The third phase of the programme will see the drivers compete in the Latvian Rally Championship. Again, a seven-event series, this features genuine multi-venue rallies with a recce and two days of competition on the three surfaces which make up the WRC: Snow and ice, gravel and asphalt.

By the time they graduate from 'Junior Rallying' at 16 or 17, the drivers will have three years of invaluable experience, gained progressively and first-hand, from a range of professional motorsport experts. At this stage, they will be ready to continue their rally career but with three-year head-start on their competition. Alternatively, they will be in a perfect position to potentially join one of the existing schemes in the UK to further their experience.

“I am delighted to have been asked to join 'Junior Rallying',” said patron of the scheme and chief instructor, Gwyndaf Evans. “This scheme is a fantastic idea, to begin developing the next generation of British rallying talent through a formalised approach, combining theory and practical learning with actual competition itself.

“As I have found with my son Elfyn, there is no better way of developing the skills required to succeed than actual competition and at present, that's simply not possible anywhere other than in Latvia.

“With the support of the Latvian Automobile Federation and Gemma and M3Motorsport's experiences with Tom over the last season, I am confident that the scheme will be a great success. I'm also sure that some of the names we see joining us next year will eventually become far more familiar, in either the British or ideally, the World Rally Championship.”

Price is also confident that 'Junior Rallying' will provide a much-needed route into the sport for the next generation: “I have been particularly impressed with Tom's approach to rallying, as well as his ability and ultimately, his competitiveness. The fact that we can compete with a 15 year-old driver and gain the kind of experience that isn't possible until at least 17 in the UK means that young drivers have a unique opportunity with Junior Rallying. The Latvian Automobile Federation is behind the scheme completely and has pledged its support to us to ensure that the UK's up-and-coming drivers can compete there with their full blessing, through Junior Rallying.”

'Junior Rallying' has secured the support of a range of world-class blue-chip organisations, all of whom see the potential for the scheme for developing future champions.

Principal partner to the project is the innovative IT company, Red Vista. Director Russell Bartley said: “When Gemma came to us with the idea, I immediately thought this could give us the opportunity to find a new world rally champion. I couldn't resist that thought and that is the reason that Red Vista is backing Junior Rallying.”

In addition, the UK distributor for Korean automotive manufacturer Kia Motors is behind the scheme, providing cars for training purposes for the phase 1 intake. The scheme has also secured automotive lighting specialists PIAA and safety experts Lifeline as key partners, with more partners expected to be announced soon.

The scheme will launch officially at the Autosport International show in January, where potential candidates for the first round of qualifying test days will be able to register at the 'Junior Rallying' stand, number 8100 in hall 8.