The four finalists in contention for the Motorsport UK Academy 2023 Young Driver of the Year award have been announced ahead of the shootout on Tuesday 4 July at iZone Driver Performance.

Each year, standout second-year students are shortlisted for the award, which recognises sporting excellence as well as academic performance, along with attainment, effort and overall engagement.

George Davis (Citroen C1 Endurance Series), Marcus Littlewood (Wera Tools British Kart Championships Senior X30), Jack Meakin (Britcar Trophy) and Will Orton (JCW Mini Challenge) will be observed by a judging panel as they present what they have learnt from their time on the Motorsport UK Academy Enhanced DiSE programme.

The Enhanced DiSE (Diploma in Sporting Excellence) programme is delivered in collaboration with Loughborough College and is a bespoke, two-year sporting excellence and motor vehicle education course designed to support talented drivers and co-drivers through both the sporting and academic pathway. The quartet will undertake physical fitness testing, eye tracking, distraction tasks and driving skill assessments on Silverstone-based iZone’s three state-of-the art GT and single-seater simulators.

They’ll also be interviewed by a member of the experienced judging panel to assess their long-term aspirations and their technical and tactical understanding, before conducting a presentation about what they’ve learned so far to the entire panel.

“Congratulations to George, Marcus, Jack and Will on being nominated for this years’ Young Driver of the Year award,” commented Katie Baldwin, Competitors Pathway Manager at Motorsport UK. “All four have shown dedication to their development as a driver over the past two years that they have been a part of the Enhanced DiSE programme and we’re looking forward to seeing how they continue to progress within the sport in the future.”

The winner will receive a trophy at the 2024 Night of Champions, presented by Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers, as well as a comprehensive package including training and development with iZone Driver Performance and a place as a guest judge in next year’s Young Driver of the Year award.

More information about the programme can be found here.

The Finalists

George Davis moved from National Ministox short-oval racing to circuits with the BRSCC Ford Fiesta Junior championship before his current season in the Citroen C1 Endurance Series. He has a best result of eighth so far in the multi-driver series, which came at Oulton Park in April.

Marcus Littlewood currently lies fourth in the Wera Tools British Kart Championships Senior X30 category, with a best race result of fourth at round two (Glan Y Gors) in June.

Jack Meakin has won three of the six races so far in Britcar Trophy’s Clio class in the car he shares with Rhys Lloyd. They are currently third in the overall standings with two rounds remaining.

Will Orton is in his rookie JCW Mini Challenge campaign but that hasn’t stopped him from taking three overall wins on the way to his current points position of second – a double DNF at Snetterton being the only disruption to his charge so far.

Daryl DeLeon Taylor was also shortlisted as a finalist but is sadly unable to take part due to a scheduling conflict. The Filipino/British driver won last year’s Radical Cup UK SR1 category and capped off the season with victory at the brand’s World Finals event in Las Vegas. He’s returned to Radicals in 2023, this time in the top class, alongside a British Endurance Championship campaign.