Esmee Hawkey has been named as one of the finalists for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior programme.
The final stage of the 2017/18 process will take place at Silverstone on Tuesday 31 October and Wednesday 1 November when five finalists will be put through a challenging assessment programme that takes place over a gruelling 24 hours.
Hawkey was selected along with four other rivals from a field of 40 international applicants and Porsche have said that the quality of the applicants as well as the quantity was high.
James MacNaughton, Motorsport Manager, Porsche Cars Great Britain, commented: “The number of applications we received from all around the world – almost double the number from 2015 – was incredible, and a testament to the position Porsche Carrera Cup GB enjoys in global sports car racing. However, it made it no easy task for us to select the 12 for interview, let alone the final five who will be joining us at Silverstone.
“The five finalists all have a very different range of motorsport experience, but at the interview stage we were exceptionally impressed by their achievements and enthusiasm for becoming part of the Porsche Motorsport pyramid. We’re very excited to see how they perform at the assessment and to watch them develop throughout the various stages of the day. There’s no doubt that we’re assessing five of the most determined and capable drivers.”
The focus of the assessment will be a programme of timed laps in the second generation of ‘Type 991’ Porsche 911 GT3 Cup around the Silverstone National circuit, all the while under the expert eyes of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB technical team. In order to determine potential as well as current ability, under scrutiny is more than just lap times. A core component of the test comprises data analysis, feedback and interaction with the engineers.
In addition, the five finalists will take on a several high-intensity fitness evaluation tests with the experts at Porsche Human Performance and participate in a media workshop with the TOCA race weekend team, all at the Porsche Experience Centre. The results from across every aspect will assist in finding the next Junior for the fastest single marque GT racing championship in the UK, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
The programme, formerly known as the Scholarship, now aligns in name as well as purpose with the career development opportunities provided internationally by Porsche for young drivers.
The purpose behind offering one of the largest prizes in UK motorsport is to identify and nurture young racing talent, and to support an entry into to the Porsche Motorsport pyramid.
Highlighting the opportunity provided by the international programmes for career development is the current roster of Porsche factory drivers – over half are former Juniors.
Hawkey has been racing in 2017 in the MSVR GT Cup championship where she has taken several GTA class wins in a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
Former Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholar Josh Webster (2014/15) and outgoing Scholar Charlie Eastwood (2016/17) both excelled during their time with the championship. Webster broke multiple records in 2014 on his way to becoming the youngest ever champion, and currently lies fourth in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Rookie standings. Eastwood took the Rookie title in his first season before claiming the overall title in his second. Both champions will be on hand to offer expert opinion and guidance throughout the selection process.
The other finalists are;
Jamie Caroline, a three-time British karting champion, who arrives as British F4 champion after just two years in single-seaters. George Gamble brings with him predominantly sports car experience, the 2014 Ginetta GT5 champion most recently completing the 2017 Ginetta GT4 Supercup season in third. Daniel Harper combined karting and quadbike titles with a spell in rallying to place second in the 2017 Ginetta Junior championship. And finally at just 16 years old, in 2017 Dean Macdonald moved to British GT4 as a multiple karting champion.
If Hawkey is successful against the tough opposition she will be able to race a full season of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB which partially supports the BTCC during several rounds. By Marc Waller
