Dublin Ace Returns to Motorsport with SEAT After Nine Year Break

25 March 2004

Dublin racing driver Lorcan Johnson will return to motor racing in the 2004 SEAT Cupra Championship, having been out of motorsport for nine years.
 
The 48-year old Aircom computer cabling technician from Malahide has an unusual motorsport CV, for he began in saloons, moved to single seaters and then raced karts until 1995. Lorcan made his racing debut in mid-1981 and just two years later won the class titles in the Dunlop Sexton Trophy, the Northern Ireland Touring Car Championship and the Dealer Opel Cup. Having finished 2nd in three championships in 1984, Lorcan stopped racing in 1985, married Grainne the following year and returned to racing in the 1987 FF2000 Championship. He competed in rallycross in 1988 and ’89, and in 1990 he raced karts. Work in London prevented him racing in 1991 and ’92, and after three more years of karting Lorcan stopped racing altogether in 1995. In preparation for his return, Lorcan – who is renowned for his determination as well as race craft - has been training for two years, lost a stone in weight and is virtually tee-total. 
 
Lorcan tested his Leon Cupra R for the first time at Donington and set an impressive time – particularly has he’d just flown in from the Far East, where he’d been to watch the Malaysian Grand Prix.  At the Sepang Kart Track, he set a time just 1.2 second slower than Jaguar F1 driver Christian Klien.
 
Lorcan’s first visit to Donington wasn’t entirely without incident, however, as he survived a 100mph spin at Craner Curves, but he was nonetheless pleased with his first test in the Leon Cupra R.
 
Lorcan said: “I saw the SEAT Cupra Championship on television last year and it looks a fantastic series.  I particularly like the concept of arrive and drive, because it’s so much better if you have mechanics to prepare your car for a race weekend rather than do everything yourself like I did in FF2000. I enjoyed the first test session – I’m happy enough and feel we are going in the right direction.  I made a big improvement between the first and second sessions, so the Leon is a car I feel I will quickly get used to. The fact I’m the oldest driver in the series doesn’t put me under any pressure out on the track, because I love good clean racing and I’m a very determined person.”
 
 
See series calendar for SEAT Cupra Championship 2004

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