The FIA Institute has boosted its Young Driver Excellence program for 2012, offering 18 places on its global training scheme.
Twelve drivers were selected for this year's pilot program, but such has been the success of the current drivers, the Institute has elected to add a further six spaces to the 2012 program. Applications for year two open today, with the first training scheme planned for December.
Next year's training sessions, again led by Alex Wurz and Robert Reid, will move outside of Europe for the first time.
The 18 drivers will be made up of at least three from the Americas; western/northern Europe; central/eastern Europe; Middle East/Africa and Asia/Oceania. As with this year, the primary goals of the six workshops are to increase driver skills and road safety; promote principles of safety, fairness and responsibility in the sport and to prepare young drivers for the top levels of motorsports.