The Motorsport UK Academy is pleased to announce the drivers who have been awarded a place on the Enhanced Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) programme for the 2023 / 2024 academic year, due to start in September.

Delivered in collaboration with Loughborough College, the Enhanced DiSE programme gives talented young drivers and co-drivers, who are serious about a career in motorsport, the opportunity to gain academic qualifications while competing.

In 2022, a BTEC Level 3 in Esports was introduced in the suite of qualifications. This provides an opportunity to put technical and tactical theory and learnings into practice, while ensuring transferability of performance principles between digital and real-world driving.

Starting the DiSE in this academic year will be 18 new talents. The new cohort is drawn from a range of series including the BKC, BRSCC Fiesta Junior, Ginettas, BTRDA Junior Rally Cross, JSCC and the Junior 1000 Ecosse Rally Championship.

Twenty drivers will continue into the second year of the course, including Deagen Fairclough, who is currently third in British F4, Girls on Track UK Ambassador and F1 Academy contender Chloe Grant and Will Ovenden who leads the 5 Nations UK Junior Rallycross championship.

Katie Baldwin, Competitors Pathway Manager, commented: “Yet again we have had another year of high-quality applications and I would like to congratulate the new cohort of drivers on their selection for the Enhanced DiSE programme. We are looking forward to supporting this group of young talent to reach their full sporting potential, whilst also ensuring they receive bespoke education tailored to their needs.”

Class of 2023/24 (Year 1)

• Alfie Davies
• Archie Johnson
• Ben Crossley
• Callum Davies
• Ceol Lynch
• Declan Russell
• Ewan Thomas
• Gracie Mitchell
• Harry Smith
• Jack James
• Leo Brown
• Lexie Belk
• Lucas Hayden
• Michael Porter
• Oskar Dix
• Ruan Lowry
• Sonny Smith
• Spencer Brougham

Year 2

• Aaron Walker
• Albert Webster
• Chloe Grant
• Connor Clifford
• CJ Morgan
• Deagen Fairclough
• Loui Hounsell
• Donovan Dyer
• Ethian Symonds
• Harri Reynolds
• Harry Hickton
• Liam McNeilly
• Liona Theobald
• Oliver Cottam
• Olivier Algieri
• Ronnie Smith
• Samuel Gornall
• Seb Hopkins
• Sid Smith
• Will Ovenden