Shion, from Japan, has been awarded one of the 51 karts in this year’s Trophy as part of the Commission’s on-going collaboration with the CIK-FIA to help young, up and coming girls progress their career in motorsport.

Shion’s interest in karting dates back to 2012 when her father first took her to a race in Japan, where she was bitten by the motorsport bug. After lots of practice, she started competing domestically in 2013 and, in addition to outings in the JAF Junior Karting Championships, she contested events in Europe in 2014 and 2015, including all three rounds of last year’s CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy.

“It is now time for me to do maximum effort and learn a lot of things in karting,” said Shion. “I have started to practice KZ too and I really want to improve my driving skill and show my speed. This is a great opportunity for me.”

The 2016 CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy takes place over three races, in addition to the official pre-season test session. Race weekends will also address highly-important issues relating to safety, driving conduct and the anti-doping code. All competitors will compete on equal terms in karts provided by the official equipment supplier.