An unashamedly biased blog bringing you news, views and competitions around the BTCC world, all brought to you by a fan with far too much time on their hands.
That's right people, the long haired beardy Matt James has agreed to shave his head for Macmillan, but there is a catch, he will only do it if he can raise £2000.
As you can see, he desperately needs a haircut!
A little back story to this:
At a recent race weekend Matt was threatened by Rob Austin with an enforced haircut, not without reason as you can see. Now after further pressure Matt has relented but only if enough money is raised.
Matt James is currently sat in the pub gloating, convinced that the haircut will not happen and he will have his girlfriend straightening his naturally curly locks for a long time to come (I kid you not!).
Rob Austin has clippers at the ready to chase him down the pit lane if necessary.
I would pay just to see this happen, but I suppose it's better to put some cash in the pot to save Matt the indignity of running.
Please give generously to save a touring car driver v news editor fight
I'm sure we have all asked this question at some point. What do racing drivers do when they're not racing? They must do something, they can't all just get thrown in a cupboard like the Stig.
Well, between Rockingham and Silverstone I have been wondering that myself.
I don't know what they all do, but here are highlights from a few who have shared (and a few who haven't!)
Gordon Sheddon is easy to guess. He works at Knockhill Race Circuit when not racing, in fact if you time it right while ringing up to book tickets or driving experiences he could well be the person picking up the phone to take your order.
Very recently he did a swap with John McGuiness for the day, handing over his car in exchange for John's bike. In the end their times were only a tenth of a second adrift, quite impressive really.
But if you are into music you might prefer what else he recently got up to, helping the Kaiser Chiefs with their new video - he was the one driving round Knockhill in those Hondas.
Obviously being the reigning champion has it's benefits.
As for Dan Welch, Tony Gilham and Kelvin Fletcher, I should imagine they have been spending some quality time with their new babies. Yes, it is baby season for touring car drivers. I can only conclude (especially given that Hunter Abbott's son was also born in August last year) that racing drivers have a particular way to keep themselves occupied in the off season (do the maths, wives and girlfriends have busy Novembers, lol)
There has also been a busy time in the Handy MotorSport camp with a trip to Doncaster to keep the team entertained.
Simon Belcher (Handy's team boss) has been showing of the skills that made him a European Champion by entering the British Jet Ski Championship to raise money for Cancer Research.
This is Simon doing his best superman as he crossed the finish in 4th. Not bad when he last raced jetski's 15 years ago.
Thanks to Sian Mcardle for the awesome photos.
And where was Rob Austin while his boss was playing?
Well, he did eventually emerge from the truck to help.
As well as acting as Simon's manager for the weekend he was the lake shark spotter. (Rob knows nothing about marine biology and remains convinced that lakes are filled with sharks and he's better staying out of the water.)
It's good to see that these men have bonded so well given that until the end of last season the had not really spoken. They are now fast becoming becoming quite the double act in the paddock.
Simon has managed to raise £4620 so far, which is an amazing amount for a worthy charity and it's not too late for you contribute, remember it's for Cancer Research.
Another driver who must get a special mention is Mike Bushell. Not currently racing a touring car, but this season's joint leader in the Clio Cup, he has made no secret of being bored while waiting for Silverstone. First he was fixing his van, which broke down in Rockingham car park as he was trying to get home after a highly successful weekend, then he posted a video to facebook of himself redecorating the house. Please get that man back in a race car asap or send him to redecorate my house!
So racing drivers do have lives away from the race tracks. Who knew?
Do you know what any of the other drivers have been getting up to since Rockingham?
If anyone's going to the Goodwood Revival this weekend see if you can spot how many of the BTCC drivers are there and leave a message - extra brownie points for photos!
