McLaren signed
Ugo Ugochukwu, a 13-year old son of the famous Nigerian Super model Oluchi
Onweagba to a long term agreement.
McLaren, a British Motor Raving Team, has signed Ugo Ugochukwu, a
13-year old son of famous Nigerian model Oluchi Onweagba, to a long term deal.
This
was disclosed by McLaren via its Twitter handle on Monday.
The FIA European Karting champion was signed at the same age as the famous
Lewis Hamilton.
Team
Principal, Andreas Seidl explained how McLaren will continue to identify and
sign young talent such as Ugochukwu.
He
said: “This signing reflects our refocused approach to identifying and
supporting new talent, away from a formal young driver programme to a more
tailored basis
“Ugo is a promising young talent with strong development
prospects. While he is still early in his career, it is clear he has the
ingredients to be successful in the sport.”
McLaren’s
Chief Executive Officer, Zak Brown gave an insight into how long the team have
been watching Ugochukwu’s progress in prestigious karting competitions such as
the FIA’s European Championship, and the Challenge of the Americas Junior
Championship that he won in 2018.
He
said, “We’ve been watching Ugo’s progress with interest, so when the
opportunity to sign an agreement with him became available, we had no
hesitation moving on it. Now we’ll focus on giving Ugo the right support when
he needs it to help him fulfil his potential.”
Ugochukwu,
who began his karting career in New York State in 2013, said: “I’m
honoured to be signed by such an iconic team as McLaren Racing so early in my
career. To have the support of McLaren is fantastic and what any young driver
dreams of. I’m focused right now on developing as a driver and racer, so having
McLaren by my side can only help me on and off the track.”
Meanwhile,
the Director-General, Nigerians in Diaspora, Abike Dabiri, has congratulated
the young talent via her Twitter handle on Monday.
She tweeted, “Congrats
to 13-year old Ugo Ugochukwu, son of Super model Oluchi Onweagba as he becomes
the first Nigerian to win a world karting championship, and get signed by
McLaren to race in Formula 1 when he grows older.”
What you should know
·
Ugochukwu, who has been described as a “revelation” by McLaren,
was victorious in the 2020 FIA OKJ European Champoinship and has also won
various national and international karting accolades in his native USA and in
Europe.
·
The Working team have a history of picking rising stars, with
Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen, Stoffel Vandoorne and Lando Norris all alumni of
their “tailored” young driver programme.
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