Vauxhall VXR chance in a lifetime

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How does the sound of fitness tests at an army boot camp, reaction tests and a media grilling sound to you? Too much like hard work? How about if we told you if you managed to get though all of that you could win the chance to race a Vauxhall Astra in the Dunlop Sport Maxx cup - a prize worth £80,000? Some 8,000 applicants liked the sound of that, applying to take part in Vauxhall's VXR Racing Driver of the Year competition, 2,000 making it through to six regional finals.

Those 2,000 applicants were whittled down to just 12 hopefuls, each one having to participate in tough fitness training, reaction assessments and that media grilling to see just how well they'll cope in the intense world of motorsport. Vauxhall has had huge success in touring car racing, with seven driver and seven manufacturer championships in recent years. The most recent VX Racing champ, Fabrizio Giovanardi (2007 British Touring Car Champion) saying: “You cannot drive a car competitively if you aren't fit; the heat alone in the cockpit can be so immense that an unfit driver could potentially pass out. These guys now have an increased awareness of the demanding sport”.

Helping out with the fitness tests were ex-McLaren fitness trainer Gerry Cony and Lance Corporal (LCpl) Watson, who provided a troop exercise to show team-playing skills and camaraderie with fellow competitors. Pushed not just physically but mentally too, the 12 were subjected to media grilling my ITV's Formula one reporter Ted Kravitz.

Ted, together with VX Racing's stars Fabrizio Giovanardi and Matt Neal not only talked about the importance of media relations, but also provided examples of how to deal with the media within the highly-pressured motorsport environment.

“The time at the army camp just illustrated to the potential racing drivers it is not only speed that counts, there are other key essential elements: media/PR and fitness,” said Fabrizio. Obviously driving ability was tested too, the 12 undergoing a whole day of punishing driving assessments at Bedford Autodrome, driving everything from Caterhams to the fearsome Jaguar JP1 track car.

After all this only one person could walk away with the ultimate prize, and John Allison, a 34 year-old mortgage consultant was the man for the job. He was crowned the VXR Racing Driver of the Year, the title awarding him with a fully-funded race seat in the 2008 Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Car Championship, worth £80,000.

“I would like to congratulate John. He did a fantastic job over the last three days whilst being under immense pressure,” said Richard Hughes, Vauxhall's Group Marketing Manager. “Vauxhall drivers have to reflect the high quality of the brand. John will be acting as ambassador and we have every confidence in his ability.”

John's next step in his newly-found opportunity will be to meet his VX Racing team of mechanics and engineers, before embarking on a test programme to prepare him for the season ahead. We wish him our congratulations, and the best of luck.

Kyle Fortune

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