Local Car Racers on a Mission
Award and race winning Ashurst Wood-based motor racing teams, the “Narconon Race Team” and the “Youth4HumanRights UK Car Racing Team” have grown from a struggling 2-car team two years ago and are now running six race cars to forward the message of a drug-free world and a world which observes the Human Rights laid down by the United Nations in 1946. The Youth 4 Human Rights UK Car Racing Team is the first race team in the world to promote and support Human Rights. A Championship win last season, several race wins and podium finishes, numerous fastest laps plus an outright lap record, have brought the teams to the attention of national and international motor racing press.
The Narconon Race Team with lead driver JJ Vannier fields four cars with the aid of his father, Jim Vannier. The other three Narconon race cars are driven by Ian Clark, Richard Asher and Charles Godfrey. These four Narconon XR2 Fiestas promote “Drive-Against-Drugs” and the Narconon drug education and re-habilitation programs and promote Youth for Human Rights International. 22 year old JJ Vannier has has an outright race win and podium finishes, lap records, pole positions, and fastest laps. He is currently running 2nd in the 750 Motor Club’s Stock Hatch Class B Championship. The Narconon Race Team’s next outing is 23-24 June at Pembrey in Wales followed by another double header at Lincolnshire’s challenging Cadwell Park the week after.
Local businessman Andrew Chalmers races the Youth4HumanRights Porsche 911 RS in one of Britain’s most prestigious championships, the Heritage GT Series. This series is a support race at Formula 3 and British Touring Car race meets in the UK and on the Continent. In addition to the crowds attending these meeting, Heritage GT races are televised on Sky Sports, forwarding the Youth for Human Rights International campaign to hundredths of thousands of people per year. Heritage GT’s next race is at Snetterton in Norfolk 28-29 July.
After his brilliant 2006 Clio Cup Winter Championship series win, Niki Lanik and the Youth4HumanRights UK Car Racing Team, is campaigning in his second season in the hotly contested Renault Clio Cup. Moving up the racing ladder, Niki recently qualified 3rd fastest out of 44 entries at Croft ahead of several former champions but retired early in the race with damage. Round 5 of the UK Clio Cup will be held at Oulton Park in Cheshire this weekend 23-24 June. Niki has never raced there before but is going for a podium finish. “I love racing, and I love helping people. So for me this is the perfect opportunity to make the world a better place!” Niki always tells the interviewers and TV cameras. The race team has already won two awards, one being the “Ambassador of Peace” award presented by the Universal Peace Federation, the other being a “Human Rights Ambassador” presented by Mary Shuttleworth, director of Youth For Human Rights International.
The race teams are sponsored by southeast and locally-based companies Miracle Dry Wash (www.miracledrywash.com), G&G Vitamins (www.GandGvitamins.com), Luxury Sign Design (www.lsdsign.co.uk), Wealden Workwear (www.wwpe.co.uk), DesignToPrint (designtoprintuk.com), Goldenball International, and Rackspace Managed Hosting (www.rackspace.co.uk). For more information about the race teams, log onto www.Y4HR.com and www.vibrant.ms or e-mail the teams directly on info@vibrant.ms.
