Rotorua 15-year-old Hayden Pedersen is the latest winner of the annual SpeedSport magazine motor racing Scholarship.

One of the country's top young karters, the Year 11 student at Rotorua's Western Heights High School beat out six other finalists on the second day of evaluation at the Manfeild motor racing circuit today.

In doing so he has won an all-expenses-paid drive in the 2010/11 New Zealand Formula First single-seater motor racing championship as well as a customised driving suit from Chicane Clothing and an Arai helmet from New Zealand importer Dold Industries.

Pedersen is the tenth winner of the annual scholarship and has some sizable driving boots to fill.

Previous winners include V8 Supercar championship star Shane van Gisbergen and 2009 MTA New Zealand Formula Ford champion Ritchie Stanaway.

Runner-up this year was 15-year-old Waiuku schoolboy Cory Holmes, son of well-known rally driver Stumpy Holmes.

He will receive a fully-paid drive in a round of the Manfeild circuit Winter Formula First series courtesy Toyota.

This year's Scholarship muster attracted fifteen hopefuls from around New Zealand and - in the case of Daniel Plummer - one from Australia.

With Pedersen and Holmes, Plummer was one of the seven finalists. The others were Jaden Hardy from Palmerston North, James Penrose from North Loburn near Rangiora, Andrew Patterson from Gisborne and Andy Schofield from Cambridge.

After a small awards ceremony at the track this afternoon Pedersen said;

"I'm so excited. I can't wait to get to the first race."

As always SpeedSport magazine publisher and editor Grant McDonald was impressed with the standard of all the drivers, making the job of picking a winner as hard as ever.

"It's never easy but each year it seems to get harder and this year was no exception. In fact in terms of lap times it was the closest I can recall."

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