On the eve of the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship evaluation, Ben Hetherington, the 2011 Scholarship winner reflected on his first season in the Carrera Cup and his first visit to the overall podium in the final race of the season at Silverstone.“It’s been a very tough year and a bit of a roller coaster,” said the 19-year old racer from Hulme Walfield in Cheshire. “The Carrera Cup is so competitive that you can’t afford to be off the mark at all. To finish the final race at Silverstone on the podium was just amazing.”Hetherington says that winning the Scholarship was a massive boost in his bid to make a career as a professional sports and GT racer. “It’s a superb scheme that is bringing young talent through into a very professional and competitive championship. I’ve learnt so much this year and the podium at Silverstone shows just how much I’ve learnt.”Already, Hetherington is planning to return in 2012 for a second season in the Carrera Cup GB. He has raced with Redline Racing alongside championship one-two James Sutton and Michael Meadows and Ben says that the elevation of 2010 Scholarship winner Meadows into a race winner and title contender this season is a clear pointer.“Michael has demonstrated the benefit of winning the Scholarship and then doing a second year in the Carrera Cup,” said Hetherington. “This is definitely a two-year programme for me. I look forward to putting all that I’ve learnt into practice next year. You’ll now arrive at a circuit in your second year and know just what to do.”The four drivers selected as finalists for the 2012 Carrera Cup GB Scholarship are Jody Fannin, Tom Ingram, Daniel Lloyd and Ollie Milroy. They will undergo an evaluation process at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone on Monday (31 October), including driving the latest 450bhp 911GT3 Cup car on the Silverstone National circuit.