A motorsport enthusiast from Tenby is hoping to break into the professional world of the sport by competing in a high profile championship.
Later this year, 24-year-old Tom Smith is hoping to compete in the Renault Clio Cup, which would also feature Lewis Hamilton's younger brother Nic.
Over the years, Tom has competed in a number of competitive karting championships and has shown great potential on the track and also on computer simulation programmes, where he has been training on a full racing car simulator set up to a professional standard and is used by many professional drivers themselves for training.
Last year, at the Santander British Grand Prix, out of over 50,000 people, Tom set the 14th fastest lap of the Silverstone track in a full Formula One simulator.
Although Tom has sponsorship plans in the pipeline and can offer sponsorship packages that include full weekend hospitality at events, with huge media coverage via television, as well as online and print media coverage on websites and in motorsport magazines, he is still looking for more funds to gain that last bit of sponsorship he needs to make it to the top level of motorsport.
"The funding aspect is frustrating, as I haven't got a millionaire family to sail me right up to the top level like a lot of racing drivers, so I have to rely on gaining sponsorship to fund my career, which I'm sure most people can respect is not easily accomplished, especially in the current economical climate," explained Tom.
"I have been in contact with Renault Sport and am delighted to have been given a place on the grid in the Renault Clio Cup UK, which is a very high profile championship and the perfect place for my potential and talent to be spotted by many scouts attending from teams in the top championships," he said.
The Renault Clio Cup is broadcast live on the ITV channels and last year attracted over 14-million viewers, while each race saw tens of thousands flood through the gates, with the largest attendance at just one race reaching a staggering 125,000 spectators.
"I am extremely excited and can't wait to get there, especially because I will be competing against the most famous name currently in motorsport 'Hamilton', as 2008 Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has a younger brother Nic, who will also be launching his race career this year in the Renault Clio Cup UK," continued Tom.
"Many people have asked if I am nervous about racing him and the answer is no, as I am more excited about the prospect, as a high profile win could launch my career," said Tom, who is determined to have a professional career in motorsport and one day hopes to compete in the Le Mans series.
Anyone interested in sponsoring Tom can contact him via email on [email protected]">[email protected]