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Gibbons' racers keep it in the family

Daniel Willers
10/ 4/2008

AUTOGRASS racing will be a family affair for Vincent Gibbons and his two sons, Jack and Ben, who are all set for the new race season.

This year will be the first time that all three will compete on the autograss racing circuit together and in the case of Jack, 13, and Ben, 12, against each other, with Ben set to compete in his first season. Ben received a custom built autograss racing car for his 12th birthday last December, the age he became eligible to compete.

Most of those who have competed in the world of motor sport would claim that the first season is always the most daunting, but according to his father Vincent, Ben has shown no sign of nerves so far and is looking forward to his first year of autograss racing:

"He is quite cool to be truthful. He doesn’t show much emotion. I’m sure he’ll be alright," Vincent said.

Vincent, a former motor racing champion, says that the three of them are eager and waiting for the new season to get under way:

"This is Jack’s second season, he’s chomping on the bit to get going. We’ve refreshed the cars and Ben’s is a fresh car. They’re both itching to race against each other plus their mates throughout the country," Vincent said. "I’m looking forward to it and perhaps I can take a back seat and start looking after them 110 per cent."

The team will travel across the country over the coming months to take part in five meets throughout the season, including those in South Wales, Scunthorpe, Cambridgeshire and Northern Ireland.

Each meeting sees drivers participating in three heats, and a final, with points awarded according to finishing positions.