Developing and evaluating young driving talent is a key feature for Porsche as they recently held the first Porsche Motorsport North America Young Driver Academy at the Porsche Sport Driving School at Barber Motorsports Park (Birmingham, AL) for four up-and-coming drivers.

Sean Johnston (2012 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge champion), Cooper MacNeil (2012 ALMS GT Challenge champion), Kyle Marcelli (2012 IMSA GT3 Cup Canada – most wins), and Spencer Pigot (2012 USF2000 series – most wins) were chosen to participate in the program using the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car – the racecar used in the Porsche one make championships worldwide.

“This was a great way for Porsche to find and evaluate young talent as well as to show appreciation for the drivers’ hard work, dedication and success in 2012,” said Jens Walther, president of Porsche Motorsport North America, Inc. “The two-day program not only gave us a good insight into the potential for these drivers, but was designed to help make them more professional.”

The Porsche Motorsport North America Young Driver Academy was made possible by program partners Michelin, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), and host Porsche Sport Driving School (PSDS).

On hand to help with the program was American Le Mans Series multi-champion, Patrick Long, Hurley Haywood (America’s most decorated endurance champion) and other motorsports standouts.