Harper-Ellam shoots his way to place on the grid

Ryan Harper-Ellam, the inaugural Radical SR1 Cup Shootout winner

The 19-year-old from Brackley won the inaugural SR1 Shoot-out to seal his spot.

The former multiple Junior TKM karting race winner and BRSCC Formula Jedi podium finisher beat 49 fellow contestants to one of the biggest prizes in British motorsport worth over £45,000. Harper-Ellam will drive the Radical Works Team’s second generation 175bhp Radical SR1 sports prototype in the six round 12 race 2018 SR1 Cup championship.

He will also become a brand ambassador for the leading British manufacturer whose single-make racing series run on four continents.

Radical introduced the SR1 Cup Shoot-out for the first time this year in search of a new generation of brand ambassadors, as part of the planned expansion of the SR1 Cup. For 2018, the UK championship will be open to all non-professional senior MSA race licence holders, providing the perfect, affordable entry-level platform into prototype sportscar racing.

The initiative attracted a vast range of drivers of all ages and abilities, from karting graduates and rookie circuit racers to established LMP3 campaigners.

Each contestant was put through an intensive five-step evaluation process by an industry leading panel of judges at Rockingham.

Harper-Ellam said: “I’ve worked so hard for so long to get back on the race track and now everything finally seems to be coming together.

“As an ARDS instructor I’m used to driving different cars but I’d never driven the entry-level Radical SR1 before and didn’t know what to expect. The power and performance took me by surprise, it was a lot of fun and I can’t wait for winter to be over so I can start testing!

“To win the Shoot-out and work with a world-leading British manufacturer is an amazing opportunity. I’d love the chance to climb the Radical racing ladder.”