RALLYING

AL Squires will turn his lifelong passion for motorsport into reality next month when he competes in the Silverstone National Junior Rally Championship.

The 16-year-old, from North Moreton, near Didcot, has been driving for three years as a member of the Silverstone Rally School Youth Academy.

He passed his rally licence at the end of 2013 and will compete in his first event – the Bickerton Skoda Hallamshire Junior Stages at RAF Barkston Heath near Lincoln – on May 4.

“I have been preparing for this while also devoting my time to my GCSE examinations coming up in the summer,” said the pupil at the Oratory School, Woodcote.

“I also hope to be competing in the Formula 1000 Junior Rally Championship where 14-17-year-olds, from across the country go head to head in 1000cc cars against the clock.”

Squires, who competed in karting from a young age, found out recently that he will have a chance to gain work experience at the Williams F1 team.

“This is something I am excited about,” he said.

“I will be taking part in their prestigious ‘taster week’, in which only ten applicants are chosen.”

To finance his interests, Squires has started a gardening business around his village.

He has two sponsors in Power Maxed and RallyCarParts.com, but would be happy if any other businesses wanted to back him and can be contacted at al-squires@hotmail.co.uk.