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The hunt for Britain's best hidden racing talent returns |
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Wednesday, 02 April 2008 |
If you
dream of taking the chequered flag or tasting victory champagne then your dreams
could come true in 2008 as the VXR Racing Driver of Year competition
returns.
Vauxhall
are challenging people from all walks of life, including housewives, accountants
or even vets to pull on a helmet and grab the opportunity to win a full season
of racing in 2009 supported by the car manufacturer.
The prize,
worth £80,000 will see the eventual winner take a coveted seat in the 2009
Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Car Cup, a major feeder series to the British
Touring Car Championship (BTCC).
Not only
that, the victor will receive expert mentoring and guidance from members of VX
Racing’s BTCC driver line-up, which in 2008 includes touring car legend and
reigning Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi, former double Champion Matt Neal and
rising-star Tom Onslow-Cole.
Last year
John Allison, a 34-year-old mortgage consultant from Beverley, East Yorkshire, beat more than 10,000 other competitors to
become a Vauxhall driver and win a season behind the wheel of an Astra VXR. John
is now making his final preparations as he counts down to the first round of the
2008 Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Car Cup at Snetterton later this
month.
Vauxhall’s
Richard Hughes said: “Opportunities to become a fully-fledged racing driver are
few and far between, it’s not the kind of job you see advertised in your local
newspaper! It’s all about finding
undiscovered talent, with real potential – we’ll then turn them into the
finished product.
“It’s also
more than just being quick on the track. You must be able to offer excellent
feedback to engineers and be confident with the media. In 2007 we discovered
these qualities in John, and this year VXR aim to do the same again and offer a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to someone who has never had the chance to
showcase their ability before.”
2007
winner John Allison said: “Signing-up for last year’s competition was the best
decision I’ve ever made. In a matter of months I’ve gone from armchair
enthusiast to racing driver, I cannot wait to make my debut on track at
Snetterton later this month. Anyone thinking about entering should get online
and submit their entry right away.”
Registration
is now live, to do this, visit www.vxrdriver.co.uk. From this, 1,620 successful
applicants will be put through their paces in the karting semi-finals, before 15
finalists are selected for the intensive three-day final.
VXR Racing
Driver of the Year is open to enter for anyone over the age of 21, who has never
held a racing licence. Full terms and conditions are available on the
website.
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Reception at today's launch
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