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Some of Scotland’s top Police
drivers were given the opportunity to inspect the race cars of a leading
Touring Car team last night (Thursday).
Highly-trained officers from the Scottish
Police College got a closer look at the vehicles of Motorbase Performance BMW
drivers Steven Kane and Rob Collard at Tulliallan ahead of the latest round
of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill this weekend
(August 17).
The Touring Car squad visited the Police
College to carry out pre-race checks on their BMW 320si race cars after being
invited to use the facilities by the Head of Road
Policing training, Chief Inspector Michael Cleary.
With both sets of drivers using similar
vehicles on a daily basis – although for completely different purposes
– the meeting was seen as an ideal way of comparing notes on the cars
and driving techniques.
The Motorbase Performance cars underwent a
series of ‘shakedown’ checks to make sure they were in perfect
running order for the weekend’s event after their long journey from the
team’s base in Kent. Once the cars were put through their paces
it was a case of spot-the-difference as the race cars and police vehicles
were lined up side-by-side for comparison.
The two sets of high-speed BMWs will be
involved in very different roles on race-day this Sunday – with the
Motorbase cars challenging for podium places in Touring Car races, while the
Police cars ensure the safety of visitors to the event at Knockhill.
Motorbase Performance Team Principal David
Bartrum said:
“It was great to meet guys who
really know how to drive a BMW properly, they obviously know their
stuff. The police drivers have a very different style to our guys and
it was fascinating to get an insight into the skills needed to drive safely
at high speeds on public roads. There are some real villains in Touring
Car racing, so we’ve asked some of the officers here to look out for
our cars on the track on Sunday to make sure they don’t get into any
trouble.”
The Scottish Police Service
Authority’s Michael Cleary, Head of Road Policing training at the
Scottish Police College, said:
“We are delighted to
welcome these terrific drivers and cars to Tulliallan ahead of what should be
a fantastic weekend of motor sport. But we are no strangers to high
performance vehicles and highly-skilled drivers throughout the year at the
College. To deliver modern policing across Scotland, the Scottish
police service makes use of some of the very same vehicles
which will be in action this weekend. The emphasis for
the police, however, is always on safety. Racing drivers have
a well known saying. To finish first, first you have to finish.
In policing we have adopted our own. It is far better to arrive late
than not at all. When the public’s safety is on the line, no
emergency is so great that it justifies a collision.”
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