Motorsport News

AWARD FINALISTS ARE REVEALED

Final 10 contenders chosen for refreshed AMABA prize

- By Kevinturne­r

The final 10 candidates for the 2019 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award have been selected.

The Award, which started in 1989, aims to find and assist the best junior British racing drivers. Aston Martin joined the Award this year and the prize for the

2019 winner includes £200,000 and a test drive with the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing F1 team.

Finalists have to be primarily competing in a category below

FIA Formula 3, and be 16 years old by the time of the Award tests at Silverston­e in October. They must also be under 24 at the start of the relevant year.

This year’s final 10 are Japanese F3 race winner Enaam Ahmed, Formula Regional Europe racer Olli Caldwell, W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, British F4 winners Louis Foster, Josh Skelton and Luke Browning, BRDC F3 frontrunne­rs Johnathan

Hoggard, Ayrton Simmons and Kiern Jewiss, and Euroformul­a Open race winner Billy Monger.

They will be invited to an event hosted by the Awards team, when the four finalists will be announced.

After two days of testing at Silverston­e, in a range of machinery including Motorsport Vision Formula 2 cars, a Ligier LMP3 sportscar and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 racers, the winner will be announced at the Autosport Awards on December 8.

The £200,000 prize for the winner is a new addition for this year.

Aston Martin president and

CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “As a British sportscar manufactur­er whose very roots are defined by its racing ethos, we consider it vital to underpin this country’s proud motorsport legacy by nurturing the talent that will keep us at the top for years to come. This is a large sum of money and it will make a demonstrab­le difference to the career of the right driver.”

 ?? Photos: LAT, Jakob Ebrey, Steve Jones ?? Aston Martin is now supporting award
Photos: LAT, Jakob Ebrey, Steve Jones Aston Martin is now supporting award

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