Oxfordshire motor racing team SWR has announced its first driver signing for the inaugural BRDC Formula 4 Championship season, highly rated teenage prodigy Matty Grahamthe 2011 CIK-FIA Under 18 World Karting Champion.The 16-year-old, who lives in Edmundbyers, County Durham, has become one of the UKs premier talents in recent years and in addition to claiming his famous World Championship success a couple of years ago, Graham was also the 2010 CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Karting Champion.Chipping Norton-based SWR, which is headed by European Formula 3 Open racer Sean Walkinshaw, is thrilled to have secured the signature of such a well-regarded star of the sport and is confident he will be one of the stand-out performers in his maiden season in slicks and wings single-seaters.Its fantastic to welcome Matty to the team, his pedigree from karting speaks for itself and were absolutely delighted hes chosen to begin his car racing career with SWR, said Walkinshaw, Its a very exciting time for the team, but we know there is going to be plenty of hard work ahead and a lot of competition in BRDC Formula 4 this year.Matty will be up against some very experienced drivers this year, and it wont be easy. We feel confident though, from what weve seen from him during his first test with us in the F4 car, he has what it takes to be a very quick driver and will undoubtedly progress well throughout the season.Grahams motor racing career began at the tender age of 10-years-old and after quickly proving his raw talent in club-level British karting, the youngster was selected to represent England in the Inter-Nations Challenge. Graduating into the ranks of the Stars of Tomorrow [now Formula Kart Stars] and Super 1, Graham won the 2008 London Cup before becoming the 2009 WTP British Cadet Champion.After finishing third in the Formula Kart Stars KF3 category, he ventured into European and World Championship level karting where he enjoyed huge successculminating in the aforementioned CIK-FIA Under 18 World Championship victory in 2011.Im really looking forward to racing in Formula 4, weve been aiming to move into cars for a year or so, said the former Ponteland High School pupil, I always love a challenge, so cant wait to get out there testing properly before the start of the season. Its going to be tough, especially being my first year in cars, but with a great team like SWR to learn from Im sure itll be a strong first season.SWR certainly plans to hit the ground running in its first season of competitive action and has assembled a vastly experienced team of engineers, mechanics and commercial staff, many of whom having worked with the originaland massively successfulTWR operation which was established by Seans late, great father Tom Walkinshaw.Team principal Ken Page, who was a key member of TWR, is joined by commercial manager Mick Gommeformerly of Jordan Grand Prix and Force India in Formula Oneand Brendan Gribben, a chief designer at TWR and, more recently, an engineer in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. The team also counts reigning British Formula 3 International Series Champion Jack Harvey as its driver coach.Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, SWRs home venue, will host the opening three rounds of the 2013 BRDC Formula 4 Championship over the weekend 27th/28th April. The season will reach its conclusion some five months later at Donington Park in the East Midlands on 28th/29th September.Throughout the year, BRDC Formula 4 will benefit from television coverage on Freeview, cable and digital satellite platforms with highlights shows to be screened on ITV4, ITV4 HD and Motors TV.