TEENAGER Daniella Sutton continues to make the headlines with her driving prowess.

It was only earlier this month the 15-year-old St Gregory’s High School student was receiving awards for her 2023 karting successes, and now she has secured for herself an incredible new opportunity for the forthcoming racing season.

Sutton has been selected as the winner of the Fiesta Junior Scholarship for 2024, coming out on top of a three-day competition that took place at Blyton Park in Lincolnshire, where more than 50 young drivers set out to secure the £65,000 prize of a fully-funded season of Fiesta Junior racing.

Across two qualifying days, the participants were put through their paces with multiple track driving assessments, fitness tests and media interviews, before six drivers were selected on each day to progress to the final.

More on-track and media interview assessments were conducted in the final day’s morning session before a final six drivers were chosen for the last shoot-out.

The instructors and assessors chose Sutton as the winner, and she will now progress into a full season in the 2024 British Racing & Sports Car Club Fiesta Junior Championship in a Pro Alloys Racing-prepared Ford Fiesta Mk7 Zetec junior race car, with race entry fees, BRSCC membership and championship registration all taken care of as part of the prize.

In addition, Josh Cook will serve as Sutton’s driver coach for the year, along with receiving a dedicated pre-event simulator programme, a P1 Racewear race suit and Stilo race helmet.

Professional race team support, tyres, fuel, consumables and more are also covered as part of the prize package, worth in excess of £65,000.

“I am now having to pinch myself in disbelief as the winner,” said Sutton.

“The budget for young drivers to make it to the upper echelons of motorsport makes it an unbelievable challenge. My family work hard and we never had the full budget for 2024 to race for the season.

“But the BRSCC in conjunction with partners offered that chance that we could only dream about, winning that funded seat for the whole race season. In essence a £65,000 prize!

“I will be competing at some of the UK’s most prestigious circuits including the likes of Silverstone, Brands Hatch Circuit and local to me Oulton Park over the season with spectators attending and being live streamed to hundreds of thousands of fans.

“I still can’t believe that this is real!”

The 2024 BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship season gets underway on the Silverstone International circuit on March 16/17.

This caps a stunning few weeks for Sutton, who has just received a hat-trick of awards - firstly at the Ricciardo Series 2023 Championship Awards evening in Solihull and secondly at the British Women’s Racing Drivers Club Awards night in Kidderminster to mark her 2023 achievements.