Back Behind the Wheel
Cornish Mobile Phone Tycoon and HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship driver John George is back behind the wheel of a racing car once again, less than three weeks after his serious accident at Brands Hatch.
The 47-year-old is due to race in a Britcar Production S1 Race on the 25th of October following a successful testing session in a Honda Integra DC5 (picture courtesy of Daniel Stanton, TH Motorsport). The all-day event will take place at Brands Hatch and John George will be partnering with his son Kevin, who recently acquired his own racing certificate.
John George described getting back into a racing car at Brands Hatch after the accident:
“I was quite apprehensive before the testing session, but very quickly got back into the flow of things. I was keen to start racing again as soon as I was able to, in order to keep up the momentum; and one of my concerns before I arrived at Brands Hatch was that I might have struggled to get up to the pace.”
John George’s crash on the 21st of September was one of the most dramatic of recent Touring Car history and he was extremely fortunate to have escaped serious injury. John George was released from hospital following two days of observation; he had sustained severe bruising to his chest and shoulders but no broken bones, concussion or brain damage. He said:
“After the accident I lost my short-term memory for a few days and found I was generally a bit clumsy and off-balance. Although I felt quite unwell for a while, there have been no lasting problems. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who sent their get-well sentiments to me; it means a great deal to me that so many people were concerned for my wellbeing.”
(Footage available here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tjT61XQ7q0Y)
The Honda Integra John George will be driving in the Britcar race is a Production S1 spec. vehicle; simpler than the BTCC model he was driving last season:
“It is a very simple car compared to the last Integra, so it will be extremely interesting to race it on the 25th. It ran beautifully throughout the testing session” John added, “On the day everything went really well –we were within four seconds of a touring car time, which was really encouraging. It got very wet later in the day, but we had no issues with the vehicle or my driving and maintained a good time all day.”
The testing day also gave John George and the Team an opportunity to test out their new safety equipment, all of which had to be replaced after the incident at Brands Hatch in September. Trevor Humphrey, Managing Director of TH Motorsport, the Race Preparation Team for John George said:
“We’re all very happy to see John back in the car again; it was a big moment for him and for us. A lot of us were a bit concerned that John’s nerves might have got through to him after the accident, but he drove really well in bad conditions during testing and we’re really pleased that it hasn’t affected him. We’d like to see Kevin finish the race on the 25th and stay out of trouble: he’s not as experienced as his dad, but he’s known the guys in the team for years and it’s good that John will be there supporting him. I think they’ll both do very well.”
John’s son, Kevin, may be new to Britcar but has had his share of experience on the grid, including two Palmer Racing days and two track sessions, including one in a touring car. He said:
“I’m a little bit nervous, to be honest, but really looking forward to it. I’ve done some training with John Pratt at Silverstone and we have two more coaching sessions booked for next week so I can get used to the car we’ll be using on the 25th. I’m going to go at my own pace, take it easy and keep the car on the track! Our aim is to finish the race, avoid damaging the car and have some fun along the way.”
Date: 13/10/2008