PARIS, Oct 6 (AFP) - The world championship legacy of racing greats Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg is in safe hands as members of their own families continue the family tradition.
Nelson Piquet Junior, known as Nelsinho and just 19-years-old, made his breakthrough with a little bit of history last weekend when he became the youngest ever winner of the British Formula 3 Championship.
His father had also won the junior title before eventually going on to clinch three Formula One world titles.
Nelsinho and Nico Rosberg, the son of Keke, F1 champion in 1982, have already tested for the Williams F1 team while Bruno Senna, the nephew of the late triple world champion, is also cutting his teeth in the junior Formula BMW championship.
With his win at the weekend, Piquet Jnr took over from fellow Brazilian and Ferrari star Rubens Barrichello as the youngest winner of the prestigious F3 crown.
Dad Nelson won it as a 25-year-old in 1978.
"I was so happy to finally win the championship. It's a fantastic end to the season," said Nelsinho.
"This championship isnt just for me, its for my whole family and for my team who have worked so hard."
Rosberg, also 19, has just finished his 2004 season taking part in the Formula 3 Euroseries campaign where he ended fourth overall.
"It was a disappointing way to end the season," said Nico.
"But, looking back over the year, I think I have proved to everyone that I am fast and I look forward to progressing my career next season."
Both men had a taste of the big time at the end of last year when they tested for Williams in Spain - Nelson Piquet even hinted that his son was on the verge of a full-time deal with the Anglo-German team.
The test in Spain was Rosberg's second with Williams having driven for them in December 2003 when he became the youngest ever driver to test a F1 car.
Meanwhile, Bruno Senna, 21, is competing in the final rounds of the Formula BMW UK Championship and is proud that Uncle Ayrton, who was killed at Imola in 1994, inspired him when he was a boy.
"He encouraged me and there were a number of occasions when I raced with Ayrton on the go-kart circuit on our farm outside Sao Paulo," Senna told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"I never stopped liking motorsports, even after Ayrton's accident. I stopped watching for two, three years. I wasn't feeling very comfortable towards the Formula One races.
"Slowly I got it back. Other motorsports, like go-karts and other formulas I continued to like. Always at the back of his mind was the thought: "Maybe I could be there?"