A RACING driver is in gear for a nationwide quest to find a future Grand Prix star.

Budding Buttons and wannabe Schumachers will star in a TV series to find a Formula One driver - a format dreamt up by Tim Matthews, of Astley Burf.

And the winner of the Channel Five series So you want to be a Formula One driver will land a contract with Grand Prix ace Jenson Button's management team.

Already applications are flooding in worldwide but Mr Matthews, 49, hopes district talent will enter. Tim Matthews, who has masterminded a TV show to find a future Formula One star.

He said: "I have been very privileged in motor sport and it is an opportunity to put something back.

"Motor sport is seen by many as a rich man's game. Even if you enter club racing you need about £500 to start, which is out of the reach of many.

"The response has been massive from as far afield as the Philippines but it would be great to get some local talent."

Motor sport promoter Mr Matthews, who took part in motocross for more than 25 years before taking up motor racing, has starred in the European Thoroughbred Grand Prix Championships.

He will be one of the judges on the series along with Jenson Button.

He said: "Jenson's management team thought it was an absolutely brilliant idea and decided not only would Jenson be one of the judges but they would offer a contract to the winner."

But Mr Matthews had a warning for those who watch Grand Prix on television and think "I could do that!"

He said: "I believe there are a lot of people who have the ability to get out and race cars but lack the fitness and determination to be a Formula One driver.

"It is envisaged as very glamorous and the rewards are huge but every driver works extremely hard both inside and outside the car.

"The risks are high and the careers can be extremely short."

Mr Matthews has done everything from running the Junction Six motocross track in Worcester to training health workers in using motorbikes in African countries under a World Health Organisation programme.

He has also written a manual on motorbikes, now translated into 57 languages.

For the TV series an initial group of 1,000 will undergo fitness tests at Worcester Rugby Club.

Then a series of challenges from karting, saloon car and sports car racing to Formula Three cars will help select the final three, who will go to Silverstone to drive a Formula One car.

Men and women aged 16 to 49 can enter. They can call 0905 161 4000, a premium rate line, or fill in an entry form in Exchange and Mart magazine.

The closing date is Friday, January 17.