West Cumbrian karting sensation Jess Edgar is set to become the first female driver to race at the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games in Rome.

The 14-year-old will compete in the Karting Slalom Cup at the Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi at the games, which start today and run until November 4.

Edgar, who lives near Rowrah and is a pupil at Keswick School, has been karting since she was four and has ambitions to become British Champion, qualify again for the World Finals and, ultimately, to reach Formula 1.

The games will be an opportunity for her to get noticed by big names in the motorsport world and take another step towards her goals.

Edgar said: “I am really excited about going to the FIA motorsport games in Rome.

“I have just come back from competing in the IAME World finals in Le Mans so will now concentrate on the competition in Rome.

“Although the Karting slalom is a new discipline for me hopefully my previous experience in kart racing will stand me in good stead and we can do the team proud.”

Karting is an Edgar family tradition as her great-granddads were involved in building the race track at Rowrah, her granddad and grandma both raced, her granddad, dad and uncle have all been British Champion, and her cousin Jonny races and has won both the British and European Championships.

He is part of the Red Bull junior programme and this season stepped up to Formula 4.

Jess drives for Fusion Motorsport in the competitive British Kart Championship Mini X30 Class and finished fourth in the 2019 standings.

At the end of last year she competed in the junior category at the IAME World Finals.

She was selected by Motorsport UK to race in the karting slalom alongside Samuel Shaw.

The pair will join four other drivers – James Baldwin in the Digital Cup, Rory Butcher in the Touring Car Cup and Chris Froggatt and Flick Haigh in the GT Cup.