Southport Motor Sports Champ!

The North west Formula Ford Champions are back to fight it out on the track again! 

The University of Central Lancashire has a Championship winning Formula Ford Motor Sports Team, who in their debut year, won the North West 2001 Championships and competed at the National Formula Ford Festival at Brand Hatch!    John Calderbank senior lecturer on the Motor Sports Engineering Degree told us, "The team has worked really hard to get the car up to the standard that it is, and we have great hopes for the forthcoming season, we hope that it will be as successful as last year" 

With Stuart Gough at the wheel, who is only twenty years old and from Southport, the team is set on the right track and will be contending for this years championships.  The young driver started competing in the National Karting events in 1996, aged fourteen, and last year came third in the 125cc Gearbox Gold Cup.  He has now left karting full-time and is moving up to Formula Ford with UCLAN.  He is aiming to qualify consistently in the top six and then hopefully by mid-season, the team and driver should be in a good position to go for the title.  Stuart  was in fighting mood when he said, "I'm here to win, not make up the numbers!"

The university is the only university in the country that offers this type of degree and also gives the students the opportunity to actually go racing and feel the pressures and culture of a meeting.   UCLAN Racing is a non-profit team and is only in existence to give students experience in the motor sports industry.  Seeing the team now regularly exhibiting at the Autosports International Show, it allows prospective students to meet the team and see the cars.  Most importantly it gives the current students the valuable opportunities to make contacts in the motor sports industry.  

 

Stuart's website, the address is:- www.goughracing.com 

The team races in the Opal Telecom North West FF1600 Championships, which is in its twentieth year, consisting of ten rounds at Oulton Park.  Until 1994 the championship was run with only one class, but in 1995 "pre 87" cars run as a separate entity with their own points systems. Over the last three years, an average of sixty-four drivers have registered and in 2001 sixty drives out of the sixty-seven  scored points.

Even though the team owns two Formula Ford race cars, the championship winning car, a 1989 Reynard and a 1993 Swift,  they only have one driver.   The team are planning to run the 1993 Swift, but they are working hard to prepare both cars in the hope that the previous championship winning, 1989 Reynard may be run at selected races.  Keep an eye out for their purpose built lorry with awning on the roads around the north west.  Please hoot a hoot of support! Article by Rachel Fielding.

Fashion Show!

This is your last warning to get tickets to the best ladies night out.  A fantastic night is awaiting you as a fund raising evening for the Liverpool Alderhey Rocking Horse appeal is about to get under way!

Just picture this!

You arrive at 7.30 on the 14 of March in the magnificent surroundings of the West Tower Country House Restraint on Mill Lane in Aughton, only to be greeted with a campaign cocktail, then a three course luxury dinner with coffee to lightly ash it down.  Then a magnificent fashion show put on by Formby's  Privet Collections, Rodayo and just to round it off a beauty treatment display by Perfect Image and The One And Only Tre Mc Camley and partner Aka MaDame will be on hand to read your palms!

Ring the organizers Gill Fell of Impact PR on 07813 166426.  Remember tickets are selling fast and are only £24.95