Is Croydon College student best young racing driver in the UK?

[Holly Patton]

A Croydon College apprentice has been shortlisted for one of British motor racing’s most prestigious awards.

Chrissy Palmer, who studies on the College’s groundbreaking Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme, has been nominated for the award that has previously been won by David Coulthard and Jenson Button.

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) McLaren Autosport Award is awarded to the UK’s top young racing driver and previous winners have gone on to successful careers in motor sports. Chrissy, 19, is the youngest of the six nominees who will compete in the final assessment at Silverstone next month, with the winner picking up not only the award but a £50,000 cheque and a test drive in a McLaren Formula One car.

The AASE qualification in Motor Sports is delivered by Croydon College in conjunction with the Motor Sports Association, and as an advanced apprentice, Chrissy will benefit from coaching and training to improve his competitive performance while at the same time achieving an A Level equivalent qualification.

Claire Parry, Managing Director of Croydon Skills & Enterprise College (which forms part of Croydon College), said that this nomination highlighted the calibre of the students on the Motor Sports AASE:

Chrissy’s nomination shows the ability of the AASE programme to attract the cream of Britain’s young racing talent. It is the best option for elite drivers who are looking to develop their skills in a structured environment that keeps their future options open. We wish Chrissy the best of luck in the final assessment and we’ll be supporting him 100% throughout.

Croydon College is recognised as a leading provider of Apprenticeships, through its London Apprenticeship Academy. The AASE programmes that it runs for Motor Sports and Athletics are just some of the ways in which it has adapted the Apprenticeship structure to suit the needs of different skills sectors.

To find out more about studying an Apprenticeship at the College, please call 0800 652 0784 or visit www.croydon.ac.uk/laa.