Motorsport UK has confirmed a new cohort of young athletes for the 2026 Motorsport UK Academy, a talent pathway providing the UK’s future motorsport stars opportunities to learn, develop and thrive.
The programme has been refined for 2026 to give a sharper focus on developing world-class UK athletes, strengthening the country’s tradition of international success including Motorsport UK Academy graduates Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls F1), Luke Browning (Williams F1 reserve driver), Ben Green (GT3) and Abbi Pulling (2024 F1 Academy champion). To achieve this aim, the programme zones in on the three key elite sporting disciplines of race, kart and rally for those competing at national level. In addition there is higher level of bespoke development for those competing on an international stage. A total of 35 athletes have been chosen across the four categories.
The Motorsport UK Academy is designed to provide assistance for athletes to achieve their potential, regardless of their background. Reflecting the growing trend towards greater diversity in the sport, the 2026 intake has also increased female representation compared to previous years.
The academy recognises three core elements in driver success; technical skills, holistic athlete development and high-performance values. The programme is provided to each athlete free of charge and gives access to industry experts, performance coaches and partners to develop and support them to achieve their full potential.
Each academy programme lasts one year and is designed to provide holistic development and covers psychology, nutrition, social media, physical preparation, engineering, commercial including sponsorship, management and industry insights.
Race Academy
Delivered in partnership with iZone Driver Performance, drivers aged 15-24 receive hands on coaching designed to improve consistency and technical skills with state-of-the-art facilities and expertise. This is coupled with practical sport psychology delivery to give drivers the training required to excel on track.
In 2026, seven drivers will join the programme: Alfie Briggs, Archie Johnson, Ewan Thomas, Jenson O’Neill-Going, Megan Bruce, Rachel Robertson and Teddie Macpherson.
Kart Academy – new for 2026
Designed for 12-16-year-olds currently competing in karting, the programme includes discipline-specific workshops, online events, 1:1 support and specialist practitioner workshops.
This year seven drivers have been chosen for the programme: Finlay Lines, Harrison Whitticombe, Jorge Edgar, Kian Burnard, Lizzie Mentier, Maayan Patel and Sukhmani Khera.
Rally Academy – new for 2026
Now combining support for both talented drivers and co-drivers aged between 15-28 currently competing in rallying, the programme is provided in partnership with World Rally Championship (WRC) Team, M-Sport. It provides technical development sessions in writing pace notes, practicing recces and creating service schedules. It also develops skills in media management, fitness and sport psychology.
A total of ten athletes have been chosen for 2026: Alfie Element, Ben Hearsey, Charles Tuthill, Charlie Mathewson, Chloe Thomas, Izzie Holman, Lucie Gutteridge, Oliver Waggett, Rhys Griffin and Sven Grube.
High Performance Academy
The High Performance Academy supports the top performing drivers in the UK competing at the highest levels of competition within their chosen disciplines. This bespoke one-to-one development performance programme is designed to complement competition at the sport’s top levels and is a combination of tailored coaching, support and guidance.
For 2026, 11 drivers will take part in the programme: Adam Smalley (Race), Alisha Palmowski (Race), Callum Voisin (Race), Cameron Fair (Rally Co-Driver), Ella Lloyd (Race), Ioan Lloyd (Rally), John Bennett (Race), Jonny Edgar (Race), Max McRae (Rally), Patrick O’Donovan (Rallycross) and Sion Williams (Rally Co-Driver).
Applicants interested in the 2027 Motorsport UK Academy cohort will be able to apply later this year.
Follow the 2026 cohort via our Instagram channel here