Scottish youngster Ciaran Haggerty will compete in the 2015 Duo BRDC Formula 4 Championship as part of the Ecurie Ecosse Young Driver Initiative, with mentoring and support from three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti. The 18-year-old will contest the series with an outfit combining the expertise of the famed British GT squad Ecurie Ecosse and Scottish single-seater team Graham Brunton Racing (GBR).

Haggerty graduates to the BRDC Formula 4 Championship having claimed the Scottish Formula Ford 1600 title in impressive fashion last year with GBR, taking 11 consecutive victories to end the season. He made his motorsport debut in national karting events at 10-years of age before moving into the Scottish FF1600 Championship in 2013. He immediately impressed and finished the year third in the overall standings which captured the attention of four-time IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti.

The Ecurie Ecosse Young Driver Initiative has been set up to nurture home-grown talent and enable young Scottish racing drivers to progress from karts to single-seater racing. It brings together a number of famous names in Scottish motorsport including Hugh McCaig and John Clark, patrons of the Ecurie Ecosse team, junior single-seater expert Graham Brunton, three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Allan McNish and Franchitti. The programme aims to ensure Scotland continues to produce talented and successful racing drivers, following in the footsteps of Formula One World Champions Jim Clark and Sir Jackie Stewart.

Haggerty is joined in the Ecurie Ecosse Young Driver Initiative by 17-year-old Adam MacKay, who will race in this year’s Scottish FF1600 Championship.

Ciaran Haggerty said: “I’m really honoured to be chosen as an Ecurie Ecosse young driver. To be part of a team with so much history being it is very special. I’m really looking forward to the challenges this year. It will be my first year driving with aerodynamics so that is something I will have to get used to, along with left foot braking. Although the BRDC Formula 4 car is an entirely new machine for me I will be working my hardest to fight right at the front.”

Graham Brunton, Team Principal of Graham Brunton Racing, said: “I am very excited to be taking part in a national racing series again, particularly one as competitive as the BRDC Formula 4 Championship. It is fantastic to be working with and enjoy the support of Ecurie Ecosse and Dario Franchitti, a team and driver with a huge motorsport pedigree.”