|
Vauxhall’s
VXR Racing
Driver of the Year visited London and the South West this weekend where
the last four finalists were confirmed for the competition’s Grand
Final.
Vauxhall
launched its unique
search to find Britain’s best natural driving talent earlier this year
and entrants throughout the heats have shown fierce wheel-to-wheel
battles.
The
four finalists, who were
amongst more than 500 wannabe racing drivers who attended this
weekend's Semi-Finals, will now join eight fellow contestants in the
battle for a
fully-funded race seat worth £80,000.
The
winner will be
Vauxhall’s official entry in the 2008 Dunlop Maxx Sport Production Car
Cup, a feeder series to the UK’s largest motor racing package,
the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, with multiple
championship-winning outfit Triple Eight Engineering,
The
Grand Final, which takes
place early next year, will see the 12 finalists enduring grueling
media and fitness tests as well as getting behind the wheel of the race
car.
VX
Racing’s Tom
Chilton, who is the youngest-ever winner of a BTCC race, watched on
from the pit lane over the weekend giving tips and tricks to the
aspiring racers.
“I
really admired the
guys because they gave it their best,” the 22-year-old said. “People
underestimate how difficult it is to control a kart because it
takes a lot of strength and energy.
“The fights I
saw on-track were aggressive but there weren’t any unfair overtaking which you would expect in such a tight competition.” manoeuvres,
Fellow finalists are
Edinburgh’s Grant Elliot and Ryan Struthers, Lesmahagow’s Barry McGowan, Manchester’s Stuart Connolly, Beverly’s John
Allison, Swadlincote’s Muorali Selvarajah, Milton Keynes’ Adrian Trenholme and Nitin Luthra from Bedford.
The four winners were:
James Corte, 30, Winchester, accountant
“I’m
happy and
surprised! I thought I would do well here as I’ve done karting around
here before. I really thought that I wouldn’t be quick enough and
others would beat me but I was smooth and consistent.
“I’m in the company karting league so I race about once a month. I’m not sure how I will prepare myself for the Grand
Final as it will be in cars not karts.
“I play football and go mountain biking regularly and I will keep it up to be very fit and strong for the Grand
Final.”
Wesley Goodwin, 25, Tunbridge Wells, traveller
“I’m
so happy
to have won today. I’m looking for a new career and now I’m back in the
UK after traveling around Australia for six months so I thought
I give this a go, and now I’ve suddenly found myself with a place in
the Grand Final.
“I like watching Formula Ford and Renault because it’s
really close racing, but racing for Vauxhall in 2008 would be a dream come true. I really can’t wait for the Grand Final to
happen!”
Jonathan Lissester, 26, London, architect
“I’m so happy I won! It
went really well this morning and I think my 13 years experience of karting did pay off.
“I
had an injury in July so I
was a bit nervous whether this would affect my performance today. It
was hard work out there because I raced against some really good
drivers.
“Now
I’ve got a
place in the Grand Final I would like to think I can go on to win it. I
will do everything possible to prepare myself for the big
day.”
Chris Jiggins, 29, Essex, assistant parts manager for a car dealer
“I’m very confident going into the
Grand Final! I’ve done a lot of kart racing and bike track days and this experience has obviously paid off.
“I’m determined to win the prize
in the Grand Final next year and I’m going to do a strict fitness routine now that I have something to focus on.”
|
News 
