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Agunbiade predicts Iroro will be Africa’s first Formula One champion

By Christian Okpara
14 April 2015   |   4:14 am
President of the Nigerian Automobile Sports Club, Abdul Agunbiade, believes young driver, Ovie Ross Iroro, can become Africa’s first Formula One champion is given the adequate support.
Formula one race cars-businessinsider

Formula one race cars-businessinsider

President of the Nigerian Automobile Sports Club, Abdul Agunbiade, believes young driver, Ovie Ross Iroro, can become Africa’s first Formula One champion is given the adequate support.

Iroro, a 21-year-old England-based Nigerian driver, is currently fighting to climb the ranks of motor racing, a sport he has shown tremendous aptitude in.

He was in Lagos yesterday for an enlightenment session with the press, where he solicited the support of corporate Nigeria and lovers of sports to his ambition of rivaling the likes of world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

Iroro who is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at University College London and is also active in the sport.

According to Agunbiade, Iroro, who is also a Mechanical Engineering student, would achieve his dream if Nigerians rallied behind him however they can, just as he pledged his association’s unflinching support to the boy.

“We, on our part, will push him as hard as we can to see him compete in international championships and expose him to the best races in the world,” Agunbiade said.

Speaking on his experience thus far, Iroro, who is the first Nigerian to compete in the British Formula Ford Championship, said he has set his sights on a higher level, adding that he has made a smooth transition into Single Seater racing cars as part of his plan to work his way towards the highest levels of Motorsport.

He also revealed that he aims to move to GP 3, GP 2 and ultimately Formula One as soon as possible.

Having represented Nigeria in South Africa in the Young Drivers Excellence Academy competition in 2012, Iroro said from experience, “motor racing is capital intensive. One needs money to take care of a lot of things.

“The challenge of training to be fit mentally and physically for competitions is enormous. One needs funding to hire the car, the tyres, among other things.”

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