Banbury's Bradley Philpot kept alive his dream of winning a F3 test experience by finishing fourth at Buckmore Park karting circuit at Chatham in Kent.

Competing against 40 of the UK’s top novice drivers, Philpot came through 12 heats and three finals to secure his place as one of the final five through to round three.

The competition, known as Lets Race 2 Reality, is run by Lets Race, the UK’s only full motion F1 simulator centre based in Surrey, in conjunction with Carlin, a junior team, whose proteges have included Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo.

Philpot will now be put through his paces at Carlin’s headquarters in Surrey allowing him a real glimpse inside the world of a professional racing driver. All finalists will take part in various exercises including a simulator session with a Carlin race engineer, before taking part in interviews with industry professionals.

Philpot said: “For the final round I plan to be as prepared as possible and I fully intend to become the inaugural Lets Race to Reality champion.”