British GT racers Josh Rowledge and James Wallis, Porsche Sprint Challenge GB points leader Joe Warhurst and European GT4 competitor Tom Edgar have been chosen to progress to the final stage.
A dozen candidates were interviewed by series organisers at the end of last month and those drivers have now been whittled down to four who will go head-to-head at Silverstone on 1 November.
The quartet will face a range of driving, fitness and media assessments to determine who will follow in newly crowned Carrera Cup GB champion Adam Smalley’s footsteps as the Junior.
The winner will receive £85,000 towards their budget in each of the two seasons of the Junior programme, as well as benefiting from a range of support and experiences from Porsche.
All of the past five Juniors have become Carrera Cup champions.
Of the finalists, Rowledge, 17, won the Ginetta Junior title last season and stepped up to a McLaren in British GT4 for this year, taking a best result of second so far.
He also has a few Porsche races under his belt after contesting the opening two Sprint Challenge Southern Europe events over the winter, impressively qualifying fourth at Valencia.
“It’s something I’ve been working hard towards over the last couple of years after seeing the success of Harry [King, Smalley's predecessor as Junior] and Adam,” said Rowledge.
“Everyone who applied is a top-level driver – the final 12 are all very good – so I feel privileged to get through to the final. Whatever happens, I will give it my best shot.”
Wallis, 17, meanwhile, has been racing in British GT's GT3 division and has also been a frontrunner in the GT Cup.
“It’s still a bit of a shock,” admitted Wallis of making the final. “I remember hearing some of the names who had entered and thinking getting into the top four is going to be a huge thing.”
He won the GTH GT Cup title last year at the wheel of a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport so already has a connection with the brand.
“The difference will be no ABS - that’s something I’m going to have to get used to,” said Wallis.
“It’s going to be super competitive this year and it’s going to be a hard fight for the win but, as long as I put all my skills together, I think I should have a good opportunity.”
Ginetta Junior graduate Warhurst, 18, secured his first Sprint Challenge wins at Silverstone last time out and now heads into this weekend’s Brands Hatch finale with a slender points lead.
“Two of my previous coaches in Ginetta Junior are Harry King and Adam Smalley and they’re the past two winners,” he said.
“I’ve seen how it’s impacted their career and changed their lives so it meant a lot to be in the final 12 and I’m over the moon to get into the final four.
“I feel confident for the shootout. I know I’ve been training for a while and I really stepped my training up this year.”
Rounding out the finalists, former British GT4 driver Edgar, 18, has scored one win and finished third in the standings after progressing to European competition this year.
“I can’t thank Porsche enough for giving me the opportunity,” he said. “It’s a prestigious brand and to have them recognise your talent is quite an honour.
“I remember reading the names [of the 12 on the shortlist] and they’re people I’ve raced against and to outperform them is good.”
Porsche GB motorsport manager James MacNaughton added: “We received a high number of applications for the role of 2024-25 Junior and the overall standard was exceptional, making the selection of our semi-finalists even harder than usual.
“We wish all 12 the best of luck for the future, but we are especially looking forward to welcoming James, Joe, Josh and Tom to our Junior Shootout at Silverstone.”
