Taylor named as one of the 12 WRX Talent Search Finalists

WRX Talent Search Finalists named. Latest news from MSA reveals that Swift Rallycross Championship rising star Jake Taylor is part of the 12 finalists for the World Rallycross talent search. Taylor will now participate in a ‘drive off’ in RX Lites at the WRX round 2 event at Lydden Hill in May. The final prize for the lucky winner will be a fully paid for drive at the WRX round in Turkey later this year.

There were over 122 entrants. All MSA licence holders aged 18-30 from all disciplines of motorsport from circuit racing and rallying. The achievement to reach the final is not lost on Taylor and he is well aware of the challenge still ahead. The rest of the 12 finalist is a list of whos who of British motorsport rising stars:

• Dan Cammish (2013 Formula Ford GB champion, 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup GB)
• Jack Clarke (FIA Formula Two race winner, 2014 British Touring Car Championship)
• Sennan Fielding (2013 RSF MSA Young Driver of the Year, 2014 BRDC Formula 4 race winner, 2015 MSA Formula, MSA Academy member)
• Freddie Hunt (Son of 1976 F1 world champion James Hunt, 2015 Renault UK Clio Cup)
• Chris Ingram (2015 European Rally Championship, MSA Team UK member)
• Tom Onslow-Cole (multiple British Touring Car Championship race winner, MSA Performance Manager)
• Ben Power (multiple winner in British Rallycross and National Legends Car Championship)
• Jason Pritchard (multiple class winner in British Rally Championship, MSA Rally Elite graduate)
• Dan Rooke (2015 British Rallycross Championship Super-national class winner)
• Rupert Svendsen-Cook (multiple British Formula 3 race winner and MSA Performance Manager)
• Euan Thorburn (2013 BTRDA Rally champion, 2014 Scottish Rally champion)

The 12 finalists will be judged by a panel of experienced motorsport specialists who have knowledge of Rallycross and what it takes to succeed in that arena. The Panel includes Robert Reid, MSA Performance Director; Martin Anayi, World RX Managing Director for IMG Motorsport; Andreas Eriksson, Team Principal of World RX team Olsbergs MSE and Andrew Jordan, the 2013 British Touring Car Champion who finished third at last year’s British RX round.

Martin Anayi, WorldRX Managing Director for IMG Motorsport, is impressed by the talents of the 12 finalists chosen.

“We have been extremely impressed by the high calibre of drivers that entered our RX Lites Talent Search,” confirmed Martin Anayi, World RX Managing Director for IMG. “With candidates’ experience ranging from rally, circuit racing and several different international motoring series’, the level of competition was very high. Unfortunately we’re not able to accept everyone and we firmly believe that our final shortlist of 12 includes some of the most talented young drivers in Britain today. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who entered our talent search and hope that all of our entrants are able to accept complimentary tickets to our British World RX round at Lydden Hill next month. As for our 12 finalists, I would like to wish them the best of luck for Thursday 21 May and on behalf of IMG, we are looking forward to meeting some future rallycross stars.”