Ronan Murphy has been named as the winner of the 2018 SpeedSport ‘Star of Tomorrow’ Scholarship in New Zealand.
The scholarship will see the 16-year-old son of Bathurst winner Greg Murphy receive a fully-funded season in the NZ Formula First Championship, and a Formula 4 test in the US.
Murphy beat four other finalists at Manfield on Sunday after progressing from the previous day’s initial group.
Difficult conditions saw aspirants tested in wet, dry, and slippery conditions, with lap times across the five finalists reportedly incredibly close.
Judges ultimately elected in favour of Murphy based not only on his lap times but consistency and off-track attitude.
“I can’t wait for the season to start,” said Murphy.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the team and taking the next step for my racing.”
Run by Dennis Martin, the SpeedSport Scholarship has previously been won by Shane van Gisbergen, Richie Stanaway and, more recently, Liam Lawson.
“We are really looking forward to working with Ronan,” said Martin.
“He showed he can drive fast and consistent in tricky conditions and I have great confidence he will have a great season.”
Murphy will compete in Round 1 of the Manfield Winter Series ahead of his participation in the 2018/19 NZ Formula First Championship.
Previous Winners
2001 Nic Jordan
2002 Josh Hart
2003 Mark Russ
2004 Shane van Gisbergen
2005 Andrew Waite
2006 Alastair Wootten
2007 Richie Stanaway
2008 Nick Cassidy
2009 Aaron Hodgson
2010 Hayden Pedersen
2011 Malcolm Finch
2012 Aaron Marr
2013 James Webb
2014 Brook Reeve
2015 Liam Lawson
2016 Dylan Smith
2017 Conrad Clark
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