Dan, 16, Joins the VW Racing Cup Grid
24 March
2005
The Volkswagen Racing Cup's youngest ever competitor, 16-year-old
Dan Thackeray, is revving up to take to the tracks next weekend (2/3
Apr) for the championship's opening rounds at Donington Park.
Though
still five months from his 17th birthday and the chance to gain a road
licence, Buntingford-based Dan is an old hand at the racing game. He started
in karts at the age of 10 and passed his ARDS track exam when just 15.
Last year
he contested the BRSCC's T-Cars saloon championship for young racers,
finishing third in his maiden season and earning the Driver of the Year accolade.
GCSE
student Thackeray is jumping straight into a front-running car -
the Saxon Motorsport-prepared Corrado VR6 piloted last year by former
Volkswagen
Racing
Cup champion Mike Neuhoff - and is expecting the transition to be difficult.
'The
Corrado will require a totally different driving style, as the T-Car I am used
to racing is rear-wheel drive,' said Dan. 'Not just that, but I am used
to racing with nine or 10 other cars, and at Donington I'll be on a grid of
30. It's in at the deep end…'
Dan's mentor is former British Touring
Car Champion Tim Harvey, and it was he who recommended that the Hertfordshire
lad should learn the art of front-wheel-drive
racing in the Volkswagen Racing Cup.
'I know most people my age want to be a
Formula 1 driver but I am realistic enough to know that it is unlikely to
happen. I want to race touring cars and
the Volkswagen
Racing Cup is the best place to learn the skills.'
Reigning champion Philip
House heads the entry for rounds one and two of the 12-race championship.
The Volkswagen Racing Cup enjoys the support of Augustus Martin,
Castrol, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Europcar, Experian, Inchcape Automotive,
ISG Occupancy,
Milltek
Sport, Mondial Assistance, Pirelli, Proximity London, KW Automotive, Superchips,
TNT Logistics, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Financial
Services UK.
See 2005 series calendar
for VW
Racing Cup
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