Motorsport News Winner

Never before had so much been put on the line for a humble Nissan Micra. The MN-backed Drive competition, organised by the Motorsports Future division of British Trial and Rally Drivers Association (BTRDA), reached its final shoot-out stage at Bill Gwynne Rallyschool in Northants in late February.

The prize? A season of free autosolos, autotests and car trials in the aforementioned cherry red 1.3-litre Micra, prepared by BTRDA's team of technical experts. It's as fuss-free as motorsport can be.
The contestants? A varied collection brought together for the shoot-out simply by the fact they entered the exclusive competition through MN.
And the point of the exercise? To highlight how unreasonably easy it is to get involved in the grassroots sport passionately promoted by BTRDA.

The nine finalists converged on Bill Gwynne Rallyschool near Turweston from all corners of the country.  Several contestants showed tremendous dedication just to attend the day. Anthony Oakensen, a policeman from East Sussex, finished work at 0400hrs and slept in the back of his parents' car as they drove him up to Northants.
Chris Cockrell works as a site manager for a construction firm in Glasgow, and was due back at work the following morning. Oxford-based Katie Blake was due to embark on the long drive north the next day to work as part of the service crew for Max Utting's Fiesta SportingTrophy entry on the Malcolm Wilson Rally.

The candidates faced a brace of driving tests in the morning – a short, sharp autosolo in the prize-drive Micra, followed by a go behind the wheel of one of Bill Gwynne Rallyschool's Ford Escort Mk2s on a gravel stage. The Micra test was carried out with one of BTRDA's experts in the passenger seat, while Bill Gwynne himself sat in on each of the rally runs. No pressure then. In the afternoon the contestants had to convince a panel of judges why they should win the prize.
The candidates only had two runs. The drivers had been told that it was not about being fastest through the test. The instructors were looking for overall potential and the ability to listen and learn from the advice the instructors were telling them.  

Cockrell set a fast, precise example in the diminutive car and said: "When I came out of the Army I trained as a chauffeur and close protection driver. During my 11 years in the Army I was part of its rally team, but that was mainly 12-car rallies in Land Rovers."
Andrew Fisher had a few experiences under his belt, most notably a Formula Ford driving school day at Donington Park back in 1990 when he was tutored by Kelvin Burt. But the computer programmer from Crewe had never taken his passion for the sport further. He felt he adapted quickly to the Micra: "I gave it a bit more welly on the second run when I got more familiar with the car." Daniel Castle from Leamington Spa was also facing the unknown: "The Micra was good fun, but I stalled a few times because it's the first time I've driven a petrol-powered car in my life. I usually drive a Land Rover." Jay Allard was one of two female contestants to make the final nine, and she said: "It looks really daunting when you are looking at the course and all the cones, but when you are in the car it makes a lot more sense."
Anthony Oakensen described his autosolo run as "the most fun I've ever had in a car. It was odd taking your foot off the clutch and leaving it on the floor, and having your arms flailing all over the steering wheel instead of having them at the ‘ten to two' position and feeding the wheel."

The chance to try a rally prepared Ford Escort Mk2 was a huge eye-opener for most of the competitors, many of whom had never had the chance to sample the legendary rally machine before. For Michael Lloyd, however, it marked a trip down memory lane, because the 51-year-old last drove an Escort back in 1979 – albeit a venerable road-going version. "This one didn't have quite so much water lying in the bottom of it," quipped the Dorset man. Sam Brown from Abingdon is more at home taking part in drifting competitions in his BMW 328 on asphalt, but he said: "It felt natural, like the drifting I'm used to. I felt totally at home with it." Katie Blake, 19, enthused: "At the hairpin I was handbraking every time, and the last one I just powered around it perfectly."

The afternoon's interview and presentation stages were followed by the moment of truth. After some lengthy deliberation from the judging panel – including representatives of BTRDA, Bill Gwynne Rallyschool and Motorsport News – John Fox was confirmed as a shellshocked winner (see sidebar).

As BTRDA Motorsports Future member Alastair Moffatt said: "It was a tremendously difficult  decision and we were impressed by the standard. There could only be one winner and it will be up to the unsuccessful competitors to get out there and prove us wrong during the season ahead."
 
BTRDA/MN Drive winner John Fox, 23, from Nottingham, is a motorsport fan who has never had the chance to compete.

"My only experience was a rally taster day where I got five minutes in a Peugeot 205," says Fox, who works for Rolls Royce. "I've never had the money to have a go. One of my friends is building a rally car with his father so I'm going to help them service."

His run in the Micra confounded his expectations: "The instructor asked me to tell him where the course went, but then I didn't follow what I had told him. I got over-excited with the handbrake on the first run."
The event also opened Fox's eyes as to how easy it is to compete: "I like the fact that there's no rollcage needed, and that you can just arrive and drive. You don't have to pay lots of money to take part.
Fox's first event in the Micra is set for early May, although he'll take part in a training day before then. MN will be there to report on his experiences.