as they join BTCC squad

- Students from the National College for Motorsport enjoy a true hands-on experience with front-running BTCC Motorbase Performance squads Airwaves Racing and Crabbie's Racing. Three lucky students from the National College for Motorsport got the chance to put theory into practice recently when they joined the Motorbase-run Airwaves Racing and Crabbie’s Racing squads for the final two rounds of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.Being based within Silverstone’s Technology Park adjacent to the circuit; first year students Pedro Montez, Cameron Richardson and Neil Calfe approached the team to offer their services during Thursday’s set up day and their resourcefulness was rewarded with an invitation by Team Manager Oly Collins to join the Airwaves Racing and Crabbie's Racing crews for the weekend’s penultimate round of the 2014 BTCC season.Having impressed the team with their enthusiasm and work ethic over the Silverstone weekend where the Airwaves Racing squad celebrated its second win of the season; the trio were invited back into the Motorbase fold for the season finale at the Kent-based outfit’s home circuit, Brands Hatch. During a thrilling weekend of racing, Pedro, Cameron and Neil were once again part of the team revelries with Motorbase drivers Mat Jackson and Jack Clarke securing a double podium in the final race of the season.Motorbase Performance BTCC team manager Oly Collins said: “Each of the guys from the Silverstone college were a great addition to the Airwaves Racing and Crabbie's Racing teams over the two weekends. Their approaches to the tasks given to them were brilliant at all times and they fitted straight into the teamwork environment perfectly. They were given a large variety of roles during their time with us, each of which they carried out with great enthusiasm and attention to detail, from cleaning, to car re-prep, garage set up to car operation duties. So much so, that we invited them back to join us again at Brands Hatch!

“I think what the college is doing is outstanding, I like the fact they were given the chance to show some initiative and responsibility and they did it very well. Cameron, Pedro and Neil would be a great addition to any team and I've no doubt that they will each have a promising future in the Motorsport Industry should they wish it to be their chosen careers.”Jim Harrod, Head of School at the National College for Motorsport said:“I would like to thank everyone at Motorbase Performance for giving our students the opportunity to experience real work in preparation for their future. We rely very heavily on the support of professional race teams to give valuable work experience to our students because at the National College for Motorsport we feel very strongly that young people should experience ‘real work’ alongside any College course.“I feel sure the experience will stay with Pedro, Cameron and Neil forever and will form a fantastic base for a career in motorsport.”

Pedro Montez, 19 from London said:“It’s been an amazing experience and what a great way to end it with Jack claiming a podium in the final race of the season. I’ve gained so much practical experience with my time with the team and getting to learn it first-hand has been amazing. I was surprised at how technical the race cars actually are in terms of the level of data that you can see when they are plugged in and how you can see everything that the driver is doing. I’ve loved seeing all the charts and stuff and it’s solidified my choice in wanting to follow a career in motorsport for sure. Cameron Richardson, 18 from Newmarket said:“It’s been great. I’ve been working on Mat’s car and we managed to get three podiums and a win so a great way to top off the two weekends with the team. The amount of cleaning which is involved is unbelievable! The experience will be a huge help for me to take back to college and help with my assignments and it’s definitely made me more resolute that this is the way that I want my career to go in the future.”Neil Calfe, 18 from Milton Keynes said:“It’s been fantastic, and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Obviously it’s not every day you can walk into a touring car team and help them out so it really has been great and really good fun. The amount of work that goes into each car after the race is incredible, every knock and bump is sorted out after each race and there’s a lot of high intensity work involved. A lot of experience has been gained by working with Motorbase and hopefully I’ll be able to follow that on with wherever I end up in my motorsport career.”