TWO of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship drivers took time out of their busy schedules to visit children at a Northamptonshire village primary school.
Rising BTCC stars, Andrew Jordan and Tom Onslow-Cole, popped in on Kilsby Church of England Primary School yesterday (Wednesday, April 2), to meet Eleanor Shimwell and her classmates.
Eleanor received the special VIP visit as part of her money-can’t buy prize after winning a competition organised by Rockingham to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the touring car championship.
The Northamptonshire circuit launched the competition for school children aged seven to 11, to design a promotional poster to celebrate five decades of the racing series. Ten-year-old Eleanor beat off stiff competition from school children across the county with her superb poster to earn the visit from the John Guest Racing and VX Racing drivers.
Eleanor’s teacher, Mark Lockhart, said: “All the Year 5 and 6 children took part in the competition, which really caught their imaginations. They were very enthusiastic when it came to designing their posters, and even did some research on the internet. We are really pleased for Eleanor, and hope she has a good day out at Rockingham. We would like to thank Andrew and Tom for coming along to the school. The children thoroughly enjoyed the visit.”
Eighteen-year-old Andrew Jordan of John Guest Racing, who is in his first season of the championship, had the tough job of judging the competition on behalf of Rockingham.
West Midlands’ driver Andrew said: “It was a very difficult job to pick just one winner but I chose Eleanor’s poster as she had used bold and bright colours which made it stand out and the detail on it was really good. The standard of all the entries was really high, and it was clear a lot of time and effort had been put in to creating them. It has been a pleasure to come along and meet Eleanor and her school and the least we could do to show our appreciation to those whop took part in the competition.”
Surrey’s VX Racing driver, Tom, in his second season of the championship, added: “It is always great to go into schools and have the chance to speak to the children. It is not every day they get a chance to meet a real racing driver and so this will be a day they will remember. The children asked some really good questions and it was fantastic to see them getting excited about the championship and motor racing in general, and we hope our visit has inspired them to come along and watch.”
In addition to the visit by the two drivers, Eleanor won some superb art equipment for her class plus family VIP hospitality at Rockingham’s BTCC meeting on Sunday, April 13, and a signed, framed edition of her poster.
Eleanor will also be able to see her poster at Rockingham, as her winning design will be on display in the Welcome Centre along with the rest of the entries over the BTCC race weekend (April 12/13).
Director of Sales & Marketing at Rockingham, Charlotte Orton, said: “We were absolutely thrilled with the response we received from schools across the county. Everyone clearly put a lot of time and effort into producing their posters as the standard of entries was very high, making the judging process very difficult for Andrew Jordan. We would like to thank all the children who entered the competition, and hope they take advantage of their two complimentary race day tickets to come and see their posters on display at the circuit.”
Fans will be able to catch Andrew Jordan and Tom Onslow-Cole in action at Rockingham when the UK’s premier motor racing series heads back to the circuit for round four, five and six on April 12/13.
The entertainment won’t be confined to the track and there will be plenty for the whole family to enjoy, including the amazing Blades air display, live music from the past five decades, children’s entertainers, trade stands and much more
Advance adult Sunday tickets are still available and cost just £21. Children 15 and under get in free. To book call the ticket hotline on 0870 231 0846 or visit rockingham.co.uk/events
Top of the range hospitality packages are also available for just £130 per person plus VAT, which includes full catering throughout the day, complimentary bar, VIP parking and entrance ticket. Please call 01536 271531 or visit rockingham.co.uk for more details.
