Sports scholarships are typically reserved for the young and aspiring.
But 51-year-old Robert Hill proves it’s never too late to have your sporting ambitions taken seriously.
The Mission Bay resident has won a BMW race driver scholarship after coming out on top of 14 potential candidates.
Hill gets exclusive use of a BMW E30 race car for the 2015/2016 Castrol BMW Race Driver Series.
The award package also includes a race engineer, tyres, brakes and lubricant.
The IT manager says having the opportunity to race competitively is something he’s worked towards for the last 20 years.
After training at prestigious driving schools in the UK, Hill says he was left with “the bug to compete” but could never afford it.
“I am at a stage where I can afford the time now that my children have grown up.”
The scholarship is typically aimed at younger drivers with last year’s winner being 25.
However the BMW racing series is unique in that it attracts a broad range of ages.
“A lot of motor racing is aimed at the very young and upcoming elite racers but this series opens the door to a wide range of people,” Hill says.
To achieve the scholarship Hill was tested against other candidates at Waikato motorsport venue Hampton Downs.
The candidates were scored on their physical abilities and driving skills as well as media proficiency.
“Part of the assessment was a fitness beep test, which I won, so it goes to show that if you keep fit you can still compete against the younger drivers,” Hill says.
His next aim is to receive the Rookie of the Year award, a feat which was accomplished by the previous scholarship winner.
The Castrol BMW Race Driver series is contested over six rounds from September to April at tracks around the North Island.
