Teenage F4 driver and former New College Stamford student Teddy Wilson shortlisted for career-defining Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.
Seventeen-year-old Rutland racer Teddy Wilson has been shortlisted for the highly prestigious Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award (AMABA). The announcement was made in Autosport magazine last week, however his chances of selection could be weakened, unless he can find more sponsors and partners to help him finish his season in the F4 US Championship.
“I was astonished but thrilled to see the announcement that I had been shortlisted. I really had no idea. It is the biggest opportunity for any young aspiring racing driver and I am excited to be in with a chance of selection for the shootout,” explains Teddy, “However, right now, my chances of finishing my season in the F4 US Championship are in jeopardy, despite having started well and won the opening race. I still can’t find the additional support or sponsors to enable me to commit to the full season. This could have a detrimental effect as the four finalists will be nominated by Autosport readers, so my ongoing performance is all important.”
This year Aston Martin became the new partner for the longstanding and career-defining programme to promote young British racing talent. Alongside the British Racing Drivers’ Club and Autosport, part of the Motorsport Network, Aston Martin will contribute significantly to the largest and most important single prize awarded to a young rising star of UK citizenship in the history of the Award.
The 2019 winner of the AMABA will receive a test in an Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Formula 1TM car at Silverstone as well as a run in an FIA World Endurance Championship Aston Martin Vantage GTE challenger, while the Award also has an overall £200,000 prize fund.
The Award winner will come from four finalists, selected from nominations made by the readers of the world-renowned Autosport media platforms as the most promising young British talents competing below FIA-spec Formula 3 or equivalent. These finalists are put through a stringent examination, including fitness and simulator assessments at the Red Bull Racing headquarters, and culminating in a two-day shoot-out at Silverstone. The winner will be decided by a select panel of judges, headed by 1992 World Sportscar Champion, BRDC Vice President and Chairman of the
Judges Derek Warwick and including Aston Martin works driver and three-time Le Mans 24 Hours class winner Darren Turner.
The winner’s identity will then be revealed at the gala Autosport Awards ceremony on the second weekend of December.
The Award, in its 31st year, has produced a Formula 1 world champion (Jenson Button) and two multiple grand prix winners (Button and David Coulthard), an Indianapolis 500 winner and multiple IndyCar champion (Dario Franchitti) and several Le Mans 24 Hours class winners including Aston Martin’s Darren Turner, who won the accolade in 1996. Two of the Award’s recent winners, George Russell (2014) and Lando Norris (2016) made their F1 TM debuts this season.
Teddy, who lives in South Luffenham, Rutland, and attends Loughborough College, is currently fifth in 2019 F4 US Championship standings after Round 2, having won the opening round in April and was seventh in the overall F4 US Championship series last year from 51 drivers. In 2018, as a rookie in his first year of car racing, Teddy scored eight podium finishes as well as fastest lap and pole position awards. He is hoping to secure the scholarship for F3 Americas that rewards the winner. The prize fund could significantly aid the continuation of his racing career, due to the high costs involved. This and the US Road to Indy racecar driver development program provide scholarship-funded paths in America to progress in motorsport. There are no such schemes available in the UK or Europe for emerging drivers, hence Teddy’s decision to race in America.
“My racing offers an exciting opportunity for companies or individuals to get involved at grass roots level and be part of a thrilling journey up the motorsport ladder as I strive for success, said Teddy.
The third round takes place at Virginia International Race Complex from July 26-28, 2019. However, Teddy still needs more funding to attend and has launched his ‘Go Racing With Teddy’ racing simulator opportunity for businesses large and small. For more details please visit his website www.teddywilsonracing.comor email teddywilsonracing@gmail.com.
*Photo credit:Andrew James Media.
