Hampshire based racing driver Ollie Hancock has been named as a British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star following four wins from the opening five races in the Formula Renault BARC championship.

The 20-year-old, who only started racing modern single seaters in 2007, has dominated the junior formula this year and currently leads the championship by 17 points having taken a maximum score, for the win and fastest lap, in the last four races.

The BRDC Rising Star scheme opens the door to the prestigious British Racing Drivers’ Club to young racers and is an invitation only programme for a selection of the most talented up and coming racing drivers in the UK.

A delighted Ollie said: “This is a very big honour for me and to say I am happy would be a massive understatement. The BRDC is a hugely respected organisation, not just in the UK, but worldwide, so not only does their invitation to the Rising Stars initiative show that my results this season are being recognised, it also opens up many opportunities for me within the sport.”

BRDC Secretary Stuart Pringle said: “We’ve been very impressed with Ollie’s performances this season and are confident he has the potential to be a very successful racing driver in the future. We believe that by making him a Rising Star we can help that process and we look forward to welcoming him as a full BRDC member in due course.”

Hancock will be hoping to celebrate his selection with another race win when he returns to Formula Renault BARC championship action at Croft on 19-20 July.