Motorsport News has joined forces with British Trial and Rally Drivers' Association (BTRDA) to offer one lucky reader the chance to make their club motorsport debut during 2008.
The Drive competition is open to anyone over 18, providing they hold a road driving licence and have never held a Motor Sports Association (MSA) competition licence before.
The winner will receive fully funded drives in a minimum of six BTRDA events – two Car Trials, two Autotests and two AutoSolos – during 2008. The winner will have use of a 1300cc Nissan Micra on an ‘arrive and drive' basis. Also on offer will be the chance to have driver training with BTRDA experts.
The car will be fully prepared by BTRDA's technical team and will be transported to and from the venue, so all the winner will have to do is turn up and start competing! Motorsport News will follow the winner's exploits throughout the season with a series of articles.
Entering is simple: the first step is to answer the simple question featured in Motorsport News on 2nd January and complete the tie-breaker.
From the correct entries, a short-list of candidates will be selected to attend a final selection day, which will take place at the Bill Gwynne Rallyschool near Banbury on February 28.
At the shoot-out, the short-listed candidates will be put through a series of assessments to gauge their driving potential, presentation and media interview technique.
The candidate who most impresses the team of judges will win the prize, while the second and third-placed entrants will be awarded free membership to BTRDA for one year.
The original idea for the Drive prize came from Alastair Moffatt of the BTRDA's Motorsports Future Group. The group is made up of some of the countries top young motorsport competitors across BTRDA's broad range of activities, including rallying, Sporting Trials, Autotests, Autosolos, Car Trials and Rallycross.
BTRDA director Nick Pollitt said: "In less than six months since BTRDA formed Motorsports Future, this amazing group have introduced a host of ideas. Alastair Moffatt's initiative for the Drive competition is one of the most exciting new ventures ever for us at BTRDA. It's a great opportunity to discover new talent and make 2008 a year to remember for us and the winning entrant."
Moffatt added: "The idea was to try to give someone the opportunity to take part in some sports which are dear to me. The person who wins this prize will be able to take advantage of BTRDA's expertise and get training, so hopefully they will stand a chance of doing exceptionally well in any of the disciplines they compete in.
"The winner will be able to see how much fun they can have on a weekend for a very small amount of money."
Motorsport News editor Matt Burt added: "I'm really pleased that we've been able to join forces with BTRDA to promote this initiative. As two organisations that are committed to club motorsport, we both know it can often be daunting for novices to get a foot on the motorsport ladder. This scheme should make it much, much easier."
"Most Motorsport News readers will have a friend or family member who always dreamed about competing, but has either never had the chance to get involved or has perhaps thought that the sport would be too expensive for them.
"The Drive initiative will prove that isn't the case."
The closing date for entries is February 1, 2008.