Teenage racing driver Tim Crighton is hoping an innovative national series will provide him with a launchpad to greater things.

Crighton, 16, is one of just 12 drivers from across Britain who taking part in the BRSCC T-Cars series.

The series allows youngsters to race a car capable of 100mph under controlled conditions on international class circuits as much as three years before they are eligible to drive on UK roads.

All drivers undergo stringent training, including taking the tough Association of Racing Drivers Schools' track exam to the same standard as adults wanting to pursue a track career.

It is a wonderful chance for Crighton, from Clapham, to prove himself in the highly competitive world of motor racing.

The Sussex youngster was part of the T-Cars pilot programme in 1999 when races took place at Castle Combe, Snetterton and Brands Hatch as a forerunner to a full series this year.

But Crighton's background in racing goes back a lot further than that.

He admits he first drove a car at six and he started racing karts when he was nine.

Tim's father Andrew used to race in various competitions and his grandfather used to rally.

Although not challenging for silverware, Crighton was a regular top ten finisher in the karting national championships, but he was always looking to move on from that.

He said: "To seriously move on and progress you have to look at cars. You have two options - whether you want to do single-seaters or touring car formulas.

"We saw the car at the Autosport Show in Birmingham.

"At first they had a number of drivers who had bought the cars and they had one spare car, which belonged to the organisers.

"They were looking for a driver to put into it and somehow we had spoken to them at Birmingham and then got back in contact with us.

"Two weeks before the first race they asked me to race it. I jumped at the chance, obviously, and haven't looked back."

The highlight of the pilot series was being part of the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and Crighton certainly impressed organisers.

In the three pilot races he finished third twice and second in the other.

There are two races at each circuit and Crighton started the year with a third place in the first race at Castle Combe. He did not finish the second race and then missed the next three meetings as he was studying for his GCSEs at Our Lady of Zion School in Worthing.

However, he returned to action in round five at Croft in North Yorkshire earlier this month, finishing sixth in the first race and then taking a terrific win in the second.

Crighton said: "The series is excellent if you are looking to make a career in single-seaters or touring cars.

"It is a great grounding for going on in the sport."

As for the future, Crighton added: "There are hundreds of people who want to race Formula One and that is every schoolboy's dream. That is what I would love to do.

"But there are other opportunities as well. You can also look to touring cars or sportscars."