TEENAGE Kelty karting sensation Dean MacDonald is set for life in the fast lane when he gets behind the wheel for a motorsport giant.

The talented 16-year-old is one of eight drivers that have joined the McLaren GT Driver Academy, which is designed to provide a pathway for youngsters to make the move into sports car.

MacDonald is one of six newcomers brought into an expanded academy – which is now in its third year – and he will also join the official McLaren team for this year's British GT Championship, which revs into gear at Cheshire's Oulton Park next month.

The Beath High School pupil will race in the GT4 class of the competition – held simultaneously with its GT3 counterpart – in which regulations ensure that the cars more closely resemble their road-going counterparts than GT3 machines.

Multi-British karting champion MacDonald, who has also tasted track success in Europe, will team up with Indian racer Akhil Rabindra in the McLaren team as part of Black Bull Garage 59’s line-up alongside fellow Scots Ciaran Haggerty and British GT record-holder Sandy Mitchell.

MacDonald, who completed his first test session at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk recently, is hopeful of making a successful transition to supercars and Scotland’s youngest-ever Comer Cadet karting champion has the chance of creating more records.

He will target eclipsing Mitchell’s accolade of being the youngest race winner mark of 16 years and 169 days at either of the first two race meetings, and also has a chance to succeed Jamie Chadwick (17 years and 95 days) as the youngest champion.

Team manager Bas Leinders commented: “It’s an exciting chapter for the team with Black Bull coming onboard as title sponsor and seeing Advance Construction return to support Ciaran and Dean. With the experience running with the McLaren 570S GT4 last year, we are in a strong position going into the new season, and hope to be challenging for podiums and race wins again in 2017.”

Dean, who has been sponsored by Advance Construction Scotland, will be racing the McLaren GT 570S – a jump from 44 bhp (brake horsepower) in karts to 570 – and while he aims to do the best he can, winning is top of his agenda due to his history of kart success.

Dean and his team wish to thank everyone who has supported him throughout his karting journey and in to supercars, including Advance Construction Scotland, McLaren British GT, Shox Performance, Beath High School, Optical Express, Kartpix and Strawberry Racing.

The seven-round championship begins on April 15 at Oulton Park and takes in iconic British circuits including Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Donnington Park, as well as Spa in Belgium, home of the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix.

Last year MacDonald narrowly missed out on the OK Super One British Championship during the final race meeting of the season.