IT WAS more than 20 years ago that Derek Warwick became the first Hampshire racing driver to break into Formula One.

Now Justin Keen from East Boldre in the New Forest is hovering just one foot on the ladder down from motor racing's blue riband series.

Keen has just landed a much sought-after drive in the FIA European Formula 3000 Champion-ship series, traditional stepping stone into Formula One.

He has signed to race for Monaco Motorsport, based just outside Italy's mecca of motor-racing Monza.

The team's management personnel have an impressive record of pushing drivers through into Formula One - nine according to Keen.

They also had a F3000 champion in 1993 in the shape of Italy's Luca Badoa.

The 27-year-old New Forest driver has clinched his place in Monao Motorsport on the strength of finishing runner-up to Damien Faulk-ner in last summer's European Formula Palmer Audi Championship.

Keen might have gone on to win the title but he ran out of budget and missed the last two races.

Now thanks to a private backer, he has found the sponsorship he needs to join Monaco Motorsport and he makes his debut in the first round of the F3000 series at Interlagos, Brazil's Grand Prix venue, on Saturday afternoon.

"I am going into the race completely cold," said Keen.

"The deal has just been done and I haven't even had time to test the car.

"I'll have two 45-minute sessions of qualifying on Friday and that will be it.

"I'll be racing the next day but, to be honest, no-one expects anything great.

"When the team gets back to Italy, we will get into some concerted testing."

The F3000 series is very much a drivers' championship with every car having a Lola Chassis and a 450bhp British-built Zey-tek engine.

Keen has served a tough apprenticeship in Formula Ford, Formula Renault and, for the last three years, Formula Audi Palmer, in which he notched up a handful of wins and several podium finishes.

Top Britons in the series include Justin Wilson, a big rival of Keen's in FPA and now a front runner in European F3000.

Keen's team grabbed an 11th hour entry into the F3000 ranks, taking over the slot vacated by Kid Jensen's team, who could not hit the massive budget for 2001.

"The drive has come as a late bonus for me," said Keen.

"I did some F3000 testing in Estoril last autumn but since then there has been nothing.

"I thought my racing career was at an end."

moving up: Justin Keen in Formula Palmer Audi action last season. Now he has landed a plum FIA European F3000 drive.