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North East driving team take European Britcar Championship title

Local businessman Ian Lawson, along with driving team mates Mike Wilds and Anthony Wilds, are flying the chequered flag for the North East as European Endurance Racing Champions, after a final race at Brands Hatch to decide the 2008 Britcar Championship.

The amateur driving team, consisting of 54-year-old Ian Lawson from Ponteland and 63-year-old ex-F1 driver Mike Wilds, took the title following a close-run final race on 15 November. Third driver Anthony Wilds and the three-strong support team in charge of maintenance, pit duties and team strategy - Peter Rea, Steve Murray and Gordon Jackson - celebrated the win as one of only a small number of amateur driving teams to ever claim the title.

Britcar is an endurance motor racing series founded in 2000 which currently enjoys popularity amongst driving professional driving teams as a Motor Sports Association (MSA) approved championship. Ian and Mike raced against up to 40 production touring cars in a BMW 320i over nine different races of between two and six hours in length.

Ian said: “This is our fourth year in the Britcar championships so we are absolutely thrilled to be bringing the title home to the North East, with the help of our support team and sponsors. Winning the Britcar championship is one of the biggest achievements of my life and I’m incredibly proud of how our team has performed to help clinch a win for an amateur racing team.

“Since the start of the Britcar season in March, the championship has taken in race tracks including Spa Francorchamp in Belgium and Silverstone GP track in Northampton. We have raced over 3500 miles in total and my driving partners Mike and Anthony Wilds have driven incredibly well to help claim this title. The preparation of the car by Torquespeed Motorsport has been very much key to our success and I certainly hope to be able to defend the Championship next year.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .