John Booth, the team principal of Sir Richard Branson-backed Virgin Racing, today announced the launch of a new driver development initiative, the Manor Racing GP3 team.

Manor GP3 is a new team entry for the GP3 Series, a single seater racing category making its debut in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series. It will run alongside the GP2 Championship with the inaugural race scheduled for the Spanish Grand Prix weekend of the 2010 F1 calendar.

John Booth’s Manor Motorsport has achieved great success in Formula 3 and Formula Renault and played a major role in the development of several of today’s greatest motor racing talents.

Former F1 Champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton both graduated from the John Booth ‘school of excellence’.

In 2009 Manor Motorsport teamed up with Bicester-based Wirth Research to found the Manor Grand Prix Formula One team, now renamed Virgin Racing.

The GP3 cars are a standardised, all-new Dallara chassis combined with a 280bhp Renault engine and with a 6-speed longitudinal sequential Hewland gearbox. Pirelli will supply tyres to the series and GP2 supplier Brembo will manufacture brakes.

John Booth said: “Manor GP3 is a terrific opportunity for potential stars of the future to climb the Virgin Racing ladder. Our objective has been to achieve a budget for the series that is not only extremely competitive, but which also offers our drivers the added benefit of the Manor driver development blueprint and integration with the F1 team.”

“In addition to receiving fantastic support from our highly experienced race team professionals, Manor GP3 will occupy the same race shop facilities as the Virgin Racing F1 team, have access to the simulator programme operated by Wirth Research, at Bicester, and run in support of European rounds of the 2010 Formula One calendar.

"The icing on the cake is the fantastic prize of an F1 test with Virgin Racing for the most successful Manor GP3 driver.”