Getspeed Hunt for New Young Talent
GetSpeed has been on the hunt for up-and-coming stars at the Mercedes-AMG Young Driver Test in Valencia. The testing programme is set to roll out next week, with a busy four-day stint on the cards. Thursday and Friday will see the young talent take the wheel for the Mercedes-AMG Young Driver Test, with GetSpeed fielding three Mercedes-AMG GT3s. Across these four days, nine drivers will get a chance to prove their mettle.
"Year after year, the Mercedes-AMG Young Driver Test offers a brilliant platform for budding racers aiming to cut their teeth in the successful GT3 scene," notes team boss Adam Osieka. "This year, we've got a diverse group gearing up to go full throttle. They'll be under the tutelage of our coach and benchmark driver, Fabian Schiller, for four solid days. We're looking to deepen ties with some, while I'm particularly keen to see how the newbies fare."
James Wallis, Aaron Walker, and Conrad Laursen are the 'official' drivers for the test. Two of them have already raced with GetSpeed this year. Walker, the Brit, has spent the season in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and selected races in the International GT Open, notably clinching third in the overall rankings at Monza alongside fellow countryman Wallis. Laursen, the 17-year-old Dane, has transitioned from karting and Formula 4 into motorsports. His 2023 stint in the Asian Le Mans Series has been his intro to GT3 racing, and Valencia will mark his first outing in a GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3.
James Kell, despite being only 26, is a seasoned campaigner in GT racing. Over the last two years, he's been a fixture in the British GT Championship behind the wheel of a GT3 beast and has been a force in various GT4 championships since 2019. In Valencia, Kell is gearing up for an extensive testing run in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Alongside these rising stars, GetSpeed's seasoned pros—Anthony Bartone from the States, Oman's Al Faisal Al Zubair, and Steve Jans from Luxembourg—will be testing in Spain. Martin Konrad is set to make his debut in the GetSpeed Mercedes, following a winter collaboration with the team from Nürburgring's business park in both the Asian Le Mans Series and the Hankook 24H Dubai. Alongside team boss Osieka, Konrad has notably clinched a win in the Pro-Am category at the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa.
