In association with Sytner MINI Birmingham, Pirelli Performance Centre of the Year winner BMTR took a convoy of MINIs to Castle Combe race circuit to witness its Sales Manager, Graham Legget, take part in the fifth round of the Pirelli-backed MINI Challenge. The convoy also supported the patients from the oncology ward of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Graham was awarded a coveted place at a round of this years MINI Challenge following an internal promotion which was supported by Italian tyre manufacturer, Pirelli. Having already been an ARDS license holder with over 20 years racing experience, Graham was more used to single seater racing but this was the first time he had raced a MINI competitively and in wet conditions.

Founded in 1919, BMTR is one of the UKs oldest independent tyre retailers and the family-owned independent business is also part of Group Tyre. Its flagship outlet in Perry Barr is Birmingham's largest tyre and wheel outlet, with the latest in alignment and MOT technology. BMTR won Pirellis annual PPC of the Year award as a result of the branchs outstanding efforts and near-perfect score on the final audit of 2012.

With the support of a local BMW dealer, a convoy of 30 MINIs travelled to the Wiltshire-based circuit to attend the MINI Challenge round. Each MINI in the convoy included staff, customers and patients from the oncology ward. Tickets to the MINI Challenge were provided free of charge courtesy of Pirelli.

I would like to thank Pirelli for the opportunity to take part in the MINI Challenge, said Graham at the end of the race weekend. The car was great fun to drive and everyone involved in the MINI Challenge was supportive and made me feel very welcome. Id like to specifically thank the team at Lohen Racing, especially Keith and my engineer, Jake who experienced a difficult weekend. Im pleased to say that on the race day my car ran faultlessly and I was able to fully enjoy both races.

Pirelli Tyres UK National Fleet Sales Manager, Philip Rainford, who attended Castle Combe, concluded: It was clear for all to see that Graham thoroughly enjoyed himself last weekend. There was a problem with the car on Friday so the first time he was able to drive the car was on Saturday in practice. It was a steep learning curve but he gradually eased himself into driving the car. During the second race, Graham was flying and thoroughly enjoyed himself driving on the Pirelli wets. All in all, it was a fantastic day and proved a brilliant prize for a valued customer.