Comma powers McLaren Autosport BRDC Award shoot-out

Car care specialists Comma will help find the last of six finalists in the UK's most prestigious accolade in junior motorsport, the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

In its capacity as technical partner to the Formula Palmer Audi Championship, Comma will help power a grid of 22 young drivers in a “winner-takes-all” shoot-out for a place in the in the finals of the Award, which earns the winner a cheque for £50,000 plus a McLaren-Mercedes Formula 1 test drive.

Previous winners of the Award include F1 stars David Coulthard, Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson, and traditionally the six finalists are picked by an elite panel of judges. This year, for the first time ever, the winner of the sixth slot will have to fight for their place in a series of races in November.

FPA series organisers, MotorSport Vision, have come up with the format for the shoot-out, which will feature three 20-lap races at Snetterton in identical 360bhp FPA cars, with drivers scoring championship points to decide which one returns to the Norfolk track for the final assessments later in the month.

“FPA is the only championship that can provide and run 22 equal cars,” MSV Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer said of the shoot-out. “The cars also offer very limited set-up scope, so new drivers to FPA won’t be at a disadvantage. We offer total transparency with data print-outs for every driver to compare themselves with the fastest, too.”

Once selected, the six finalists will be judged by a panel including BRDC president and former F1 World Champion Damon Hill, former F1 driver and ITV commentator Martin Brundle and McLaren’s Steve Hallam. Palmer, a judge for the past two years, has stepped down from the panel to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

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