Ryan Giggs Takes Corners Quickly for SEAT Sport UK

30 April 2005

Manchester United football star Ryan Giggs made his motor racing debut when he tested a Smartnav SEAT Cupra Championship Leon Cupra R at Oulton Park. It was the first time the 31- year old Welsh international had driven a racing car on a circuit, yet he was soon up to full speed in the 150mph SEAT.

The test was organised for A Question of Sport, in which Ryan appeared in the Mystery Guest round as a pit lane mechanic who takes over the driving after a pit stop from the 2001 British Touring Car Champion, Jason Plato.  Unmistakeable in the famous red strip at Old Trafford, Ryan was equally instantly recognisable in a crash helmet and SEAT Sport UK racing overalls, as the panel had little trouble guessing who the mystery racing driver actually was.

Ryan spent an afternoon with SEAT Sport UK and was shown the racing ropes by Plato and team-mate James Pickford.  James, a former instructor at Oulton Park, took Ryan out in a road-going Leon Cupra R first to show him the correct racing lines and braking areas.  Then Ryan left the Oulton Park pits in the 260PS turbo-charged Leon Cupra R racing car and completed 20 laps of the challenging Cheshire circuit without a problem.

Ryan said: “I really enjoyed driving a racing car for the first time. The more laps I did the faster I drove and the faster the corners were coming up, so it was pretty scary at times! It was great fun.”

Pickford said: “If Ryan had a full day’s testing in the car I think he’d get close to a proper racing driver’s lap times.  He seemed a bit of a natural behind the SEAT steering wheel.  His racing lines going into and out of the corners were correct and he wasn’t worried about putting his foot down and using all the power.  In just twenty laps I was impressed in what he achieved.”

See series calendar for SEAT Cupra Championship 2005

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