RALLY ace Sam Bilham is the RSF MSA Young Driver of the Year after winning the shoot-out final at Silverstone.

The 18-year-old from Bingley beat five rising stars to the coveted award and will be honoured at the prestigious MSA Night of Champions at Pall Mall in London next month.

Having secured a swathe of titles during the 2014 season, Bilham has certainly backed up his 2013 Next Big Step award, which assisted in his progression into a national gravel rally championship this year.

Winning all but one round of the British Trial and Rally Drivers' Association (BTRDA) Rally Series that he contested, he snapped up the RF1.0 class and MSA English junior awards in his inaugural year on a gravel surface.

Added to that, his F1000 senior gravel and tarmac titles have made Bilham a name to watch during the season.

But the teenager is well aware that driving on the stages is only a small part of being competitive in motor sport.

So he has been spending his free time working on all aspects of fitness and mental aptitude alongside his studies in the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) in motor sport programme, which forms part of the MSA Academy.

Bilham's attitude and performance in the numerous tests during the final were noted by the panel of judges and they awarded him the accolade after the day-long assessment.

He said: "I'm overwhelmed to be named RSF MSA Young Driver of the Year and, after winning the BTRDA RF1.0 title in the BTRDA Rally Championship, this award really makes it such a very special year for me.

"It was a really tough day and every one of us was deserving of the award. But to hear my name being called out at the announcement was one of the best moments of my career.

"This year has really been a team effort and I can't thank everyone enough who has helped me get this award.

"It's great for the motor sport CV and it will certainly assist me throughout my progression in the sport.

"The £1,000 from the RSF will go towards my plans for next year, which we hope to announce soon."

But the good news keeps on coming for Bilham.

Just hours after being named Young Driver of the Year, he received a call from the panel of judges at the John Easson Award, announcing that he was named as a finalist, which is designed to assist young drivers in their career.

One of only three drivers up for the £4,000 prize fund, Bilham will go head to head with the other finalists near Preston on Friday.