Motorsport UK Academy quartet selected for prestigious Aston Martin BRDC Autosport award
Three current members and one graduate of the Motorsport UK Academy have been named as 2022 finalists of the prestigious Aston Martin BRDC Autosport Award.
Current Team UK members Jamie Chadwick, Ollie Bearman and Louis Foster have all been chosen, along with former DiSE and Team UK Futures athlete Luke Browning, to take part in the final assessments and two-day on-track shootout at Silverstone.
At Silverstone they will be tested in a range of machinery including an MSV-spec Formula 2 car, a United Autosports-run Ligier LMP3 and one of Beechdean Motorsport’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 challengers.
At stake for the winner is a test in an Aston Martin Formula 1 car plus £200,000, full membership of the BRDC and an Arai crash helmet. They will also join an illustrious list of previous winners, including Jenson Button, David Coulthard, Lando Norris, George Russell, Dario Franchitti and Anthony Davidson, among others.
“So many current and former members of the Motorsport UK Academy were longlisted for this prestigious award, and we’re delighted four have gone through to the final shootout,” said Katie Baldwin, Competitors Pathway Manager at Motorsport UK.
“Jamie, Ollie, Luke, and Louis are just four excellent examples of the talent we have in the UK, and at each step on our elite performance pathway. They’re all deserving winners and have enjoyed great success on-track this year in their respective championships.
“We all wish them the very best of luck and look forward to seeing the result.”
Chadwick has excelled so far in pursuit of a third straight W Series crown, winning five of the six races to-date in 2022. The 24-year-old has over twice the points of nearest rival Alice Powell, and could mathematically wrap up the crown in Singapore later this month.
For Bearman, his first campaign in FIA Formula 3 has been a huge success, the 16-year-old missing out narrowly on the title at the first attempt, fresh from Formula 4. Despite just a single win at Spa, the Brit was rarely outside the top three all season, finishing just seven points shy of eventual champion Victor Martins.
Moving his life across the pond to the USA has suited Foster down to the ground. The former British F4 and GB3 racer won the highly competitive IndyPro 2000 category at the first attempt, and has already announced a bumper move to Indy Lights with Andretti for 2023.
And Browning is the current points leader in the GB3 Championship. Consistency has been the key for the Cheshire-based racer, with five victories supported by a further six podiums to give him a 16.5-point lead over Joel Granfors heading to the Donington Park finale.
Following the final, the winner will be announced at the annual Autosport Awards in December.