RACING driver Aiden Venn could be Britain's next Damon Hill.

He's competing for a scholarship that would put him on the road to Formula One Grand Prix.

Aiden, 21, from Fence, is one of a handful of hopefuls competing for a place at the world's only motor-sport university, ELF La Filiere in France.

Just one man from 46 will go through from a young driver's competition at Silverstone next week.

The winner receives a fully funded season in the France's ELF Renault Campus Formula, which includes races at Le Mans and three Grand Prix circuits. The prize is worth £100,000 and will give the lucky driver a step up towards joining the likes of world champion Hill, Schumacher and Villeneuve in a couple of years' time.

Aiden, manager at HSS hire shop in Colne, has spent a year in Formula Ford and is quietly confident.

"I've already beaten some of the people I'll be up against in the first round," he said.

"But only the best will get through to the final, and that will be tough.

"Because of my age, this is really my last chance to get into Formula One. That's my ultimate ambition. It's also a chance to progress to touring cars, which is the next best thing."

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