He already shares his name with a Formula One great, now Epping’s Ayrton Simmons will take a sizeable step towards emulating Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna with his first Formula Four test drive.

The 14-year-old will test drive for Arden International at Blyton Park on Tuesday – the first time he will have driven a single seat car.

A former Karting World Finals winner, Simmons took up the sport at the age of five and by the time he was six he was already in competition.

Born in the UK before emigrating to Madrid for a decade, Simmons returned to Epping last year after enjoying plentiful success on the continent.

Mother Isabel said: “In Spain he won everything, all the local competitions; especially in 2012, so we decided to start here in England and started coming over here to race and he has been progressing since then.”

Having been spotted by Arden International – founded in 1997 by Red Bull boss Christian Horner and his father Garry in order to contest the FIA F3000 Championship – Simmons is now being fast-tracked to the top.

“He is working with Arden and they have seen potential in him and want him to test Formula Four and compete at 15, which is the youngest you can compete,” explained his mother.

“Eventually they want him to be ready to drive in Formula One by 18. It is his passion, his love, his life and his everything.”

But success does not come without sacrifice and for now at least, the Simmons family must finance their son’s path to the top. Driving competitively is not a cheap passion.

“It is a great strain for the family in every sense,” admitted Isabel. “It costs £120,000 for the season of Formula Four.

“He will sign a contract to drive in Formula Four at the end of the year. But for now it is a big strain and his dad has got two jobs to help pay for it.”

If Simmons enjoys even a fraction of the success of his famous namesake, he should be able to pay back his family with interest.