Triple Olympic sailing gold medallist Ben Ainslie CBE met one of his British touring car heroes today when Team RAC driver Stephen Jelley visited the south coast ahead of the Thruxton round of the BTCC.
Triple Olympic sailing gold medallist Ben Ainslie CBE met one of his British touring car heroes today when Team RAC driver Stephen Jelley visited the south coast ahead of the Thruxton round of the BTCC.
At the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, Ainslie, a fan of the BTCC, posed for photographs with Jelley and the show car to promote the event which takes place this Sunday.
Ben Ainslie said: "I have always been a fan of the BTCC. I love the kind of racing which is always nip and tuck and quite aggressive. It makes for great viewing.
"I will be trying my best to get to one of the meetings this season to see some of the best drivers in British motorsport, including Stephen, in action. I'll definitely be supporting Team RAC this season. They are a great team and I have they have a fantastic season!"
After an encouraging beginning to the season for Team RAC's Stephen Jelley - culminating in a BTCC career best finish of fourth in round two at Brands Hatch - the Leicester-born speedster heads to Thruxton confident in the knowledge that good performances will see him threaten the current championship leaders.
Stephen Jelley: "It was a pleasure to meet a true legend of British sport. It is quite humbling to meet someone of Ben's standing. There aren't many people in sport who have achieved what Ben has and I hope Team RAC can put on a show for him when he comes to watch us."
Jelley lies in joint-seventh place in the Drivers' standings with 12 points after the first round of the BTCC championship at Brands Hatch. Team-mate Colin Turkington has 32 championship points after the first three races at Brands Hatch while Team RAC are second in the BTCC team standings with 42 points.
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Notes to editors:
About BTCC
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) was formed in 1958 and is Britain's most popular motor racing spectacle. Its race season comprises ten events at top circuits across the UK. It is contested by professional racing drivers in competition versions of every day road cars, giving it tremendous public appeal. Some 325,000 watch the BTCC trackside each year. www.btcc.net/
About RAC
With around seven million members, RAC is one of the UK's most progressive motoring organisations, providing services for both private and business motorists. Whether it's roadside assistance, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services or up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information - RAC is able to meet motorists' needs. RAC incorporates RAC Insurance. RAC, the driving people.
RAC is committed to providing the very highest levels of service to its members and has been ranked first for customer service by J D Power and Associates' UK Roadside Assistance Study for the last three years.
RAC is part of Aviva, the world's fifth largest insurance group which operates in 28 countries.
RAC's news releases and a selection of images are available from the internet press centre at http://www.racnews.co.uk/.
About HiQ
HiQ (part of Goodyear Dunlop) became the BTCC's new title sponsor in 2008 in a new three-year agreement. It provides a fast-fit car care service at its 150 centres across the UK. In the next two years, that number will rise to 250 as HiQ embarks on revolutionising the fast-fit industry. It has already taken the lead by offering a unique online service www.hiqonline.co.uk/ for motorists to buy tyres and arrange a fitting appointment.