Taupo’s Mark Gibson has taken out the top spot at the 2012 Elite MotorSport Academy which wrapped up today in Dunedin.

Gibson who achieved third overall in the 2011/12 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Championship, along with team-mates Matt Higham and Tom Alexander (Team PTG) also took out the academy’s top team result.

In the individual stakes, rising karting star Daniel Connor (Helensville) was second with current Formula First champion Matt Higham (Auckland) third.

The week-long programme, run by the MotorSport NZ Scholarship Trust has been operating since 2004; the conclusion of the 2012 programme has seen an amazing 82 competitors participate over the nine years – of that 56 have been race drivers, 23 rally and three Kartsport NZ competitors.

Run in conjunction with Excellence in Sport South Island and the School of Physical Education at Otago University, the nine candidates have spent the last week testing their mental and physical fitness beyond what any of the young racers would have experienced in the past.

Add to this lessons in media skills, sponsorship, nutrition and team building, the academy covers a wide range of disciplines which will help the graduates progress their racing careers.

The academy week is just the start of the process for the group – they all advance through to a graduate programme where they receive support from various service providers to ensure lessons learnt at the academy are followed through and capitalised on.

MotorSport NZ general manager, Brian Budd commented, “These youngsters come in at the start of the week not really knowing what lies ahead. After the initial shock to the system they soon realise how competitive the week is going to be and they get stuck into all the challenges.”

“Our congratulations go to Mark Gibson who won the academy this year with strong performances in all disciplines, achieving particularly well in media and sponsorship. His results at the academy will really help boost his racing career going forward and likewise all the graduates will reap the benefits of this fantastic programme.”