Luciano Bacheta - British Asian Sports Personality of the Year

He has been making all the right noises in the world of motorsport and is on his way to entering Formula One. Meet the Essex boy who took all the applause after being crowned the Lebara British Asian Sports Personality of the Year!

JENSON BUTTON and Lewis Hamilton have been flying the flag for Britain in Formula One over the years and both have managed to win the world championship.

But the duo should keep an eye over their shoulders as a new generation of British drivers look to make their mark in the upper echelons of motor racing.

One of the promising talents hoping to follow in the footsteps of Hamilton and Button is Luciano Bacheta,

The 20-year-old has got people talking in the motor racing industry and is known for his competitive nature on the track and his charming personality off it.

Back in October, he was awarded membership into the prestigious BRDC (British Racing Drivers' Club) for his performance in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup Season 2010.

Dubbed a “rising star” by the BRDC, he narrowly missed out on winning the McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award at the Grosvenor House Hotel back in December.

But roll on three months and it was all smiles for Bacheta at the same venue in London’s Park Lane as he was crowned the Lebara British Asian Sports Personality of the Year.

Bacheta beat Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra and former World Pool Masters champion Raj Hundal to take home the coveted title at the 10

annual British Asian Sports Awards (BASA).

The youngster was speechless after joining the likes of Amir Khan, Samit Patel and Isa Guha, who have all won the award in the past.

“It’s an overwhelming moment; I still can’t believe I’ve won!” Bacheta said on picking up the award.

“It’s a massive honour and to be honest I was surprised to be nominated for the main award because I see myself as an upcoming driver.

“But it is great to win and hopefully will get my name out there in the Asian community and help me achieve my dream of driving in Formula One.”

Bacheta was cheered on by a number of high profile guests, including manager Anthony Hamilton, who happens to be the father of Lewis.

So far, only one British Asian driver has ventured into F1 when Adam Khan became a test driver for the Renault F1 team during the 2009 season.

Incidentally, Khan was in the running for the Most Up and Coming Personality of the Year title at last year’s BASA, missing out to pool shark Hundal.

Bacheta has his eyes set on F1 but is hoping to make a big announcement in the coming months. According to some, he could be eyeing up a drive in the GP2 series.

The likes of Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen, Karun Chandhok and Kamui Koboyashi have all raced in GP2 and made the step up to the top.

Bacheta concedes that the money factor in motor racing can have a massive impact in terms of progression and he hopes the BASA win will get more people on board to support his dream.

But the Essex-based driver has been fighting the money factor throughout his career and has managed to do pretty well on the track.

He finished second in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, having picked up two victories and ended up on the podium seven times.

And his rise has been incredible when you consider he only entered the competitive racing scene just seven years ago.

"In terms of motorsport, it is pretty late as most people start from the age of eight-nine years," said Bacheta.

"I started at 13 in karting but moved up to the car-racing in just a year. I had a good start to my career, winning races and finishing in the top positions.

"But I only learnt things could go the other way three or four years into my career."

Bacheta admitted he struggled at first to cope with losing a race or crashing out.

But the experience has made him a better driver and more able to cope with the demands of being a racing driver in what is a very competitive industry.

“For so long, everything was going well and I was winning races. But all of a sudden, I'm struggling and I’m thinking ‘what's going on?’

“And that's when I learnt how to lose, which is another big thing. To be successful, you need to be able to lose otherwise you'd never move on.

“In 2008, I was racing in my first season in Eurocup and didn’t have a competitive car. But I thought there was something wrong with my driving, but there wasn’t. So, again, I had to learn to take a step back, and just assess everything.”

But losing races or failing is something which couldn’t be further from Bacheta’s mind when he competes in races.

“The way I see things is if I know in my own head that I can't do something, I won't do it,” he said.

“That's why I go into every race with the intention of winning and if there is ever a time where, personally, I don’t think I can win a race, then there's no point wasting time, money, effort on something I don't think I will achieve anything from. I'm quite hard on myself.”

By Zohaib Rashid