DUNLOP Race Academy is calling on 2005 winner and Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup champion Simon Shaw to coach this year's rookies and help find a racing star of the future.

Race Academy offers driving fans and budding racing drivers a platform to stardom and is searching for talented motorists in Oxfordshire.

In 2008, former-winner Shaw will join the training team and judging panel.

Sign-up is now open at www.driversknow.co.uk

He said: "I went through exactly the same process that this year's finalists will go through so I know exactly how they will be feeling.

"At the start of 2005 I was a car salesman but by the end of the year I was racing in the Ginetta Championship and last year I went on to win my class in the Sport Maxx Cup, supported by Dunlop."

Last year, Chris Parsloe, of Witney, was one of 21 finalists chosen from more than 5,000 entrants to the 2007 Dunlop Race Academy.

The 18-year-old student represented the South during driving rain at the Thruxton in July 2007. He swapped his Ford Escort for a race-prepared Seat Leon FR when he received on-track tuition from Le Mans 24-hour star Calum Lockie. Unfortunately, he was knocked out of the competition.

He said: "The Race Academy experience was fantastic and I really enjoyed the day at Thruxton, despite the awful weather. The element of competition made the day all the more exciting and I came third out of the seven semi-finalists but didn't get through to the next stage."

Race Academy will offer a schedule of training throughout 2008 with Shaw and Le Mans 24-hour racing driver, Calum Lockie. One winner will then race on track with the professionals in the televised Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup final race in October. This link with the Sport Maxx Cup provides a genuine opportunity for talent to be displayed in a BTCC feeder series.

Fourteen finalists from across the country will be selected to take part in two regional semi-finals where they will be judged on their performance on track, and in fitness and media tests. The top three will then be put through to the grand final where they will go head to head in an on-track shoot-out to find the winner.

James Bailey, of Dunlop, said: "The Dunlop Race Academy has become the X Factor of motorsport with thousands of drivers signing up each year in a bid to race their way to the top.

"This is a genuine opportunity for people who love driving to experience the life of a racing driver as they compete to race in the Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup before jetting off to Monaco for the weekend to experience all the celebrity trappings.

"The winner will race against some of the UK's top drivers in the Sport Maxx Cup during the Dunlop Great and British Championship finals.

The Dunlop Sport Maxx is a genuine stepping stone to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with a wide range of cars from Fiestas, Minis, Citroen Saxos to Seat Leon FRs, Vauxhall Astra VXRs and the Nissan 350Z.

This championship has become a popular attraction at Dunlop's Great and British Festivals.

He added: "Simon Shaw makes a fitting addition to the team this year. His performance in Race Academy 2005 was outstanding and his commitment and talent since then have helped him quickly rise through the ranks. This year, he will compete in the Sport Maxx Cup again and will face the 2008 Race Academy winner in the final round in October."

Last year, 35-year old Software engineer, Philip Abbott from Bradford won the fourth Race Academy.

For a chance to make it into the Dunlop Race Academy this summer, simply visit www.driversknow.co.uk and apply online. Follow the action at www.myspace.com/dunlopraceacademy