Oxford kart ace Nathan Harrison is to graduate to car racing after agreeing terms to join Hillspeed Racing in the Ginetta Junior Championship for 2012.

The 15-year old, from Botley, has been offered a two-year deal to move up from karting after a stellar 2011 campaign.

That saw him finish second in the Junior Rotax class of both the Super 1 National and Euro Challenge competitions, before taking sixth at the Rotax Max World Finals in Abu Dhabi.

Harrison will join one of the strongest teams in the series in Hillspeed, which claimed the 2011 title with Welshman Seb Morris, as well as coming out on top of the teams’ championship.

The team also won the 2011 BARC Formula Renault Winter Series title, and are unbeaten in Ginetta Juniors, winning the 2010 main and winter titles with Tom Ingram and Morris respectively.

“I couldn’t ask to be joining a better team for my first season in car racing,” Harrison admitted.

“Hillspeed Racing has an incredible pedigree in both sportscars and single-seaters, and that will hopefully make the transition from karting much easier.”

Harrison had planned to remain in karting this season, before the chance to join Hillspeed arose courtesy of a third party prepared to fund the campaign.

“I am fortunate to have been offered a two-year deal by the team, which will allow me time to learn the circuits in 2012,” he confirmed.

“However, even though I am going to be a rookie this year, I am confident that I will be able to get to grips with the different discipline of racing a car, and am keen to be running at the front of the field as soon as possible.”

Hillspeed are equally excited to have landed one of the top-rated UK kart racers.

“Nathan is clearly a very exciting talent,” said team owner Richard Ollerenshaw.

“We weren’t aware that a switch to cars was imminent, and a deal only really came about because Ginetta was pro-active in giving kart racers a chance to test at Bedford Autodrome in December.

“But Nathan really stood out. It was immediately apparent that he is a focused individual determined to succeed.”