A Chislehurst teenager is taking her motorsport career to the next level.

Nineteen-year-old Esmee Hawkey will be stepping up to the Porshe Carrera Cup GB for a full campaign after reaching the final five of the Porsche GB Junior Shootout last year.

The first race of the season will take part at Brands Hatch on April 8.

Following the Junior Shootout, Hawkey was determined to make the grid for this year and said: “I’ve really enjoyed racing the Cayman and have learned so much about driving a GT car. The ultimate goal for me was to step up to Carrera Cup as it’s such a competitive series.

“I was really proud to make the final five for the Shootout last year and gave it one hundred percent. It was a great experience and I proved myself and my sponsors that I can compete with the best.

“With help from my sponsors we’ve put together a strong package for 2018. I’m really looking forward to getting started and seeing our 2018 car for the first time.”

The Junior Shootout saw five finalists put through a challenging assessment programme that took place over a gruelling 24 hours.

From over 40 applicants, Hawkey was invited with 11 others for interviews before making the cut for the final five to attend the assessment day.

As well as progressing through the Porsche motorsport ranks, Esmee has achieved other successes, having taken victory in class C4 at the Brighton Speed Trials.

Supporting Hawkey in her debut season will be multiple race-winning team GT Marques.

The team have an established history with the championship and will be returning for the first time since 2016.