Sport + Motorsport
Eighteen-year-old race driver Jacob Begg from Winton in Central Southland has received the opportunity of a lifetime as he heads to Europe to take up a testing and evaluation programme with Leipert Motorsport in a Lamborghini Super Trofeo Evo 2.
It all started with an email that was almost too good to be true to the point that Begg actually wondered if it was a scam. The 2025 New Zealand Formula Ford Rookie Champion had just secured a podium in the opening round of the 2026 championship at Teretonga Park in January when he arrived home to find an email from the German team.
A phone call was arranged and Jacob says, "they basically said we think you have a lot of potential and we would like to see if we can develop you to enable you to take the next step in your career. From there a package was put together for a testing and evaluation programme in Europe. The coolest thing for me was realising I was on the radar over there. Ever since I was a kid I dreamed of racing at a professional level."
Since the call Jacob says he has been working with his "amazing group of sponsors". "I am so lucky to have an amazing group of sponsors and supporters that are right by my side every step of the way. When I first talked about this opportunity with them, they were all so excited which was awesome. They have all become such a massive part of the operation because without them none of this would ever be possible."
The opportunity is "mind blowing", says Begg. "I'm only eighteen and you don't expect teams from Europe to be interested, especially a team that has been so successful and won so many races and championships over a long period of time. They could have gone to any driver in the world."
Since the deal was arranged Begg has had the opportunity to drive a Lamborghini Super Trofeo Evo at Taupo Motorsport Park. That was unrelated and came about after a casual conversation which led to him testing a car run by Prime Speed Sport.
"It was an absolutely unreal experience and one I will forever be grateful for. It was a massive step up in speed, technology and downforce. The laps were about learning as the Lamborghini requires a totally different technique and a very specific style." He had old tyres but Begg's first push laps produced an impressive time. "It was the first time I had ever driven a GT car and the team were impressed."
Jacob will now head off on the 21st August and will be in Europe until the end of November. "I will spend three months with the team. I will be living in Germany. I have two test days at Monza in Italy where I will be driving the car. I will continue to go to all of the rounds with the team throughout Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy and France. I will also be doing some simulator work with some of the team's Am drivers and even help out in the workshop through the week. We only have two weekends off in the time I am there. The team has outlined some goals for me and their pro-drivers will be a really good benchmark for me to compare myself against as they are some of the best in the world."
"It is an amazing opportunity for me to take the next step in my career. The ultimate goal is to get a few races with the team next year. The team are looking long term which is great but for an eighteen-year-old from Winton to be testing at Monza, the fastest track in the world, is something I never thought would happen and is something I am hugely looking forward to for sure."