Young racing driver Josh Benson is set to take the world of motor sport by storm.

And in doing so Josh is about to prove his mum Sally dead right about her faith in him.

Sally always reckoned her son was a dab hand at motor racing.

The problem was that there wasn't an easy or inexpensive way for the 16-year-old from Drighlington to prove it.

But Sally took the plunge and sent the teenager on an intensive five-day training course with Formula Ford at Silverstone in September.

It cost £3,000 for the week but the Hipperholme and Lightcliffe High School and Sports College pupil proved his mother's hunch was correct.

Sally said: "Josh was awesome and he had a great time.

"The only person to beat him was an adult Caterham driver, and that was only by a tenth of a second.

"The training really weeded them out and you could see that Josh was talented.

"He even made some of the others look a bit pathetic!"

Earning his National B Race Licence there was a major stepping stone for Josh who had been competing in various forms of motor sport for half his life, starting with karting.

And, after that sustained display of controlled speed, Merseyside-born Josh has been selected to be part of a two-year programme with the Race Drivers' Academy, which offers the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence.

Run in conjunction with the Silverstone Motorsports Academy and Loughborough College, the course is designed for the elite motor sport talent of the future.

Five days at Britain's most famous racetrack was a great way to get himself noticed, and other offers followed.

This month and next Josh is testing for Formula Ren-ault, and he will be winter testing for Formula BMW next September in Valencia, Spain.

The career path then suggested is for Josh to take part in the Formula Renault UK/British Automobile Racing Club Championship - one of the world's leading junior single-seater competitions - in 2007 and, maybe, the classic path of Formula Three and beyond.

A season at Formula Renault BARC level would cost £50,000. Meanwhile, other scholarship options are for the Renault Clio Cup (£80,000) at the Three Sisters Racing Circuit School near Wigan or a Caterham scholarship starting next month at Silverstone (£30,000).

Josh has received £200 in sponsorship from Tempest Design but can be reached on sponsor@joshbensonracing. co.uk or by phone at (01132) 853238 or 07952 671551.