THE TEAM behind a scheme in memory of a Formula One pioneer who 'loved' Cirencester has announced its first scholar. 

The Tyler James Alexander scholarship team is delighted to announce its first Scholar, 23 year old Daniyaal Irfan.

The scheme was created in memory of Tyler James Alexander (TJA) who was married to Cirencester resident and scholarship founder Jane Nottage, who said that he was very fond of the town. 

Tyler was one of the key key founding fathers in 1963 of the McLaren F1 team. 

The TJA Scholarship is open to all bright engineering students who through disadvantage, would not have the opportunity to embark on a career in the world of motor racing engineering.

Daniyaal, who graduated this summer with a 1st Class BEng (Hons) in Aerospace Engineering, is receiving funding towards his MSc in Advanced Motorsport Engineering at world leading Cranfield University, which he is starting this autumn.

The 1 year postgraduate degree will then lead to two career and life-enhancing internships – three months with McLaren Racing in their Heritage and TPC (The Previous Car) Team at their HQ in Woking, and 3 months in the USA, with Team Penske at their Racing HQ in Mooresville, North Carolina.

The mentoring programme is led by Paul Barnes, director, support and logistics at McLaren Racing who is also a leadership mentor and was a close friend of Tyler’s.

Jane said: "We are all very proud to welcome Daniyaal as our first Scholar. Daniyaal is an exceptional young man, who has overcome many challenges.

"Tyler would be very happy to see his name live on and help others to lead fulfilling lives within the world of motor sport.”

Paul Barnes said: “Without Tyler I wouldn’t be where I am today.

"He mentored me when I was a young man and was influential both in his engineering skills and as a mentor to many within the industry.

"It is my privilege to continue his love of mentoring to help others, including Daniyaal. From my first meeting with him, it was clear that he was determined and focused on achieving his dream of working in top level motorsport.

"Daniyaal also demonstrated many of the values and work ethic that Tyler possessed so I’m very much looking forward to working with him and to help him achieve everything he has in his sights.”