The scholarship nurturing young American talents in the UK

Max Esterson’s victory at the Walter Hayes Trophy last season – having won his heat and semi-final and after leading every lap of the 15-lap finale – made it something of a perfect performance at what is traditionally one of the most hotly contested national race meetings of the year.

The 19-year-old American’s Silverstone triumph was a story of redemption, at least in his own mind, after missing out on Formula Ford Festival glory one week earlier having climbed from 13th on the grid to finish third on the road – before being promoted to second post-race, and just over a tenth of a second from victory.

Esterson’s Walter Hayes success was also significant for another reason, as it puts him among a select group of Americans who have won the trophy while representing their country through the prestigious Team USA Scholarship. The brainchild of journalist, broadcaster, ex-racer and former Autosport scribe Jeremy Shaw, the scholarship has become a mainstay of the end-of-season Formula Ford 1600 events in the UK, but its origins stretch across more than three decades and several categories.

It’s been instrumental in giving young US talent the chance to shine in junior single-seater series, and has grown to become one of the most respected scholarships in motorsport, with its list of alumni testament to its success.

“American racing drivers were kind of treated as sort of a bad joke in the UK,” says Shaw of his reason for creating the scholarship in 1990. “One of the problems was that a lot of the drivers that went over, they had the budget but they didn’t have the experience or the skills to be at the front.

“One of the goals with this programme was to show that there are young Americans who do have the talent to mix it with