Italian tyre firm Pirelli is hosting an exciting Facebook promotion, with a prize drive in the MINI Challenge round at Brands Hatch in September up for grabs.

To stand a chance of becoming a racing driver and winning the drive, all people have to do is visit Pirelli’s UK Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PirelliUK) and click on the dedicated ‘Are you race worthy?’ app.

From there, the process is very straightforward: competition entrants have to upload up to five photos, each with a caption that explains why they are race worthy. Entries received up to now can be viewed on the app gallery.

A panel of experts, including social media and motorsport professionals, will select the top 10 entries to go through to a shoot-out at Thruxton circuit on July 18, where finalists will be put through a series of exercises designed to test race craft and car control. The same panel of experts will then finally choose a winner to race at Brands Hatch, based on the driving potential they see on the day.

No previous race experience is needed: the winner will be put through an ARDS test that will enable them to obtain their racing licence prior to the MINI Challenge weekend that takes place at Brands Hatch from 13-14 September. All the winner has to do is arrive and drive – everything else is taken care of.

The MINI Challenge is exclusively supplied by Pirelli and has firmly established itself as one of the most prestigious one-make championships in the UK. The championship is powered by 1.6-litre turbo engines, just like Formula One – Pirelli’s premier motorsport engagement – but perhaps not quite as powerful…

Pirelli UK Motorsport Operations Manager Matthew Corby commented: “The MINI Challenge features very close racing with cars that are easy to drive, thanks also to the grip offered from our bespoke racing tyres. Above all it’s really good fun with a great and very friendly atmosphere. Becoming a racing driver is a dream for many people, so we’re delighted to help make that dream a reality for somebody very soon. The Facebook competition has proved to be hugely popular already and from what we can see so far, getting down to 10 finalists is going to be a tricky process. From there, it will just be down to driving talent to make the difference!”

The Pirelli Facebook competition closes on July 8.