The Motor Sports Association (MSA) is now accepting applications for the 2010 Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) in Motor Sport from drivers aged 16-18 years old.

London, England - AASE is a government-funded human performance programme designed to help talented young athletes achieve their sporting potential. The Motor Sport AASE is led by elite drivers and human performance experts and forms part of the MSA Academy structure, which is dedicated to creating world champions by providing guidance and training for the country’s best young drivers.

MSA Performance Director and 2001 WRC champion co-driver Robert Reid said: “The feedback from those currently enrolled has been extremely positive and it is great to see how much some of them have taken from the programme. The more people hear about it, the more enquiries we have from young drivers and their parents; it’s going to become a lot more competitive to get a place in the future.”

Ginetta Junior runner-up Jake Cook joined the first AASE programme in August 2009 and the 16-year-old Formula Ford driver is effusive in his praise for the scheme. “It has far exceeded my expectations,” he says. “What I have learned this year has certainly had an impact on my performances and my all-round approach to my career. But just as importantly, I have also had the chance to meet important and influential people and take advantage of resources I wouldn’t otherwise have had access to.”

Students receive three separate qualifications within the AASE framework: a Level 3 NVQ in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance; a Level 3 BTEC National Certificate in Sport (Performance and Excellence); and an MSA Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Motor Sport. Should they wish, candidates also have the option to continue studying for their A levels at school instead of taking the BTEC qualification.

The closing date for applications for the second AASE intake is 16th July, with the programme starting in August 2010. Anyone interested in enrolling should email aase@msauk.org or visit www.msauk.org/aase for further information, including details of the academic and sporting entrance criteria.