ADD Management and McLaren signs long-term deal with 13-year-old Nigerian-American

British motor racing team, McLaren announced its latest signing of 13-year-old racing wonderkid, Ugochukwu Ugo, on its website on Monday.

The company said it will work Ugochukwu through his development stages in the motorsport’s junior categories, and have the first option of the young racer’s services in future.

Ugochukwu was previously a member of the Sauber Karting Team, until ADD Management took over his representation last month. ADD Management also manages McLaren driver Lando Norris.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown said the company has been tracking Ugochukwu’s progress for a while and made the move to sign him up when the opportunity presented itself.

“We’ve been watching Ugo’s progress with interest. So when the opportunity to sign an agreement with him became available, we had no hesitation moving on it,” Brown said. Now we’ll focus on giving Ugo the right support when he needs it to help him fulfil his potential.”

Andreas Seidl, McLaren’s F1 team principal acknowledged Ugo’s undeniable talent, saying that his signing was an opportunity for the company to refocus its approach toward “identifying and supporting new talent, away from a formal young driver programme to a more tailored basis.”

The young racer has won races in Europe and in the United States. He said he is honored to have McLaren’s backing as he continues to learn and develop his talent.

“I’m honored to be signed by such an iconic team as McLaren Racing so early in my career,” Ugochukwu said. “To have the support of McLaren is fantastic and what any young driver dreams of. I’m focused right now on developing as a driver and racer, so having McLaren by my side can only help me on and off the track.”

He has so far won six titles in Kart racing since his 2013 debut. He is currently the 2020 FIA OKJ European championship winner.

Ugochukwu’s mother, a Nigerian model based in New York, took to her Instagram page to celebrate her son’s recent achievement.