The future big name of car racing is here, and she’s a 23-year-old from Sittingbourne.

Laura Tillett’s season is already off to an incredible start after clocking in a top lap-time during practice for the Milltek Sport Volkswagon Racing Cup last month.

She originally started driving a Formula One-style car but switched after deciding she was more suited to saloon racing.

Now, the young sportswoman has set her sights on putting in a record-setting performance with her group of fellow drivers, Team HARD Golf, following the test run at Silverstone in Northamptonshire.

Eventually, she hopes to become the first female in almost a decade to race in the prestigious British Touring Car Championship.

“Silverstone went well, I was quite impressed with how good the day was,” said Laura.

“It wasn’t ideal being a wet day but on average I think we were around 0.6 seconds off across the sessions, so that was really encouraging.

“It’s definitely a bit different to the single-seaters I’ve been racing.

“Everyone at the team is great, the guys at Team HARD know their stuff – I’m really looking forward to my next test.”

This year is also particularly notable for petrol-head Laura because it will mark her first season competing in the UK since 2012, when she raced in the Protyre Formula Renault Championship.

Rounds one and two of the 2015 Milltek Sport Volkswagon Racing Cup kicked-off over the Easter Weekend at Oulton Park and despite technical problems, including losing third gear, she finished 13th out of dozens of cars.

The circuit will culminate at the famous Donnington Park in September.