Bangalore, April 3 (IANS): Tarun Reddy, the 16-year-old from Chennai, confirmed his participation in the 2014 Protyre Formula Renault Championship with reigning champions MGR Motorsport. This will be the Indian lad's first taste of single-seater racing in Europe.

Tarun, who is managed by MRF Challenge race winner Rupert Svendsen-Cook, will make his British racing debut in Protyre Formula Renault having tested with MGR Motorsport at the end of last year.

The teenager, formerly part of the Sahara Force India F1 Team Academy, progressed from karting to cars at the age of 15 in the MRF 1600 series.

Underlining his promise, Tarun became the youngest ever winner of a race in the category in only his third outing. He got his year off to a great start by winning both races in the first round of the 2014 MRF 1600 Championship.

Tarun will have his first race this weekend at Rockingham International Super Sportscar Circuit in Northamptonshire.

Tarun said: "I am really happy to be racing in the Protyre Formula Renault Championship in the UK. Everyone knows that doing well here is the key to having a successful racing career."

“We spent the second half of last year seeing which championship to race in for 2014 and we feel this is the best option for me. This is not going to be easy as the field is really competitive and many drivers are in their second year of the championship," he said.

“Unfortunately, I could not get as much testing as I wanted due to my exams. My parents have made it clear that school is priority above anything else, so I have been travelling up and down to the UK between my exams."

“I would like to follow in the footsteps of Narain (Karthikeyan) and Karun (Chandhok) and do well in the UK to further boost my career.”

His team-mates include Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of double World champion Emmerson Fittipaldi, Matteo Ferrer, who debuted with MGR in Protyre Formula Renault in 2013, and Colin Noble, the reigning Radical SR1 Cup Champion.