2014, he was invited to represent Nigeria in the
FIA Young Driver Excellence Programme, competing against drivers from all over
Africa.
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Since then, Ovie has been training regularly while
completing his Mechanical Engineering degree at University College, London. He
has set his sights on a championship challenge next season which he is
currently training for.
Over the next few weeks, Ovie will be giving us
a valuable insight into the life of a racing driver, including his fitness and
training regime. This would include quality advice for young drivers and
engineers that would like career in motorsport. We would also be discussing the
future plans for motorsport in Nigeria and revealing ongoing plans to organise
International motorsport events in Nigeria
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