The VXR Racing Driver of the Year finalists
Following
a relaxing lunch, the crew was
transferred to the Holiday Inn in Milton Keynes under false pretences.
After a fake check-in of which none of the contestants were aware of,
Lance
Corporal (LCpl) Watson from the Territorial Army Centre (TA Centre) in
Kempston walked into reception only to announce the departure to the TA
Centre
in an original army truck.
In
the 40-minute drive to their next
destination, the finalists were all sitting and waiting in anticipation
what may happen to them next. After the arrival at the TA Centre, the
group
was met by Captain Jake Baker and the team. Once they changed into
their gym kits, Gerry Convy, ex-McLaren Formula One fitness trainer,
took over to
put the participants through a demanding one-hour fitness programme
including a reaction and a multi-stage test to analyse the finalists’
speed and concentration.
“When
LCpl Watson arrived at the hotel,
their faces just dropped. They all thought they would be staying in a
nice four-star hotel for the night and do a bit of training in the
morning, so
it was a bit of a shock to them,” said Richard Hughes, Vauxhall’s Group
Marketing Manager.
“It
was more of a mixture today and the
finalists were stretched to their limits. I think some of them really
benefited from being thrown into the deep end and will definitely gain
positives from the experience. It already started to show today who can
cope best with being under pressure, which is a key ingredient for any
successful racing driver."
Stuart
Connolly from
Manchester is one of the finalists hoping to win the life-changing
prize. “It was definitely very different from what I expected when we
suddenly got picked up in an army truck. I have really enjoyed the
experience so far and although the tests were challenging today, they
have really
pushed us hard and it’s starting to get a bit tense.”
After
an eventful day, the finalists had dinner
in the drill hall at the TA Centre, where they are also spending the
night. At 22:00 LCpl Watson ordered to sleep and the lights were
switched off.
The finalists awaits another surprise on day two when they wake up in
the morning. The boot camp final continues on Monday and Tuesday with
the
finalists being announced on Tuesday evening.
The finalists arrive at the TA Centre
