News

Team RAC speedster Stephen Jelley can look forward to another well earned bottle of bubbly after hundreds of fans voted him as HiQ's latest champagne moment winner.

The

Leicester star has received the prestigious award for his headline grabbing display in the British Touring Car Championship at Croft, when he finished on the podium in each of the three races in his WSR prepared BMW E90 320si.

Jelley ably backed up his championship leading team mate Colin Turkington in races one and two, finishing second on both occasions, before capping off a fine weekend with a third place finish in the final outing.

It was his first podium finishes of his BTCC career and firmly established him as a driver to be reckoned with for the duration of the 2009 season.

Jelley polled 32 per cent of fans' votes with teammate Turkington second with 24 per cent of votes. Reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi was third (20 per cent) and Paul O'Neill came fourth (18 per cent).

He said: "It is nice to be recognised by so many fans of the BTCC. It is the ultimate endorsement and I hope the champagne moment award will spur me and the team on to more successes at the Snetterton circuit."

HiQ BTCC fan Barry Barney, of Drayton near Norwich, was picked at random to win

a bottle of champagne and he will now win a pair of tickets to the next

BTCC race at Snetterton, where he will present Stephen with his prize.

Barry said: "There were not one, not two, but three champagne moments at one meeting - all courtesy of Stephen. No one topped that, which is why I picked him to win."

All spectators are invited to log onto HiQ's official website, www.hiqonline.co.uk to vote for their star performer from the next round of racing.

The man that receives the most plaudits from the round of racing will be crowned with HiQ's Champagne Moment award and presented with a magnum of bubbly before the next race.

One lucky fan who has logged his or her details onto the website will be picked at random to present the prize to the driver and complimentary race tickets will also be provided, along with a grid walk of the track before one of the races.

HiQ's BTCC marketing manager Geraldine McGovern said: "We are delighted for Stephen and Team RAC. He is certainly a worthy winner, and we all thought he stood a great chance for three stunning drives."