Tom Ingram earned won a podium place in just his second week of racing

Young Wycombe karter Tom Ingram has been awarded a place at the Silverstone National College for Motorsport.

Ingram, 15, has eight years of karting experience behind him before he graduated to cars earlier this year.

The youngster currently races in the Ginetta Junior Championship on the support package for the British Touring Car Championship.

Ingram said "It's what I want to do, racing at the weekends and working with cars during the week."

Following a successful interview, Tom was awarded a place on a one-year course focussing on the technical and mechanical side of cars.

At the end of the course, he will undertake an apprenticeship, much as he did at leading F1 team Red Bull Racing last year, to put all that he has learned into practice.

It certainly hasn't been easy by any means, but I'm very pleased with how it's gone so far Tom Ingram

He can then choose between finding a job in the field or returning to the college for a further two years to study for an even higher qualification.

"I would like to go on to secure a position at somewhere like Red Bull where I have been before. That would be the absolute really. You can't believe how much I'd love to do that," said Ingram.

Ingram has made an impressive start to the season finishing 11th and eighth on his debut at Brands Hatch.

He then went on to take the chequered flag fourth and third at Thruxton, the fastest and most fearsome circuit in the country, last month.

"I'm the top rookie at the moment, and on the budget we're on I think that's none-too shabby at all to be honest," he said.

"It certainly hasn't been easy by any means, but I'm very pleased with how it's gone so far."

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