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The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) was formed in 1958 and is the UK'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. Around 300,000 watch the BTCC trackside each year. www.btcc.net

HiQ (part of Goodyear Dunlop) has become 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.

Continued from News:

ARKAS RACING HELPS MAKE-A-WISH COME TRUE AT ROCKINGHAM 

Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk helped support leading charity Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK at Rockingham Motor Speedway last Sunday, 13th April, by offering VIP access into the team garage at the latest instalment of the 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship. 

The squad welcomed several inspirational children, all of whom are fighting life-threatening illnesses, to take a behind the scenes look at raceday preparations at the Northamptonshire venue. Another treat followed for the youngsters when they were invited to sit behind the wheel of one of the team’s Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch cars. 

Five-year-old Jack Padmore, from Derby, and his three-year-old brother Noah both have primary hyperoxaluria. Ellen Pearson of Stevenage, who is 12-years-old, has a brain tumour, while Kevin Alexander, who is 15-years-old and lives in St Albans, has neurofibromatosis – a genetic disorder which causes tumours to grow. 

Jack, Ellen and Kevin also had their photograph taken with Arkas Racing’s BTCC stars Erkut Kizilirmak and Martyn Bell on a weekend which proved to be a successful one for the team. Kizilirmak and Bell both scored Independents Trophy points while the former also enjoyed a coveted overall top 10 result in the last of Sunday’s three races. 

Arkas Racing technical director Brian Ashwood said: “I know I speak for everyone in the team when I say it was an absolute pleasure to welcome all of the Make-A-Wish Foundation children into the garage at Rockingham on Sunday. We sincerely hope they all had an enjoyable time, they’re a fantastically inspirational group of youngsters.” 

While running under the name Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk, the team’s pair of Vauxhall Astras are prepared and maintained by highly respected touring car specialists Tech-Speed Motorsport from the outfit’s base in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. 

Make-A-Wish Foundation UK is Rockingham’s national charity for 2008. 

Highlights of last Sunday’s BTCC action, meanwhile, will be screened on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4 at 16.00 this Saturday, 19th April.

Make-A-Wish grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening illnesses. The charity was founded in the UK in 1986. www.make-a-wish.org.uk